The Reverse Sweep

England v India: 1st Test, Lord's - Preview

With all due respect to South Africa, this series is the real clash of the titans to see who is the best current Test side. England have won five series on the bounce and India are yet to lose a Test rubber under the leadership of MS Dhoni – so something has to give.

England and India are notoriously slow starters, so staging the 1st Test of the series on a Lord’s featherbed may suit both teams as they begin to feel each other out. However, with India having had so little time to prepare on these shores, England may come to regret not staging this Test at Trent Bridge or Old Trafford.

Intriguing is the word that comes most to mind when assessing this match. Firstly, it is the 2000th Test match (prompting the ridiculous ICC XI picked by the public – Kapil Dev instead of Sobers? Sehwag or Gavaskar instead of Hobbs?). Then there is the small matter of Sachin Tendulkar aiming for his 100th international hundred. And if that wasn’t enough, there is the presence of Duncan Fletcher as Indian coach.

The time for all the talking is nearly over, let the extravaganza begin.

Likely line-ups

It’s Broad or Bresnan for England – we’d opt for the latter to reunite the four man attack who were so impressive during the innings victories at Melbourne and Sydney.

India’s final XI is less clear given Sehwag’s injury and the absence of Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan from the squad that recently beat the West Indies. With Suresh Raina excelling in the Caribbean and hitting a hundred in the warm-up match at Taunton, we expect him to bat at six, which means it is a straight choice between Yuvraj and Abhinav Mukund for the final batting spot.

Ishant Sharma was a revelation in the Caribbean and will open the bowling with Zaheer. Munaf Patel or Praveen Kumar will join the two spearheads and Harbhajan in India’s four man attack.

Look out for…

Kevin Pietersen likes the big occasion and it doesn’t get much bigger than this – the 2000th Test against the best side in the world at Lord’s. Don’t be surprised if KP marks the occasion with a sparkling hundred.

The battle between Zaheer and Andrew Strauss promises to be one to watch, but it’s difficult to look past Sachin Tendulkar’s quest to hit his 100th hundred and finally get on that Lord’s honours board.

Previously at Lord’s

2007 – Match drawn

A battling 76 not out from Dhoni and bad weather on the final day allowed India to escape by the skin of their teeth with just one wicket left for England to get in the first game of a series India went on to win 1-0.

2002 – England won by 170 runs

A captain’s knock of 155 by Nasser Hussain laid the platform before the bowlers earned England a big first innings lead. Centuries by Michael Vaughan and John Crawley helped set India an impossible target of 568, which they fell well short of, but not before the hitherto unsung Ajit Agarkar lit up Lord’s with this only Test hundred.

1990 – England won by 247 runs

Graham Gooch made history with 333 and 123 as India were trounced at Lord’s after England piled up 653 for four declared in their first innings. India didn’t go down without a fight though with Mohammad Azharuddin hitting a sparklingly beautiful hundred and Kapil Dev hitting four successive sixes to save the follow on.

Prediction

The weather and the pitch will probably lead to a stalemate in this Test, but we go for England to win what promises to be a classic and close series 2-1.

Where next?

Cricket Zeroes: Graham Gooch

Strauss’s Somerset stint is a sad indictment of county cricket

Duncan Fletcher's secret mission as India's coach

Mahendra Singh Dhoni - A born leader

Historic India-Pakistan summit flounders due to cricket diplomacy

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Read all our County Cricket coverage

Check out all our Reverse Sweep cricket heroes and zeroes

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The Boundary View: Cook & Bell in the pink as England take command - Sydney, Day Three

 
'Daddy' Cook in the pink again

On a day when the SCG went pink in memory of Jane McGrath, Alastair Cook again looked in prime form as his plunder from the series rose to three hundreds and 766 runs. In the process, Cook became the 2nd highest run accumulator ever in a test series for England going past Denis Compton (753 vs South Africa in 1947) and his mentor Graham Gooch (752 against India in 1990 - in just three tests). Gooch is fond of the phrase 'Daddy' hundred to describe the importance of aiming big when a batsman passes 100. Cook has certainly done that in the series with scores of 235* at Brisbane, 148 at Adelaide and 189 here. And with Cook also passing John Edrich's record of batting 2,006 minutes in an Ashes series, he can ask Gooch 'who's the Daddy now?' 

From Sherminator to Terminator

After 18 Tests and 12 scores of 50 plus, Ian Bell finally got to three figures against Australia. In the process, he enjoyed the luck he perhaps hasn't previously in the Ashes. First, a decision to give him out caught behind off an inside edge when he had 67 was contentiously over-ruled on review when hot-spot failed to spot a mark on the bat. Then on 84, he was dropped by Steve Smith off a sharp caught and bowled chance. But as throughout the series, Bell's innings was one of the highest class and came when England needed it - countering all the old arguments that Bell only scores runs when the pressure is off.  When he came in, England were still 49 runs behind, but when he was out just before the close, he walked off with his side in complete command. As Shane Warne joked on-air, Bell has gone from sherminator to terminator.

Pup whimpers for Glenn on Jane McGrath Day

It was wonderful to see the support from players, supporters and broadcasters alike for Jane McGrath - although we're not sure about Nasser Hussain's shocking pink suit, but Michael Clarke may suggest simply re-naming day 3 at the SCG 'McGrath Day'. With Glenn McGrath so omnipresent on this day in particular, Pup will have been forgiven if he spent most of the day whimpering for the former all-time great to be in his attack. The fact that Shane Watson looked Australia's most dangerous seamer said everything and Clarke even had to turn to Mike Hussey for an over before tea. With Australia's next Test assignment being in Sri Lanka things are unlikely to get any better for Clarke's impotent attack.

What is the point of Steve Smith?

We're not quite sure what Steve Smith is supposed to be, and neither so it would seem is Clarke. With Smith demoted to seven in the order for this Test, it would seem that the selectors have him down as an all-rounder. But he failed with the bat again and then Clarke didn't turn to him with the ball until the England innings was over 100 overs old. When he failed to hold on to the admittedly difficult caught and bowled chance from Bell, it dawned on us that Smith could well be the first f***-all-rounder in Test history. As D-Ream once sang, 'Things Can Only Get Better' for the youngster.

Third time lucky for Beer could spell doom for Colly

Twice Michael Beer thought he had his first test wicket and both times he was foiled by the video umpire correctly reprieving Cook on 46 and 99. So it was hardly surprising that he gave a quick look at the umpire before celebrating the wicket of Paul Collingwood. A case of third time lucky for Beer, but not for Collingwood who probably hasn't had a worse taste in his mouth since he last sampled some of the local Australian brew. We're big fans of Colly here at the Reverse Sweep, but even we're not confident that we'll see him drinking again at the Test Tavern now. 

Player of the day

Alastair Cook has broken more records on this trip than a pious Radio 1 DJ who had been given a stack of gangsta rap vinyl, and he shares the plaudits with Ian Bell who finally removed that Ashes monkey from his back. Their partnership of 154 transformed a game that had been in the balance to one where England are now utterly dominant.  

Zero of the day

Although there were plenty of candidates amongst the Australian bowlers, it has to be Phillip Hughes. You could tell from his initial reaction that he knew that he hadn't caught Cook when he was on 99, but instead of asking the umpires to check the video he got carried away with the appeals of his team-mates. Did he really think that the footage would miss the obvious bounce before the ball went into his hands?

What happens next?

With the lead already 208, Australia's hopes of squaring the series are gone. England will likely try and bat until lunch before even considering a declaration with Matt Prior hoping to top the 85 he made in Melbourne. With the pitch likely to deteriorate, Australia will do well to combat Graeme Swann and avoid what seems a likely defeat. 

Where next?

Day 2 @ Sydney: England progress after Johnson's sting in the tail

Day 1 @ Sydney: Rain interrupts war of attrition

Read all the excerpts from KP's 2010 Ashes Diary

Read all the latest from our Ashes 2010/11 coverage

Check out all our Reverse Sweep heroes and zeroes 

The best and worst Test XIs of 2010

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

The Boundary View: Records & filth at The Gabba - Brisbane, Day Five

 
Do you want to be a Record Breaker?

Records tumbled as Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott mercilessly ground Australia into the dust on day five at The Gabba. Cook's 235 not out is now the highest individual score in Gabba Tests beating Bradman's 226 against South Africa in 1931. The unbroken 329 stand is the highest for England in Australia and is also the highest for any wicket at The Gabba: beating Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin's effort on Saturday - doesn't that seem a long time ago now? Indeed it is only the second time that two 300+ run stands have occurred in the same test - the other was Pakistan vs India in Lahore in 2006. And Trott now has 300+ stands in successive tests following his 332 partnership with Stuart Broad against Pakistan at Lord's. Dedication indeed.

Can we play you every week?

The Barmy Army struck up this familiar refrain as the game edged towards the inevitable draw. Trott would probably concur having now hit two second innings hundreds in his two Ashes tests to date. And both have come at vital times - his 119 on debut helped England win the Oval decider in 2009 and unbeaten 135 today confirmed that England had saved the Test. Trott now averages 59 in Test cricket - we bet even he cannot believe that.

They couldn't catch a cold

If a particularly virulent form of Bird Flu had reached The Gabba in the last two days the Australian Cricket Team would have been immune as they couldn't seem to catch anything. We've never seen such a sloppy performance from an Australian side in the field. Yesterday, we saw Mitchell Johnson drop a sitter, with Peter Siddle and Michael Clarke spilling more difficult chances. Today, Clarke dropped one of the easiest slip chances you will ever see. Even the catch that stuck wasn't given when the third umpire ruled that there was too much doubt to give Cook out to catch that Ponting looked to have just got his fingers under.

Cook the usurper

Not only did Cook usurp Bradman to hit the highest ever Test score at The Gabba, but he also hit the highest individual score by an England batsman since his fellow Essex and England opener hit 333 against India in 1990. Indeed, it was the highest score by an England batsman against Australia since the late and great Ken Barrington scored 256 at Old Trafford in 1964. Cook's match aggregate of 302 runs means that he has now scored more runs in this game than he managed in the whole of the 2006/07 series when he hit just 276 runs.

What a difference four years makes

In 2006 at Adelaide, England were 97 runs ahead with nine wickets intact and still managed to lose. Here they were 88 runs ahead with nine wickets standing at the close last night but didn't even lose a wicket today. That said, the opposition didn't have Warne, McGrath or Lee this time either.

Australia's bowling in disarray

The pitch may have been like the runway at nearby Brisbane Airport, but Australia's bowling was horrendously impotent. Take away a couple of inspired spells from Siddle on the first day and what do you have? Not a lot. The only Australian bowler smiling will be Doug Bollinger, who surely must come in for the hopeless Johnson. Ponting certainly showed his frustration in the way he batted - hitting the ball as hard as he would probably like to hit Johnson et al after this showing.

Player of the day

Cook continued on his merry way to hit the giddy heights of 235 not out - the 6th highest individual score by an Englishman against Australia. So with all due respect to Trott, it's Cook for this accolade.

Zero of the day

Clarke ran him close for dropping such an easy chance, but for the second successive day it has to be Johnson. If anything he bowled even worse than yesterday with a terrible bouncer to Trott that went miles down the leg side for five wides being particularly damning - see also Zeroes: Mitchell Johnson.

Prospects for Adelaide

More of the same - can anyone see either of these sides taking 20 wickets on as good a batting surface as is likely to be encountered at the Adelaide Oval?

Where next?

The Empire Strikes Back - Brisbane, Day Four

The Hussey & Haddin Show - Brisbane, Day Three

Mr Cricket Thwarts England - Brisbane, Day Two

Siddle's Joy of Six - Brisbane, Day One

Ashes 100-1: 83 - Weakened England put to the sword in 1982/83

In number 85 of our Ashes 100-1 countdown, Blaise Murphet looked back to 1985 when an Australian team weakened by the desertion of several key players to a rebel tour of South Africa was slain by David Gower's talented England side.

Back in 1982-83, the shoe was on the other foot, as several England players were serving three year bans for participating in the first of a series of rebel tours to South Africa in the 1980's. Three years doesn't seem that long for deserting your country and legitimising the vile Apartheid regime for a few extra rand, but that was the fate of players like Graham Gooch, Geoff Boycott, Wayne Larkins, John Emburey, Alan Knott and Derek Underwood.

Facing an Australian side that included older heroes like Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee (although he only played one test due to injury), Rodney Marsh and Jeff Thomson, as well as younger stars like Allan Border, Kim Hughes, Geoff Lawson and David Hookes, a weakened England were always going to be up against it.

Without Gooch, England rarely got a good start with the bat and only David Gower and Derek Randall scored centuries and those two plus Allan Lamb were the only Englishmen to average over 40 for the series. As usual captain Bob Willis gave his all and took 18 wickets at 27, but none of the other bowlers shined with Ian Botham, the hero of 1981, having a disappointing series with bat and ball.

In contrast, Hughes, Chappell, Hookes, Border and Kepler Wessels all averaged over 40 for Australia with the bat whilst Thomson took 22 wickets at just under 19 and Geoff Lawson had 30 victims at 20 runs apiece.

After a draw at Perth, Australia secured comfortable wins at Brisbane and Adelaide, before an absolute humdinger of a test at Melbourne. In a finish reminiscent of Edgbaston in 2005, Australia looked like finishing some way short of their victory target of 292 when they slipped to 218 for nine. But Border and Thomson had other ideas and slowly but surely they knocked off the runs they needed for victory. By the close of play on the fourth day they only needed 37 for victory.

The pattern continued on the final morning and with just four runs needed, Australia looked set for a famous win. Then Botham induced an edge from Thomson. It should have been a straightforward catch for Chris Tavare, but he fumbled it and the ball spooned into the air behind him where a wide awake Geoff Miller snaffled the chance - see video.

Unfortunately for England, they couldn't repeat the trick in the final test at Sydney where a win would have enabled them to retain the Ashes. Set a mammoth 460 to win in just over a day, England played out time with nightwatchman Eddie Hemmings scoring 95. The Ashes were back in the hands of Australia and a proportion of the blame lay at the feet of Gooch and the other money-grabbing rebels.  

Zeroes: Graham Gooch

Went from bagging a pair against Australia on debut to becoming England's most prolific run scorer in test cricket ever. So some might think it strange that this English cricket writer classes Gooch as a zero.

Let's make it clear then that we don't doubt Gooch's class as an opening batsman, although his perpetual struggles against Terry Alderman would suggest otherwise. We still remember that magnificent 154 not out against West Indies at Headingley in 1991, when he carried his bat and effectively won the the test. Nor do we denigrate the fact that his test career spanned nearly 20 years.

No, Gooch is a zero for us mainly because of his persecution of David Gower when Gooch was England captain. You see, Gower was our favourite cricketer at the time (see Heroes: David Gower) and Gooch's refusal to understand that not everyone needed to run around a cricket field twenty times to prepare for a test match effectively ended Gower's test career at least two or three years early.

Gooch also loses marks for being part of the Essex mafia, for frequently refusing to tour with England, and worst of all, for turning his back on his country to take the South African Rand when he led the rebel tour of 1982. 

Shahid Afridi, the Captain's innings & the Charge of the Boom Boom Brigade

There have been many brave captain's innings in the history of test cricket, which have been made in the face of adversity and/or likely defeat.

Who can forget Michael Atherton's monumental rearguard of 185 not out as England miraculously escaped defeat in Johannesburg in 1995? Those with slightly longer memories will remember Graham Gooch batting through the innings for an undefeated 154 to set up an unlikely win against West Indies at Headingley in 1991. 

Or how about Ricky Ponting's 156 to help save the Old Trafford test in the infamous 2005 Ashes series? Even Chris Gayle has an uncharacteristic gem on his CV after he carried his bat at Adelaide last year for 165. Naturally, the great Donald Bradman has to trump the lot, scoring hundreds in each of the last three tests (270 at Melbourne in the third test, 212 at Adelaide in the fourth and 169 at Melbourne in the fifth) of the 1936/37 Ashes series as Australia came back from two-nil down to win the series against Gubby Allen's England.

So Shahid Afridi had plenty of inspiration when he walked to the wicket yesterday with his side in disarray at 83 for five. Perhaps unsurprisingly he went for a different approach - death or glory. In what was more akin to a Japanese World War II squadron leader showing his kamikaze boys how to do it, Afridi came out with all guns blazing as he ripped into Shane Watson's trundlers. This was the Charge of the Boom Boom Brigade.

Unfortunately for Afridi, his side and the stunned but appreciative Lord's crowd, the Pakistan captain used up all his ammunition in 13 fiery minutes and went for one big hit too many. Even worse was that this gave the childish Watson the opportunity to give Afridi a verbal send off. 31 off 15 balls was all Afridi had to take back to his boys in the changing room.

Many will criticise Afridi for his approach, but at least no one can accuse him of captaincy changing his game. It wasn't a responsible innings. It clearly didn't set his young wards watching on the Lord's balcony the right example. But for a (very) short time, Pakistan and its supporters believed, and just like Andy Dufresne believed in the Shawshank Redemption, what are we without hope?    

Gooch provides the recipe for success to dogged Cook

Manchester City may be after Graham Gooch as their next coach if this carries on and if Roberto Mancini does not lead them to the promised land. Gooch would certainly seem to have the midas touch as only three test innings into a Gooch remodelled action, Alastair Cook scored a composed and determined century at Kingsmead today.

Cook combined his renowned excellent temperament to Gooch's tinkering to move sedately to a hundred off 218 balls. He showed sound decision making when leaving numerous balls in one of his problem areas outside off stump and demonstrated real grit and exemplary concentration throughout an innings that has helped put England in a dominant position at stumps on day three.

His tenth century in 50 tests was certainly timely and should dampen the increasing criticism the Essex opener has received following a poor run since scoring 95 in the Lords test against the Australians. Fair play to Cook for recognising he needed some help and well done for turning to Gooch, another former Essex and England opener, as the advice he has given was obviously sound and prescient.

Cook has now secured his place in the side and is likely to lead his country in the forthcoming series in Bangladesh if as likely Andrew Strauss is rested from the tour.