Trott steadies England on rain-marred day

(EUROSPORT) – ENGLAND were left on 127 for two when rain and bad light brought an abrupt halt to play on day one of the 2 000th Test match in cricket history, and the first in the series between England and India at Lord’s yesterday. The day was largely about India’s left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan, who removed both England openers expertly in the opening session of the day only to suffer a hamstring strain which forced him to leave the field later in the afternoon.
Jonathan Trott completed his seventh Test half-century to reach 58 not out alongside Kevin Pietersen, who compiled an admirably restrained 22 off 73 balls, but rain saw the players leave the field 20 minutes before the scheduled tea interval, with the continuing poor weather ensuring no further play was possible on the opening day.
Zaheer gave Duncan Fletcher’s tourists the perfect start to the day after Mahendra Singh Dhoni had put England in to bat with ominous cloud cover overhead, dismissing openers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook at the cost of only 18 runs from 13.3 overs.
The in-form Cook was the first to fall after England took 19 balls to record a run with the opener who scored 96 and 106 in his last Test at Lord’s, trapped lbw pushing forward rashly to Zaheer after just 45 minutes at the crease.
The decision review system for lbws is not being used in this series after India refused to agree to ball-tracking technology but television replays showed Cook would not have been successful if he’d had the right to appeal.
The ball moved consistently and sometimes extravagantly through the air and off the pitch, and Strauss never looked overly comfortable. Indeed, the England skipper should have been run-out for three when Ishant Sharma hurled the ball wide of the stumps with the batsman well short of his ground.
The England number three, Trott, was crucially dropped off Harbhajan Singh at slip by Rahul Dravid – who holds the world record for Test catches – and, although India were to strike soon after, it could prove to be a missed opportunity they are made to rue badly.
Strauss, having battled doggedly throughout the morning session, was to then throw away his wicket attempting a reckless hook to a short ball from Zaheer and, after 107 minutes of resolute defence, he departed for 22.
The rampant Zaheer should have had a third victim when Trott, with 32 runs to his name, edged the ball between captain and wicketkeeper Dhoni behind the stumps and Dravid at first slip.
Pietersen refused to be tempted into any loose shots as he took 14 balls to get off the mark with a squeezed single into the leg side, and he and Trott slowly consolidated the loss of both openers playing with all due circumspection.
Trott brought up his half-century from 89 balls with eight fours and at tea the third-wicket partnership was worth 65 runs before rain and bad light ensured that no further play was possible.
Both sides will look to seize the initiative first thing on day two, but much will depend on the fitness of Zaheer with India desperate to get their strike bowler back fit and firing to take the attack back to England.

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