ENGLAND'S two-day tour opener in Mumbai against the Mumbai Cricket Association President's XI served little purpose except help the visitors relax a little after reassuring themselves that the security net was in place. No result was possible in just two days except a draw, not even with a 90-over first innings restriction introduced as a face-saving exercise. Nasser Hussain's team could have fortified itself better by watching videos of recent performances against Pakistan and Sri Lanka on sub-continental wickets, instead of a purposeless game against a depleted Mumbai side, without Sachin Tendulkar, Ajit Agarkar, Sameer Dighe and Jatin Paranjpe.
The sight of English cricketers was enough to stoke competitive fire in Vinod Kambli, the left-hander refreshed memories of his batting exploits with a blistering 109 off 109 balls on the first day. The second day saw the visitors lining to bat against the Mumbai spinners, among whom Sairaj Bahutule and Nilesh Kulkarni on current form cannot be called Test class, while promising off-spinner Ramesh Powar is short on experience. Skipper Nasser Hussain and Graham Thorpe retired after scoring 70 and 45 respectively, reducing the game to a training exercise while giving other batsmen an opportunity to get into action since the fate of the match was known before the toss.
The ease with which Kambli belted the English bowlers, seven of whom were pressed into service by skipper Hussain, opting to field after winning the toss, and the assurance of young Wasim Jaffer (99), showed that the visitors have a lot of hard work ahead on this tour. In the absence of Darren Gough and Andrew Caddick, this attack can at best be described a hard-working one. Mumbai debutant Bhavin Thakkar scored 46 and leg-spinner Sairaj Bahutule's strong-arm methods fetched him 52 as the home side totalled 373 for five in the allotted 90 overs, inclusive of 57 boundaries.
None of the Englishmen made an impression on Kambli, batting on home turf at the Wankhede Stadium, hitting through the line to reach 50 off just 55 balls (nine fours), the hundred coming up next in 103 balls (17 fours). He scored 19 boundaries in all, many of them lofted drives over cover. Two brutal pulls to mid-wicket against off-spinner Michael Vaughan were hit so effortlessly that the other Indian batsmen were left smacking their lips.
Seeing the way the visiting Englishmen got themselves into a tangle when Mumbai skipper Paras Mhambrey introduced spin in the ninth over of the second morning, left-arm spinner Kulkarni got the first crack at the batsmen and was joined by off-spinner Powar in the 15th over. Both these Mumbai regulars got into rhythm immediately. Marcus Trescothick, the Somerset all-rounder with a good record of run-making against Sri Lanka and Pakistan spinners this season, top-edged an attempted sweep off Powar into Kambli's hands at short mid-wicket.
Vaughan was the next batsman to fall to spin, Kulkarni beating the batsman in the forward defensive mode, the ball taking the edge into wicket-keeper Abhijit Shetye's gloves. Leg-spinner Bahutule, the other experienced spinner in the side, had the misfortune of having three catches dropped off his bowling, otherwise the visitors would have been in an embarrassing position. Fellow spinner Kulkarni dropped two catches, the beneficiaries being the England skipper and Thorpe, Muzumdar failed to latch on to a chance offered by the former.
Hussain, dropped again at 40 when Thakkar failed to react in time at forward short-leg off Powar, launched the counter-attack, setting the tone with a six over long-on off Kulkarni. His second six, off Powar over long-on into the stands, helped him cross the 50-mark in his first innings on this tour. Opener Trescothick too got adventurous, a hooked six off medium-pacer Avishkar Salvi, then a huge lofted straight-drive into the sightscreen off Kulkarni, two of the three sixes and six boundaries taking him to 60 before an attempted sweep against Powar proved costly. Hussain and Thorpe retired at tea, giving Ramprakash (58 not out, 83 balls, four fours) and White (79 not out, 72 balls, 7 fours, five sixes) the luxury of batting at leisure till play was called off after the 90th over.
The only beneficiaries in this match were Kambli, proving the fire still raged within him when it came to performing at the crease, and the people in charge of England's security who got a chance to get first-hand experience of the task ahead in the series against India. For Nasser Hussain and his men, there were more questions than answers.
The scores:MCA President's XI 373 for five in 90 overs (Vinayak Mane 33, Wasim Jaffer 99, Vinod Kambli 109, Bhavin Thakkar 46, Sairaj Bahutule 52 not out) drew with England 370 for five in 90 overs (M. Butcher 33, M. Trescothick 60, N. Hussain (retd.) 70, G. Thorpe (retd.) 45, M. Ramprakash 58 not out, C. White 79 not out).
Comments
SHARE