Finn stands tall under murky skies
Plays of the day from the third day of England v Bangladesh at Lord's
Andrew Miller at Lord's
29-May-2010
Steven Finn enjoyed his best day for England, taking three wickets to add to the one he took on day two • AFP
Bowler of the day
Steven Finn was England's most threatening bowler in batter-friendly conditions on Friday, and sure enough, when the clouds rolled over and the deck juiced up today, he continued to excel by sticking to the virtues that had made him a threat in the first place. Finding a tight line and appreciable lift from his six-foot-plenty frame, he set the tone for his team-mates with 2 for 33 in a seven-over first spell, and when the new ball was taken late in the day, he was rightly given first use from the pavilion end. Within two deliveries, he scalped Mushfiqur Rahim with a beauty.
Steven Finn was England's most threatening bowler in batter-friendly conditions on Friday, and sure enough, when the clouds rolled over and the deck juiced up today, he continued to excel by sticking to the virtues that had made him a threat in the first place. Finding a tight line and appreciable lift from his six-foot-plenty frame, he set the tone for his team-mates with 2 for 33 in a seven-over first spell, and when the new ball was taken late in the day, he was rightly given first use from the pavilion end. Within two deliveries, he scalped Mushfiqur Rahim with a beauty.
Delivery of the day
Where Finn was discipline personified, James Anderson reaped his rewards through whimsy. Line and length has never been his modus operandi - hence his reputation as a bit of a "daisy" - but whereas yesterday was one of those days he didn't, today he got the ball singing to his tune. The delivery to extract Jahurul Islam was a beauty - a snaking outswinger that burst off the turf, grazed the edge, and zipped through to Matt Prior.
Where Finn was discipline personified, James Anderson reaped his rewards through whimsy. Line and length has never been his modus operandi - hence his reputation as a bit of a "daisy" - but whereas yesterday was one of those days he didn't, today he got the ball singing to his tune. The delivery to extract Jahurul Islam was a beauty - a snaking outswinger that burst off the turf, grazed the edge, and zipped through to Matt Prior.
Fumble of the day
After a blissful year in which he seemed finally to have seen off his challengers, Prior's place in the side is once again under scrutiny thanks to the emergence of Craig Kieswetter in the limited-overs format. The assumption is that his Test place is safe for now, largely because his glovework - once so shaky - has improved beyond recognition. Even so, he'll be under pressure not to let his standards slip, and so he was very grateful for Andrew Strauss's alertness at slip as he parried a flying edge off Shakib Al Hasan into the hands of his skipper.
After a blissful year in which he seemed finally to have seen off his challengers, Prior's place in the side is once again under scrutiny thanks to the emergence of Craig Kieswetter in the limited-overs format. The assumption is that his Test place is safe for now, largely because his glovework - once so shaky - has improved beyond recognition. Even so, he'll be under pressure not to let his standards slip, and so he was very grateful for Andrew Strauss's alertness at slip as he parried a flying edge off Shakib Al Hasan into the hands of his skipper.
Decision of the day
There's no Decision Review System for this series, largely because of Sky's justifiable unwillingness to foot the hefty bill without the aid of sponsorship, but while the stakeholders wrangle on the sidelines, the umpires are left to make their judgments without back-up. And after Alastair Cook's unlucky lbw on the first morning, today it was Mohammad Ashraful's turn to cop a rough one. Facing up to a hostile spell from Finn, he was trapped on the crease by a full-length lifter, and was not best pleased by Asoka de Silva's verdict. The ball would have flown over the top of leg stump.
There's no Decision Review System for this series, largely because of Sky's justifiable unwillingness to foot the hefty bill without the aid of sponsorship, but while the stakeholders wrangle on the sidelines, the umpires are left to make their judgments without back-up. And after Alastair Cook's unlucky lbw on the first morning, today it was Mohammad Ashraful's turn to cop a rough one. Facing up to a hostile spell from Finn, he was trapped on the crease by a full-length lifter, and was not best pleased by Asoka de Silva's verdict. The ball would have flown over the top of leg stump.
Stop-start of the day
It always seemed ambitious to schedule a tea break at 5.10pm, and sure enough, the final "session" of the day was a little bit of a farce. The players managed 13 deliveries in a row before a beauty from Bresnan to Mushfiqur persuaded umpire Bowden that the light really wasn't up to scratch, but after a five-minute hiatus, out they came again ... for seven balls ... in which time Mushfiq was less fortunate, as Finn splayed his stumps with a bail-trimmer down the hill that was reminiscent of Glenn McGrath in his Lord's pomp. Still they weren't quite done, however. A further nine deliveries, in which Shahadat Hossain somehow survived against Anderson, brought a lop-sided day to a close.
It always seemed ambitious to schedule a tea break at 5.10pm, and sure enough, the final "session" of the day was a little bit of a farce. The players managed 13 deliveries in a row before a beauty from Bresnan to Mushfiqur persuaded umpire Bowden that the light really wasn't up to scratch, but after a five-minute hiatus, out they came again ... for seven balls ... in which time Mushfiq was less fortunate, as Finn splayed his stumps with a bail-trimmer down the hill that was reminiscent of Glenn McGrath in his Lord's pomp. Still they weren't quite done, however. A further nine deliveries, in which Shahadat Hossain somehow survived against Anderson, brought a lop-sided day to a close.
Andrew Miller is UK editor of Cricinfo.