Lloyd rues England's missed chances (18 November 1998 )

18 November 1998

Lloyd rues England's missed chances

AFP

BRISBANE, Australia, Nov 20 (AFP) - England coach David Lloyd admitted England may pay dearly for missed chances on the opening day of the first Ashes Test in Brisbane on Friday. The tourists might easily have finished the day with seven Australian wickets to their name, had Angus Fraser held on to a steepling catch at third man offered by Ian Healy and Nasser Hussain snapped up Steve Waugh via a sharp chance at slip.

But it was the hosts who held the advantage at close of play after Waugh (69no) and Healy (46no) had put on 68 in an unbroken sixth-wicket stand to post 246 for five. Lloyd, asked whether England are going to regret the missed opportunities which also included an earlier chance to run out Waugh, fluffed by Alan Mullally, said: "Yes, very much so.

"Those two chances were there to be taken. But they do not drop them on purpose, and you start again tomorrow.

"That's life; that's cricket - and it's gone now. They will be ruing it in the dressing room, but we will have pick ourselves up and start again. England had the ascendancy for the first two sessions, but those two Waugh and Healy, with all the experience they have, have pulled it round for the Australians.

"The story of the day is two dropped catches and the run-outs - and those two lads who are in now."

Earlier, during an break for bad light just after tea, Lloyd had been in more upbeat mood, with Australia four down for 145 after two quick wickets. "There's a touch in the wicket to help us, and I think in general we've bowled with good discipline and we deserve to be in a healthy position," he added.