HIS face said it all amidst the backdrop of the raging controversy of the punishments meted out by ICC Match Referee Mike Denness and the dismal performance by the English cricketers. England coach Duncan Fletcher was clearly disappointed at the team's performance against the Board President's XI in the three-day match which ended in a draw at Lal Bahadur Stadium in Hyderabad.
"It requires a lot of hard work to succeed in India. Not like in England where once you get 40-plus you can be confident and tend to relax. Here, one has to work through a long way and the process has to go on and on," was his candid observation after the match. "I think England batted well in the first innings but gave away too many soft wickets in the second knock. I will have to find out whether they were trying to be too positive," he remarked. "They have to strike the right balance between being patient and positive. That is the secret of success on Indian tracks," he pointed out.
But, Fletcher was quick to point out that it was very difficult to bat on Indian tracks. "It is not all that easy as we think from outside," he asserted. He had a word of praise for the two spinners Robert Dawson and Martyn Ball for the way they started off so well. "Basically, we are getting used to the conditions in India through these first-class matches preceding the Test series," he said to another query.
It was good too see an English coach shower genuine praise on Board President's XI medium-pacer Sanjay Bangar. "He bowled six out of six in the 'zone', pitching the ball up and moving it appreciably," he complimented. "This is what is required on the sub-continent pitches. As Darren Gough demonstrated so well in the series against Sri Lanka last time to be the leading wicket-taker," he recalled. "We hope things will improve with the arrival of Andrew Flintoff (straight from Australian Academy) for this series," he added.
The big question: Will this England attack bowl the Indian side twice in a Test match? "I hope they are capable of that."
If our main spinner Ashley Giles is fit, the attack will get the required edge. Remember, "Marcus Trescothick didn't play here. I do admit my side is very inexperienced but it is unfair to write it off," he pointed out.
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