“Utterly demoralising”- the ever-optimistic Jonathan Agnew’s assessment of the deck prepared for the first Investec test match between England and India, as heard on TMS by thousands of listeners who were undoubtedly nodding their heads in agreement.
And to an extent, he is right.
29 wickets in five days of test cricket, interrupted only by a ten-minute delay to the beginning of Monday’s action, is an unacceptable conclusion for any fan of the game. The entertainment was dreary and slow-paced for the majority of the match and a draw seemed the kindest way to end the relentless but hopeless efforts put in by both teams to turn the spectacle into something more exciting than the cricketing gods ever intended. Even the highly commendable, record-breaking efforts of first Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami, followed by Joe Root and James Anderson, served as an emphatic slap on the wrist for the Trent Bridge groundsman in the eyes of the cynics like Agnew. The pitch was just not conducive to competitive, exciting cricket. Let’s be honest, who wants to see the ball consistently bouncing twice on its way through to the wicket keeper, after being slung down at 140km/h by an increasingly weary fast bowler?
Yes, these views are perfectly valid and probably correct. However, I think there are a number of positives for a downtrodden Alastair Cook and England to take to Lord’s on Thursday. While the middle order were dug out of a fair degree trouble by the excellence of the in-form Root and the sheer spirit of ‘Burnley’s Lara’, Anderson, on the fourth morning, the team never appeared overwhelmed by the supposed brilliance of their opponents, particularly with regard to the opponent’s batting lineup. Where was the explosive top order hitting of Shikhar Dhawan? Where was the game-changing innings from ‘the new Sachin’, Virat Kohli? Surely, if these boys can’t get a score under their belt with two knocks on a pitch like that, they’ll have no chance on a much greener Lord’s deck this week?
The words of Michael Vaughan after the first day’s play at Trent Bridge are definitely worth considering with hindsight. Described by the esteemed ex-England skipper as ‘exactly the kind of pitch on which you do not want to play India’ in his column for the Daily Telegraph, Vaughan was merely expressing the fears of every supporter after India had racked up a menacing 259-4 by the close.
Here, however, lies the reason why England should be most confident. Logic must surely dictate that India, in conditions which suit them down to the ground, against a side which handed them half of their first innings wickets on a plate, have missed their best opportunity to record a win in this series. Pitches will only get quicker and less even as the games roll on, a luxury which England surely won’t be foolish enough to deny themselves again this summer.
And while sport continues it’s unrelenting conquest against the expected, and despite definite fragilities and inexperience in the batting lineup, and the desperation for a frontline spinner (pray for Simon Kerrigan!), I can only see one side winning across the five tests, and that is England.
Starting with an Alastair Cook ton on Thursday would be nice, if only to shut Piers Morgan up for an hour.
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