The Hindu : Sport : Solid reply by England openers

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Saturday, May 17, 2008
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Solid reply by England openers

Ted Corbett

New Zealand makes 277 in the first innings

— Photo: AFP

CLOSE CALL: England’s Ian Bell takes evasive action against a fierce pull from New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori on the second day of the first Test on Friday.

LONDON: Reasons to be gloomy abounded at Lord’s on Friday where another cloud covering as far as the eye could see reduced the first Test to a crawl. Play was interrupted five times as New Zealand totalled 277 and the England openers replied with 68.

Ryan Sidebottom will disagree with that verdict of continuing misery. The left-arm swing bowler had spent the first day straying the ball around as if he had a bad case of the shakes but suddenly the old skills returned and after he had bowled 23 overs without success he produced an analysis of 10.1-7-3-4.

On target

He bowled the New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori for 48 — Vettori averages above 40 since he was given the leadership in succession to Stephen Fleming — after having Jacob Oram caught at slip for 28 and bowling Kyle Mills and Tim Southee. His line was precise, his swing under control and his aggression subdued.

It looked as if all the praise that has been heaped on him in the last few weeks had confused his thinking process and that a word from the coach or captain had been necessary to get him back on track.

New Zealand had scored 208 for six overnight and made it clear it would graft hard to stay in the match. The much-maligned tail, watched at close quarters by a stern captain, certainly did not lose the wickets easily but the fans, wrapped against the onset of the May chills, would have warmed to a few more runs.

The two hours before lunch brought 52 runs for the loss of Oram, following an outswinger, and Mills, hitting round a full delivery.

Vettori showed he has not lost his soul to bang-crash-wallop cricket by toiling for 162 minutes and 100 balls for 48 before he had all his stumps knocked askew while he raised his bat disdainfully.

Long before he was last man out most of the spectators would have settled for a slog or two.

Sidebottom would not allow such frivolity. It was proof again that he was back on the lines much admired by such defensive Nottinghamshire bowlers as the ancient Alfred Shaw, who bowled four-ball maidens to order, or his father Arnie, a dour Yorkshire pace bowler who grimaced his way to a Test place after starting life as a Manchester United centre-half.

Young Southee, who proved he was a promising hitter in the latter stages of the final Test two months ago, was overwhelmed rather than bowled. However, but by the time New Zealand was finished there had been three stoppages for bad light and by the time Andrew Strauss and Alistair Cook had made 15 the grey mist descended again.

Martin and Mills bowling, Cook and Strauss defending and the lights in the library of the old pavilion gleaming through the gloaming.

All these factors mocked the efforts of the MCC who send out daily mails begging people to pay £65 to make their way through the Grace Gates. They have to be kidding, don’t they?

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