England brought down to earth

Indian seamers trigger first-innings collapse on the first day of second Test .

NOTTINGHAM:

India’s seamers reduced England to 124 for eight at tea on the first day of the second Test at Trent Bridge as the world’s number one Test team looks to level the series.

India, with the support of overcast conditions, took six wickets for 55 runs in 24 overs after lunch as they ripped through England’s top order. Stuart Broad, on six, and Graeme Swann, yet to score, were unbeaten on their Nottinghamshire home ground.

The slump

England, 69 for two at lunch, lost four for 15 in a slump at the start of the second session, with Praveen Kumar striking twice in four balls.

Five balls after lunch, Kevin Pietersen, on 29, was squared up by fast-bowler S Sreesanth, in for the injured Zaheer Khan, and third slip Suresh Raina held the edge to leave England 73 for three. Kumar had rocked England with his command of swing while taking a Test-best five for 106 in the hosts’ 196-run series-opening victory.

The medium-pacer dismissed England captain Andrew Strauss for 32, when the left-hander’s drive flew to Raina, who held an excellent catch. The same over saw England reduced to 85 for five when a full-length outswinger to left-hander Eoin Morgan pitched in line and had the former Ireland international lbw for nought.

Matt Prior had frustrated India with an unbeaten century after England had collapsed to 62 for five in their second innings at Lord’s. But he managed just one before, playing at a ball from Sreesanth that left him, the wicket-keeper nicked straight to Rahul Dravid at first slip.

England, in the face of some high-class swing and seam bowling, had lost three wickets for three runs in 23 balls to be 88 for six. Tim Bresnan, replacing injured fast-bowler Chris Tremlett, was undone on 11 by a ball from Ishant Sharma that nipped away.

Ian Bell, the last of England’s frontline batsmen, was dropped on 22 by Dravid but he got himself out for 31 when he flat-footedly cut at Sharma and was caught behind.

Hosts bid to become number one

England came into this match knowing they would replace India at the top of the ICC’s Test rankings if they won this four-match series by at least one Test.

But during the last decade India have fought back to either win or square series after losing the first Test.

And although they were without left-arm quick Zaheer due to the hamstring injury that had cut short his participation at Lord’s, Dhoni fielded first.

Sharma made the breakthrough when he had Alastair Cook lbw for two. Sreesanth struck with his fourth ball when Jonathan Trott, on four, drove at an outswinger and edged to VVS Laxman at second slip.

Pietersen, who made a man-of-the-match winning 202 not out at Lord’s, survived a huge lbw shout from Kumar on 17, after walking across his stumps.

Kumar, risking disciplinary action, angrily questioned South African umpire Marais Erasmus’s decision at the end of the over before being pulled away by teammate Harbhajan Singh as the seamer came back to haunt the hosts.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28^th,  2011.