Live - England v India09.08.2007 11:02 Sports The Oval, 9-13 August 2007
Test Match Special podcast | Blog 606 debate | Mobile scorecards THIRD NPOWER TEST, The Oval: India 37-0 v England India made a sound start after winning the toss and choosing to bat on a gloriously sunny first morning of the final Test with England at The Oval. Michael Vaughan elected to give the new ball to Ryan Sidebottom and James Anderson, who both offered hints of swing without causing major alarms. After three maidens Wasim Jaffer cut a loose wide one from Anderson for four and drove another in the same over. Both teams were unchanged from the Trent Bridge Test, won by India. LATEST ACTION AS IT HAPPENS (ALL TIMES BST)
e-mail tms@bbc.co.uk (with 'For Ben Dirs' in the subject) or use 606 "If you don't finally give in and publish something by me I will have no option but to circulate a photo I have of you singing Chas and Dave's biggest hit Ain't No Pleasing You to a rowdy Welsh crowd." Stuart Smith in the TMS inbox 1145 - Ind 37-0 Oh dear Andrew (see below). What happened? Mess the bed? Funnily enough, my dad, a toolmaker-cum-cab driver, doesn't have much influence with the mandarins at the BBC. He was mates with the bloke who played Terry the chef in Fawlty Towers though. Bit of chin music from Tremlett - nasty that - and Jaffer just manages to fend it into the covers. "Oh joy, it's you again Dirs. Did your daddy have a falling out with the BBC bosses? Because that's clearly the only reason you got your job in the first place. The well-trodden route no doubt - minor public school, Oxbridge reject university and then desperately trying to be a part of a British institution in the BBC. T**t." Andrew, Harpenden, in the TMS inbox 1140 - Ind 36-0 Sidebottom still hopping it about and he just misses Jaffer's off-stick with another that curves back in. But that's bread and butter for Jaffer next ball, clipping Sidebottom off his pads for four. Two more for Mr Nice and Easy down to third-man and he'll be calling for his slippers in a minute. 1137 - Ind 29-0 Vaughan turns to Tremlett in the hope his extra bounce can cause the Indian openers some problems. Good to hear England legend Graham Thorpe doing a stint in the TMS inbox, and exhibiting more than just a slight Australian twang. One no-ball from the over, but pretty tight other than that. Test Match Special "When I'm listening to music on the bus and I need to press the bell, am I alone in trying to ring it in an apt place of the song? I'm tempted to stick The Typewriter on my generic mp3 player, cos that'd be pretty much perfect." Jim, Leeds, in the TMS inbox 1130 - Ind 28-0 Karthik times Sidebottom through the covers for three. As Monty gave chase, the crowd went wild, as if he was homing in on the first four-minute mile. Good, athletic fielding from Monty to save four. Jaffer times Sidebottom through mid-wicket for another boundary. This chap makes batting look as simple as H from Steps. "Actually Ben, I CAN imagine Clive Lloyd getting up to some tricks. After a game at Sophia Gardens some years ago, me and my mate walked down the road ahead of him and his language was atrocious. As a 10 year old, I can honestly say I learnt more about the female anatomy from Clive Lloyd than I ever did from the playground." Marc, Hong Kong, in the TMS inbox 1127 - Ind 21-0 A colleague has just picked me up on my McCririck 'bogey' comment (see below). Obviously a better man than me, he didn't watch that particular series of Celeb BB. Anderson gets one past Jaffer's outside edge, but Jaffer, unnerved, upper-cuts the Lancashire paceman for a maximum next ball. Safe as houses, and Jaffer has 18 from 18. 1121 - Ind 10-0 Fine bit of bowling from Sidebottom, getting the ball to swing in late and very nearly pierce Karthik's defences. Karthik picks up a couple with a push into the covers and Sidebottom looks the most likely to pick up a wicket at the moment. "Regarding the still great Andy Caddick, agree with you wholeheartedly. Far and away the best English bowler currently playing first-class cricket. If not tagged with 'can't be arsed on tour' label and overlooked for so many Test matches, would have easily surpassed many on list of top wicket-takers. Regularly taking wickets on a superb batting track at Taunton." Jezzie, often writing, never published, at work in sunny Plymouth, in the TMS inbox 1117 - Ind 8-0 John McCririck and Sun racing correspondent Claude Duval up in the pavilion, no doubt comparing bogeys. And that's the first runs of the day, Jaffer standing tall and carving Anderson through cover-point for four. And another, Jaffer just placing his bat in the path of the ball and the cherry racing to the long-off fence. Peche de la peche from the elegant right-hander. 1112 - Ind 0-0 Sidebottom is keeping it tighter than Larry Blackman's codpiece at the moment and peppering Karthik's off-stump. That's another maiden and Sidebottom continuing to get plenty of hoop into the batsman. "Hi Benders (a name befitting anyone having anything to do with TMS), I've just read that the King of Spain is set to announce his retirement tomorrow, surely he should be abdicating? Imagine the outcry if The Queen simply decided to relinquish her responsibilities with just 24 hours notice." Dave Crosthwaite in the TMS inbox 1107 - Ind 0-0 Anderson it is to share the new ball with Sidebottom and his second ball is a jaffer, squaring Jaffer up and just missing his off-peg. Another tight over from Anderson and India still to get off the mark. I tell you one thing, if you'd thrown jelly beans at Gatting, he wouldn't have started waving his bat about, he would have hit the deck sharpish and started scrabbling around like Zammo in that scene from Grange Hill when Jackie throws his smack all over the changing room floor. 1104 - Ind 0-0 Sidebottom to have first go with the ball and he gets a bit of shape into the right-handed Karthik, the Indian opener swishing and missing at the third ball of the over. There is a buzz around The Oval the like of which you only get on the first morning of a Test and that's a probing first over from Sidebottom. 1058: Right, a spot of Jerusalem and it's nearly time. England huddle and out trot Jaffer and Karthik. 1057: If there are any ladies out there looking to lose weight ahead of their hols in Magaluf, I strongly suggest hitting yourself in the face with a spanner and pouring the fizzy drink of your choice down any cracks that appear. Hopefully, you'll get an infection and you'll barely be able to eat for three or four days. Tooth infection has it upsides. While I look like I've got a helium balloon attached to my shoulders and half expect to wake up to hundreds of locals outside my bedroom window wielding flaming torches and pitchforks, I was able to spend 10 minutes in front of the mirror the other night doing Marlon Brando impressions. I got so into it, I borrowed my mate's gel, slicked my hair back and did that thing where he smacks his face with his hand. 1055: A couple of chaps dressed as bags of jelly babies in the crowd. Lovely stuff. My colleague, who is of Indian extraction, has predicted tons for India's top four, which elicited knowing sighs from everyone else on the cricket desk. "I find it sooo amusing that your name sounds like 'Benders'. That is all." Michael Hall in the TMS inbox "I thought I'd be funny on Saturday and throw jelly beans onto the wicket during a local game. One batsman called me a childish *@#&&@ just before being bowled by a ball which ripped into his leg stump via a pink one. Oh how we laughed and called him funny names as he departed the field." Martin in the TMS inbox 1041: England have not lost a home series since 2001 while India have not won a series in England since 1986, so there is much at stake at The Oval. The Times is reporting this morning that Sir Andrew of Caddickshire was on standby to replace Tremlett had the Hampshire man's shoulder let him down. My word, I would have loved to have seen the big man steaming in again - still better than anything England have got at the moment in my opinion... 1038: Ian Botham is claiming England will be happy they've lost the toss. In blazing sunshine at The Oval. On a flat deck. Against one of the best batting line-ups in the world. For such a great man, he's sometimes such a disappointment 1034: India, like England, are unchanged. Rahul Dravid has won the toss and, funnily enough, the tourists are going to have a bat. That's a short, sharp, early morning kick in the testicles for England. David Gower brings up jelly beans with Vaughany on Sky and the England skipper, who appears to be cultivating a luxurious mullet, chuckles, makes his excuses and strolls off. Cheeky, David, very cheeky... "Good Morning Ben, good to have you back with us Sir, lovely stuff! How was Faliraki? Bet the ladies couldn't believe their luck!" Ste Pritchard, Chester, in the TMS inbox 1032: Well, well, well, I'm out of the office for a few weeks and the England team turn into a bunch of seven-year-olds. Who'd have thought Ian Bell would be the Phantom Jelly Bean Thrower of Old Nottingham? It's like discovering that quiet bloke over the road who "keeps himself to himself" has got half of Bristol buried in his back garden. I can't imagine Clive Lloyd ever turned round to Joel Garner and said, "look, all this chin music is getting us nowhere, we'll get Viv to scatter a few Mojos in his crease and see if he gets the hump." 1030: Hello you. Hope you're all well, it's been a while. The first news to relay is that England are unchanged from the side that went down at Trent Bridge, which means Stuart Broad is still waiting to make his Test debut. Chris Tremlett had given England a scare on the eve of the match but has recovered from a sore shoulder. Source: BBC Sportwww.alllee.com |
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