Baggy @ the Test Days 2 and 3

By Bagpuss
November 20 2005

This stuff is coming thick and fast so I'll post it as a two parter. It will go into the next Test but I don't expect her to find internet access during the game so the next match report may be a little tardy. No less welcome for all that though!

Day 2

Still personally a bit fragile first thing this morning so stay at the hotel. England are looking for a good start today, hopefully Sami will provide them with easy pickings to get through to the tail. That proves the case as Hoggard bowls him in the first (full) over of the day. Flintoff from the other end is hit for 4 by Inzimam to bring up the Pakistan 250 next over. In his next over Inzamam reaches his 50 (90 balls, 4x4/1x6). Average day at the office so far for the Pakistan captain then who averages just under 51 in all Tests against England. He doesn’t improve much on this statistic as Flintoff gets him with the first ball of his next over, a bit of a loose shot and the edge carries to Strauss who hangs on after a bit of a fumble.

Shabbir Ahmed next in – and if he’s their number 10 heaven help Kaneria – Shabbir doesn’t actually make contact with the ball before Flintoff gets the full straight one he’s looking for at the fifth attempt and bowls him middle stump after going past the outside edge of the bat. Kaneria looks like he may last a little longer till Harmison replaces Hoggard and gets him caught by Giles with his second ball.

An excellent bowling performance by England who have cleaned up the last four wickets in just 10.4 overs of the morning session whilst just 30 runs were added to bring the Pakistan total to 274 all out. Very therapeutic as far as I’m concerned, think I’ll get myself down to the ground at lunch.

Strauss and Trescothick open. Shoaib Akhtar is hitting the 90+ mph mark straight up but its Sami who does for Strauss getting him absolutely plumb lbw in the 4th over. England 18-1 not a good start especially when you look at the inexperience of the middle order. Bell comes in at number 3 for the first stage of his post Ashes rehabilitation. He looks reasonably comfortable, gets some 1s and 2s and then a boundary. Has more problems with Akhtar who seems to bowl better lines to the right hander. But the 50 comes up at about 4 runs an over after the drinks interval.

Spin is introduced in the form of leggie Kaneria in the 13th over. Will this be Bell’s downfall – he didn’t take to Warne during the Ashes. But Bell does well and they go to lunch on 72-1, Trescothick 28 and Bell 22.

After an interesting lunchtime trip to the ground, details of which I will not bore you with here, I arrive in time to see Trescothick reach 50 with a huge six of Kaneria (93, 8/1). Bell copies the captain getting to 50 soon after (105, 4/0). Sami seems to be warned about running on the pitch. No other items of note as the 150 partnership passes and at tea England are 174-1 off 47 with Trescothick on 87 and Bell on 60.

After tea Bell is out off an Akhtar no-ball in the 51st over. Maybe this unsettled him as three overs later he is caught at short leg by Butt off the bowling of offspinner Malik. 71 runs a good effort as they say but a pity he couldn’t have gone on further. Marcus however has no intention of leaving yet and reaches 100 with a 4 off Malik (164, 13/1)  Collingwood at the other end never looks comfortable but hangs in there till the 67th over when he is caught by the keeper off Shabbir for a painstaking 10 in a partnership of 53. 251-3. Hoggard arrives in his customary role of nightwatchman and just two more runs are added to the total before the umpires take them off after Akhtar hits Trescothick on the head. 253-3 overnight with Trescothick on 135 and Hoggard yet to score. Another good day for England and for the captain.

DAY 3

The trouble with using a nightwatchman is that the next morning the bowlers have an end to attack. Hoggard digs out the yorkers for almost half an hour before Akhtar finds the edge and he is caught by the keeper for a hard-grafted single. That brings Pieterson to the crease and so far on this tour he has also provided an end for the bowlers to attack, in his case with tempting little numbers inviting the drive or cut. Perhaps his new found confidence after finally taking a catch will prevail - but no he becomes the first victim of Kaneria's leg spin as he is caught by the close in fielder Butt having scored just 5 runs. 253-3 overnight has become 271-5. England still haven't reached Pakistan's total and Trescothick is looking for someone to form a bit of a partnership with to take England to a good first innings lead.

Just the sort of thing for an Ashes hero you would think. Enter Flintoff, helmet in hand as he crosses the boundary as usual. Maybe he thinks he'll get special treatment as a blond out here (works for me!). At last England move into a first innings lead. Kaneria keeps bowling one end whilst Akhtar is replaced by Sami after the drinks interval. Trescothick takes a single to reach 150 (241, 17/1) and Flintoff is looking more settled.

Just when things are looking hunky-dory, hardly more than a quarter hour before lunch, Akhtar outsmarts Flintoff, dropping one in a bit short and the mi**** shot could not have been an easier shot for Shoaib Malik. The partnership between Flintoff and Trescothick had reached 93 and surely if these two could have stayed together for say an hour or so after lunch a first innings total of 500 plus would have been on the cards.

After lunch Trescothick starts the rebuilding with yet another new partner, this time Geraint Jones. However time out in the middle - he has been there the whole match so far - takes its toll and he is lucky to survive on 181 when the substitute fielder drops a sitter. But it is Trescothick who is next to go just seven runs short of what would have been his first double century away from home. What he really needs now is a robust rearguard action from a tail which recently has contributed well to the totals, to extend the lead as close to the 200 mark as possible whilst giving him a little down time (probably I guess in a bath of ice)

What he gets is about 45 minutes and a total less than 150 ahead of Pakistan's first knock as the new ball is taken and Akhtar and Shabbir play havoc with the bowlers. Jones gets a less than convincing 22 before he is bowled (yet again) by Shabbir.  Giles hangs in doggedly for 16 until he is last man out, another Shabbir victim, with between these Udal going for a duck on debut trapped by Akhtar. Shabbir and Akhtar have taken 4 and 3 wickets respectively whilst Sami and the two spinners have one apiece. All five bowlers have contributed to an extras total bettered by only three England batsmen, 42, of which 22 were no balls shared amongst all 5.

So can the England attack put this match beyond doubt tonight. I rather optimistically predicted Pakistan could be 5 down by close of play. Hoggard opens the bowling with Flintoff rather than Harmison taking the new ball at the other end. Not much seems to be happening with this new ball - KP crashes into the advertising boards whilst trying to stop a boundary and goes off a couple of balls later. Doesnt look good - cant seem to move his elbow/shoulder at all - hope thats not his catching arm.

Harmison is brought on for Hoggard in the 7th over at the pavillion end of the ground - obviously there is no swing there with the new ball, interesting though as I don't think Harmison bowled this end throughout the first innings. A touch of genius in the change though as he gets Shoaib Malik's edge which is snaffled by the captain at slip. 31-1 good start four more to go to fulfill the Bagpuss prediction.

Spin is introduced in the form of Udal as he replaces Flintoff in the 12th. But there is nothing much there and the in-form Salman Butt goes through to tea 64-1 with Younis Khan outscoring him 24 to 20.

After tea the batters are making steady and untroubled progress. Spin is tried from both ends, then a Flintoff/Giles combination which tightens the lid on the run rate. A few maidens is helping put some pressure on and it nearly works immediately after the drinks interval when Butt miscues a hook shot and gets the top edge, but the ball falls safely out of reach of Jones. We have to wait until what turns out to be the penultimate over of the day for Flintoff to get the edge and Trescothick to catch Younis at a widish first slip.

The light intervenes yet again and Pakistan close still a few runs adrift of a lead on 125-2, Butt, having reached his secong 50 of the match (108,4) on 53 and nightwatchman Sami yet to score.