Live video scorecard - England v Bangladesh
LIVE TEXT COMMENTARY (all times BST)
To get involved, e-mail tms@bbc.co.uk (with 'For Ben Dirs' in the subject), use 606 or text us your views on 81111 (UK) or +44 7786200666 (worldwide) with "CRICKET" as the first word. (Not all comments can be used. Messages will be charged at your standard operator rate)
|
By Ben Dirs
|
ENGLAND FIRST INNINGS
1145 - 43-0 Shafiul gets one to arc away from Strauss and the England captain, leaden-footed, fences and is beaten. Short and wide from Shafiul but Strauss misses out, crashing the ball straight to the man at point. Strauss picks up a single for a drop into the covers before Cook fills his boots, lacing Shafiul through cover-point for four. I see Stuff Magazine has published it's top-15 'cool list'. Unsurprisingly, you will find none of the items in my man-purse, although there is invariably a pack of Juicy Fruit.
1140 - 38-0 It's the ninth over and already we've got some spin, Mahmudullah is now into the attack. He goes round the wicket immediately and appeals a few balls in, but that was missing a second set down leg. One for Strauss with a back-foot steer.
Joe, London, in the TMS inbox: "On the subject of entrance music, I've got my first White-Collar boxing match tomorrow night. I'm going in to 'Mama said knock you out' by LL Cool J, but I was very tempted by Boy George's 'Do you really want to hurt me'."
1137 - 36-0 This Bangladesh new-ball attack is what you might call genuinely pop-gun. Shafiul seaks to prove me wrong with a bumper, but Strauss sways underneath as if it's nothing more menacing than a stray dandelion clock. No alarms and no surprises so far for this England opening pair, just a Cook single into the covers from that over.
Chris Hey in Stockport in the TMS inbox: "In response to the T20 batting 'theme' music question, I would have Steady As She Goes by The Racontuers. I am not a T20 style batsman."
1131 - 35-0 Bit ugly this for Bangladesh so far - Shahadat strays onto Strauss's pads and is worked away for four more. England are incontinent with runs at the moment. Shahadat attempts a slower ball and Strauss reaches for it and cue-ends the ball to the third-man boundary. Rob Davies (see below), I think I'd like to make my way to the crease to that music Darth Vader bowls about to in Star Wars - the sci-fi chap a couple of seats down assures me it's called the 'Imperial March'. Menacing.
Rob Davies, the best number five in the league and the destroyer of many a promising career, in the TMS inbox: "With the return of Twenty20 cricket to these shores, what 'theme' music would you walk out to bat to? Had a think last night during a game and would find it hard not to choose 'I am the Resurrection' by the Stone Roses, but if that is too pretentious would settle for 'Big Pimpin' by Jay Z."
1127 - 22-0 "It's a statement," is Phil Tufnell's diplomatic verdict on Old Trafford's new conference centre. He might be right, if by 'statement' he means a very unwelcome one with a see-through plastic window and covered in lots of threatening red. Over-pitched from Shafiul and Cook whips him off his pads for four.
1123 - 18-0 Shahadat, despite his bristling approach, rather 'puts' the ball down the other end - for a Test-class batsman it must be like seeing a drunk rushing towards you in a pub, only for said drunk to give your chops a playful squeeze on arrival. Four for Strauss, short and wide from Shahadat and the England captain rocks back and whip-cracks him through cover-point. Jack (see below), would Aggers forgive Lily Allen if he ever discovered she'd been ingesting her cricket via Sky instead? Exactly.
Jack, possibly sinning in Basingstoke, in the TMS inbox: "Ben, I feel quite dirty - I would normally be following the Test via your live text coverage or by TMS Special, but I have some time off work and would feel like I'm having an affair if I watched it live. Will you forgive me if I give into temptation?"
1118 - 14-0 England into double figures courtesy of a single from Strauss into the covers. Cook is squared up by Shafiul and gets a leading edge, but Shafiul rather spoils his good work by then sending down four leg-side byes.
1113 - 9-0 Cook is off the mark with a dreamy little clip off his pads for four - bowl there to the Essex southpaw, and that's how he rolls. Another peach from Cook, spotting the full-length ball from Shahadat early and just persuading the ball to the wide long-off fence for four more. One slip is given the heave-ho in order to bolster the off-side field.
1108 - 1-0 Three slips and a gully in for Shafiul Islam to Strauss, and the England skipper gets an early bumper - 86mph, decent revs. Bit of sideways movement for Shafiul and Strauss is beaten by some distance outside off. Decent first over that.
1104 - 1-0 Not sure about this new conference centre at Old Trafford, it looks like the baddie's cliffside gaff in North by Northwest. But red. Right, the first spurt of Jerusalem this summer, and in comes Shahadat Hossain into Andrew Strauss. The first run of the match goes to the England skipper courtesy of a dab into the covers. Shahadat, right-arm medium-fast, bustles in towards Cook with lips pursed and plenty of intent, before plopping the ball down the other end like a bag of mouldy spuds.
Tim from Sunni Dubai in the TMS inbox: "Morning Ben, good news reaches me of a newly opened curry house called 'Brick Lane', serving authentic British Indian curries brought to Dubai. I wonder if I order now it will be here before tea?"
Ben, Essex, in the TMS inbox: "Pleasantly surprised to see England doing some forward thinking with regards to Shahzad. The conservative selection policy seems to be slowly ebbing away in favour of more experimentation, which is exactly what we should be doing on home turf against Bangladesh with the Ashes in mind. Here's hoping he impresses now he's finally got his chance."
Rosalie Birch in the TMS inbox: "I was just wondering if you might be able to mention our Chance to Shine mascot at the toss today? He's Declan Fisher, 11, from Blackpool. If you were able to say that he's a Chance to Shine mascot that would be a fantastic help to the charity and hopefully all the ball-by-ball commentary faithful will take a look at our website in one of the breaks in play!"
|
1051: Former England skipper Mike Atherton, intimate with Old Trafford of course, reckons there should be pace and bounce in this pitch, although the green tinge it had seems to have been toasted off. It's a ripper of a day in Manchester - a no-nonsense early June ripper, a daubing of Smurf blue sky above a slosh of green, it's poster-paint, infant school simple.
1048: Shahzad announced a couple of weeks ago, after the Twenty20 reception at Downing Street, that he had never been to London before. "I was lost on the Edgware Road, doing U-turns and getting nowhere," he said. If things don't work out with England, he could always get himself a job as a London cabbie.
1041: Shahzad, 24, became the first British-born Asian to play for Yorkshire back in 2004, but he has only played 26 first-class matches since, mainly because of injury problems. He takes his wickets at an average of 34, and he's pretty handy with the bat, averaging almost 33. He's not express, but Andy Flower likes him, he's got what coaches call that "something".
Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Jahurul Islam, Mohammad Ashraful, Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Shafiul Islam, Abdul Razzak, Shahadat Hossain
1037: Bangladesh have made two changes to the side beaten at Lord's - left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak and seamer Shafiul Islam come in for seamers Rubel Hossain and Robiul Islam, who were pretty powder puff last week.
England: Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wk), Ajmal Shahzad, Graeme Swann, James Andeson, Steven Finn
1034: England skipper Andrew Strauss has won the toss and England are, rather predictably, going to have a bat. Yorkshire's Ajmal Shahzad will make his debut for England, with Ryan Sidebottom missing out. "It was a tough one," said Strauss. "Ryan's more experienced and being a left-armer gives us more variety, but it's a big chance for Shahzad and he gives this attack a youthful look."
1029: Morning all, or whatever it is where you are. It's the first day of the second Test between England and the touring Bangladeshis today, with the hosts defending a 1-0 lead in the series. Although I feel compelled to warn you that anyone expecting a similar level of entertainment and excitement to Phil Taylor's recent Premier League match against James Wade, in which 'The Power' hit two nine-darters, is likely to be sorely disappointed. When they cremate that man, they will discover he was made of pubs.
No comments:
Post a Comment