The Hindu : Sport : Rain plays spoilsport; Cook reaches his half-century

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Rain plays spoilsport; Cook reaches his half-century

Ted Corbett

England progresses to 89 for no loss in the 43 minutes’ play possible

LONDON: A dozen Tests ahead of the Ashes series next summer, all England needed at Lord’s on Saturday was time spent staring out of the dressing room window hoping the rain would stop. There was time for only 43 minutes play as the openers Andrew Strauss and Alistair Cook took the score from 68 to 89 before lunch when bad light and a deluge stopped play. Cook’s fifty was his tenth, alongside seven centuries.

Afterwards promised inspections drowned in the rain, TVs around the ground showed the Cup final three miles away at Wembley; and the biggest cheer of the day came when Portsmouth missed an open goal! It was still raining at Lords where the match was called off half an hour after the Cup final ended.

Gearing up for Ashes

Instead of this intervention from the weather gods England wanted the momentum it built up before the glorious 2005 series when it headed for the summer looking like champion, grabbed its luck with both hands and halted the 16 year hiatus with a never-to-be-forgotten victory.

If there is a repeat it may find an Australian side, weakened by retirements, as ready for defeat as any team of Aussies ever will be. The concept of Ashes defeat is as strange to an Aussie as the idea of a lottery win but now, without Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Damien Martyn and Glenn McGrath, it looks vulnerable.

Right basis

So England must prepare properly, partly by a run of victories. Series success over New Zealand (two more Tests), South Africa in four Tests, India in two Tests in the autumn and West Indies in four Tests is possible and would certainly be the right basis for the confidence to challenge for the Ashes after the 5-0 drubbing in Australia in 2006-07.

It might help its search for three more ingredients.

Michael Vaughan, the captain hoping to be around for one last battle with the old enemy, needs runs and what better chance to make a big score than at Lord’s where he averages 54 against a New Zealand attack that lacks any sort of fear factor.

England also want the return of Andrew Flintoff, the all-rounder who has made it clear in county games this summer that he has regained the powerful fast bowling that has undermined batsmen around the world after his latest ankle injury.

He is now recovering from a side strain that Mike Watkinson, his coach at Lancashire, says might have been much more serious but for prompt action by the Old Trafford medical team. Flintoff will miss the rest of the series against the Kiwis but wants to measure his skills against the penetrating Springbok pacemen later in the summer.

England’s backroom staff will have to keep their fingers crossed that he does not suffer any further damage from thumping his huge body down on the bowling crease before the Australian series a year from now.

A fit Flintoff is a match-winner and it is clear England will do everything short of wrapping him in cotton wool when he faces the Aussies.

T20 conflict

England’s other need is a permanent solution to the conflict that arises from the Twenty20 league in India. Rumours flew round Lord’s on Friday that Kevin Pietersen had been offered £1 million to play in matches next time.

The England and Wales Cricket Board is said to be preparing an answer soon but clear the air talks are needed so that players can make a decision about their best interests so there is a time pressure on the ECB. No-one in cricket enjoys being hurried and it may be sometime before a decision comes even if that is just to show who the boss is.

SCOREBOARD

New Zealand — 1st innings: 277.

England — 1st innings: A. Strauss (batting) 31, A. Cook (batting) 53; Extras (nb-5): 5; Total (for no loss in 30.2 overs) 89.

New Zealand bowling: Martin 13-2-36-0, Mills 9.2-1-19-0, Southee 3-0-19-0, Oram 5-0-15-0.

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