England v India: first Test day two live!: * Over-by-over coverage from Trent Bridge * Mike Selveys day one report: Vijay hits 122 * Email daniel.harris.casual@theguardian * Or get in touch via Twitter @DanielHarris 11.50am BST 102nd over: India 285-4 (Vijay 138, Dhoni 59) Some more yorkers, as we learn that Jadeja, in next, has three first-class trebletons. Maiden. 11.47am BST 101st over: India 285-4 (Vijay 138, Dhoni 59) Stokes is on, and there is soon growling, as Dhoni moves feet, imparts bat, and runs when the ball goes down into the off-side. Moeen fields, but Prior doesnt catch, no ones backing up, and they pinch another run. Then, Dhoni skips down the track and whips a dainty 33 rpm helicopter through mid-on for four. 11.41am BST 100th over: India 277-4 (Vijay 137, Dhoni 52) Plunkett into the attack, and fires one of almost yorker length as Dhoni comes forward and across. Again, he misses, and takes one on the shin - but had shuffled himself just outside the line. And full appears to be the plan - Plunkett is going for the toes, and whatever else is said, this time, England have tried pretty much every method of getting wickets. Good over, that. 11.37am BST 99th over: India 276-4 (Vijay 137, Dhoni 52) England have bowled well this morning. Ive been disappointed. Its not a criticism of Alastair Cook, but they shouldve attacked, offers diplomacy and Flintoffs Ganguly. Then Broad sends down a reasonable enough delivery and Vijay waits for it, then, at the last moment, leans into a square drive that races for the boundary. Next ball, he opens the face and fades one down to third man for two more, and effects a generally untroubled demeanour. 11.34am BST 98th over: India 270-4 (Vijay 131, Dhoni 52) A minor inhalation, as Anderson coaxes some bounce, ball proceeding past inside-edge before kissing inside-thigh. Otherwise, just another maiden. 11.28am BST 97th over: India 270-4 (Vijay 131, Dhoni 52) Vijay is leaving the ball better than anyone since Moeen Ali - though has Broad caressing his luscious locks when one passes pad and off by no more than a voluminised hairs breadth. But then he tries a cut, the ball scarcely krichs out a bounce, and an inside-edge clumps it into the pitch. 11.24am BST 96th over: India 270-4 (Vijay 131, Dhoni 52) Its probably tautology to say excellent hundred, but Murali Vijays hundred was really excellent yesterday, and he glides Anderson for four through cover. Meanwhile, in commentary, the patter is about whether Prior should stand up - hes very close anyway, to make sure the ball carries, but that makes it harder for him to dive promptly. 11.20am BST 95th over: India 265-4 (Vijay 126, Dhoni 52) Attritional, dry, absorbing, all of those things. Dhoni is pretending he doesnt want to helicopter every ball to the boundary, walking around his crease and stuff, then Broad tempts him into a swish with one outside off but not that wide. He misses, but it seems fairly likely that eventually hell succeed in getting himself out. 11.16am BST 94th over: India 265-4 (Vijay 126, Dhoni 52) Anderson has a third man now, but only one slip - you wonder what the plan is as regards, yerrknerr, the tehking of wickets. But hes bowling well enough in the meantime. 11.13am BST 93rd over: India 265-4 (Vijay 126, Dhoni 52) Now wherefore stoppeth thou me? Dear, dear - Broad tanks in, Dhoni flashes a slice, and Prior dives right, getting a hand to it, but fingering it to the turf. Not a simple chance, but not one hes much business dropping. And Broad beats Dhoni with his final delivery, again outside off - ticking is underway. 11.08am BST 92nd over: India 263-4 (Vijay 126, Dhoni 50) Anderson has no third man, despite the events of yesterday, and Vijay relaxes the first runs of the day in that area, four of them. Otherwise, not much of note beyond the presence of a silly mid-on. 11.04am BST 91st over: India 259-4 (Vijay 122, Dhoni 50) So Broad is on the money immediately, and, of course, it does not, cannot matter. He does finds some outswing, but its painfully slow, and the ball bounces twice en route to Prior. A maiden. 11.00am BST Broad will begin the begin. 10.59am BST I think English should stop mourning about the pitch, chides Aswin Kumar P, and look to take 10 wickets. You will see the real nature of the wicket when Bhuvanesh Kumar starts bowling. Perhaps - though hell have Scoreboard Pressure at the other end. And in any event, this isnt what English pitches are meant to do, and in the words of the immortal Juice Terry Lawson, variety, spice ay life. 10.57am BST A dry pitch cracks, begins Ian Copestake with poetic lyricism, especially under the traditionally roasting English summer sun (eg. 1976). Thus allowing our new wave of spinners to run amok! I feel there is an optimist inside me trying to get out. Avant-garde or what? 10.52am BST Ummm... begins Ravi Nair, ominously. Did Dan Lucas really mean the rather gorgeous actress Isabella Rossellini, or did he perhaps mean the sometimes dull pre-Raphaelite poet Christina Rossetti? 10.52am BST This pitch is slower than... ...blackthorn-Neil Webb gin. 10.49am BST This pitch is lower than... ... Flo Rida in the Dead Sea. 10.47am BST This pitch is drier than... ... Will Self in a sandpit. 10.45am BST Lets face it, says Dan Lucas. The poetry for this pitch has to be Isabella Rossellini: dull as [bad word]. 10.42am BST What does Matt Prior have in common with the ancient mariner? Stoppeth one of three. 10.42am BST Email, with Ravi Nair - and its more poetry. We are commonly told that Wordsworth and Coleridge were inspired by the French Revolution to write their Lyrical Ballads, but what is actually the case is that Coleridge was a huge cricket fan, and in fact had revolutionary feelings about dead pitches and their effects on the game. In his famous Rime of the Ancient Cricketer, he first imagines himself in the position of the Trent Bridge pitch: Day after day, day after day, 10.36am BST Preamble. Its not great, is it. But its still a lot, lot better than everything else, so. Other hand, quite what the players are thinking is hard to fathom. For us, its diverting and compelling and nuanced and familiar and warming, but for them, it is what is. And if what is is a nonsense, then what is it? Continue reading... #Guardian
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 10:54:15 +0000
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