England build on lead
England managed to gain a 47-run lead by dismissing CCI President's XI for 252
The Bulletin by George Binoy
19-Feb-2006
England 299 and 30 for 1 lead CCI President's XI 251
(Samant 53, Blackwell 4-57) by 78 runs
Scorecard
How they were out
Scorecard
How they were out
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Marcus Trescothick was back for England's second innings after missing the
first day due to illness. Andrew Strauss clipped Abid Nabi straight to
square leg but Trescothick showed impressive form, carting Redkar for four
boundaries, three square cuts and a cover drive, off the last over of the
day.
England had a relaxed warm-up session before the start of the day and
carried that attitude into the match. The bowlers preferred to gently get
accustomed to the conditions rather than fire on all cylinders. Steve
Harmison got steep bounce as usual but was nowhere near the hostility he's
capable of. Matthew Hoggard didn't find the swing that is so vital to his
success and Simon Jones jogged in gingerly from a short run up and let
loose at a little more than half his usual speed. Only Andrew Flintoff
revved up the pace and conceded just four runs in his four-over spell.
Though President's XI were 162 for 6, Samant didn't hesitate to pull
anything he felt was within his reach and his first attempt off Jones was
top-edged over Geraint Jones for four. Thereafter he handled the short
stuff from Harmison with ease, hooking a four behind square and reaching
his half-century with a pull to midwicket. He played all three spinners
comfortably and was out to a soft dismissal when he missed a sweep off Ian
Blackwell. Redkar, who hit Blackwell for a six and a four just before tea,
was later lucky when his edge off
Jones fell short of first slip.
The openers, Sahil Kukreja and Robin Uthappa, played and missed a few
times at the start but by and large they were content with leaving
anything wide or too high from Hoggard or Harmison. Kukreja survived a
couple of leg before appeals and struck the first boundary of the innings
off Hamrison - a cut through point. Uthappa looked edgy early on and
wafted at a few wide ones before he cut Harmison with a Sehwag-esque shot
over slips. He followed up with a punched four to long-on and he had done
well to see off the new ball when all the good work was undone in the
space of three balls.
In the 17th over, Uthappa called for a sharp single to cover but Kevin
Pietersen was quick to throw the stumps down, with Kukreja well short at
the striker's end. Two balls later, he drove firmly to Michael Vaughan,
whose direct-hit had Vinit Indulkar dismissed and the President's XI were
41 for 2.
Harmison returned for a second spell and bowled much quicker. He induced
an edge from Uthappa off the second ball of his new spell and rapped Amol
Muzumdar, on 15, painfully on the gloves. An x-ray revealed a fractured
thumb and, in his place, Hiken Shah resumed the innings with Hrishikesh
Shende after lunch.
Shende was soon snapped up by Flintoff at second slip but Shah and Wilkin
Mota staged a recovery of sorts with a 55-run stand for the fifth wicket.
They milked the spinner operating at one end while blocking the fast
bowler at the other. Shah hit a streaky four through slips off Flintoff
but compensated with a well-timed clip off his legs soon after. Both Mota
and Shah helped themselves to a boundary each off Shaun Udal's first over
and Ian Blackwell also looked innocuous as the batsmen cut and pulled him
with ease. A moment's indiscretion from Mota, when he stepped down to
Blackwell, cost him his wicket and another running blunder, a mid-pitch
collision while attempting the third run, ended Shah's innings on 30.
Though Blackwell was the most successful bowler, taking 4 for 57, Monty
Panesar, whose left-arm potential has been discussed since Ashley Giles
was ruled out of the tour, bowled a tight spell and conceded just 41 runs
in 16 overs. He capped his efforts by taking the penultimate wicket,
bowling Redkar round his legs. Blackwell wrapped up the innings with the
wickets of Abid Nabi, holing out to mid-off, and picked up his fourth
wicket when Shaun Udal pouched Kshemal Waingankar's lofted hit.
Two England players, Paul Collingwood and Matt Prior, didn't take the field today. Collingwood experienced a stiffness in the back while Prior stayed back in the hotel as he was unwell.
England
Andrew Strauss c Vinit Indulkar b Abid Nabi 0 (3 for 1)
Clipped to square leg
Andrew Strauss c Vinit Indulkar b Abid Nabi 0 (3 for 1)
Clipped to square leg
CCI President's XI
Sahil Kukreja run out Kevin Pietersen 18 (40 for 1)
Direct hit from cover
Direct hit from cover
Vinit Indulkar run out Michael Vaughan 1 (41 for 2)
Direct hit from mid-on at strikers end
Direct hit from mid-on at strikers end
Robin Uthappa c Geraint Jones b Steve Harmison 19 (42 for 3)
Edged one that moved away
Edged one that moved away
Hrishikesh Shende c Andrew Flintoff b Matthew Hoggard 22 (81 for
4)
Regulation catch at second slip
Regulation catch at second slip
Wilkin Mota st Geraint Jones b Ian Blackwell 28 (136 for 5)
Stepped down and missed
Stepped down and missed
Hiken Shah run out Andrew Flintoff 30 (162 for 6)
Mid-pitch collision going for the third run
Mid-pitch collision going for the third run
Vinayank Samant lbw Ian Blackwell 53 (226 for 7)
Missed a sweep
Missed a sweep
Abid Nabi c Matthew Hoggard b Ian Blackwell 0 (226 for 8)
Holed out to mid-off
Holed out to mid-off
Aniket Redkar b Monty Panesar 36 (245 for 9)
Round his legs trying to sweep
Round his legs trying to sweep
Kshemal Waingankar c Shaun Udal b Ian Blackwell 10 (251)
Scooped to deep cover
Scooped to deep cover
Amol Muzumdar retired out 15
Hit on the gloves by Steve Harmison
Hit on the gloves by Steve Harmison
George Binoy is editorial assistant of Cricinfo