The number 3 position in the batting order is usually reserved for the best batsman in the lineup. He has to be able to take the shine of the new ball should an opener depart early or to take the bowling by the scruff of the neck should there be a good start.
For England, for the past two years, this job has been admirably served by Jonathan Trott. Another of the South African born and bred cricketers to qualify for England, Trott’s has been the most prized wicket for the opposition. His Test average of over 62 in 21 Tests is the second highest after Bradman and the way he is playing, he looks as if he could maintain it for some time.
Trott is a model of calm, focused concentration and plays every ball on its merit. Once he gets set he forms a mental “bubble” in which he resides for the duration of his innings, playing every ball in the present moment. It would not be an understatement to say that Trott’s form has played a major role in England’s test resurgence.
India have suffered what could be a grievous blow to their prospects in this vital series, with a hamstring injury to Zaheer Khan, their main strike bowler. Zaheer has become one of the best new ball operators on the circuit, using a full bag of tricks and variations to unsettle the best batsmen. There looks to be an element of Wasim Akram’s skill in his bowling and it would be no surprise if there was some mentoring from the great man.
Hamstring injuries take time to recover from and even once recovered the bowler is afraid of going all out for quite some time. India has other fast bowlers like Munaf Patel and RP Singh, but none of them has Zaheer’s match winning skills. England are ahead on points in the first Test at Lords. After Zaheer had removed the openers with an incisive display of fast bowling, the consistent Trott and a circumspect Pietersen made thing look easy until Praveen Kumar removed Trott with one that came in.
Pietersen looks impressive, foregoing the flashiness that so often gets him in trouble. He is playing safe and taking the runs that the bowlers are giving him. England bat deep and India will have to bowl out of their skins if they are to dismiss them for low scores. What remains to be seen is how the England bowling do against the Indian batting which although strong, is now showing signs of aging. The tall English bowling attack of Tremlett and Broad could pitch the ball short of a length and lift it uncomfortably for the stocky Indian batsmen.
Their duel with Tendulkar will be the one to watch. Should Tendulkar fail, the heads of the rest of the Indian batting are bound to drop. The soccer vote buying scandal refuses to go away. The Asian Football Federation President, Mohammad bin Hammam is in the dock for having offered payments of $40,000 each to members of the Caribbean Football Union to vote for him in the FIFA Presidential elections.
This issue has also brought into question as to how Qatar had managed to defeat England in the battle for hosting the 2022 World Cup. The result had been a profound shock to the English who boast some of the best facilities in the sport, including the rebuilt Wembley stadium. Qatar’s bid was based on building climate controlled stadiums that could combat the searing heat of the Doha summers.
The technology is as yet untested but is quite possible, with mists of cool water being floated above the fields to bring the temperature down to manageable proportions. This is all quite possible with the unlimited financial resources available, but whether Doha can manage to provide the carnival atmosphere of a World Cup is another matter. Although the Asian Games in Qatar were very well organised, the atmosphere of a Games was sadly missing, according to those who attended. Football fans are known for their raucous behavior and their liberal use of alcohol. Whether Qatar will make an exception in this regard for the World Cup remains to be seen.
Qatar has become something of a world sports center, with the Qatar Open tennis, golf, auto racing and many other events. The World Cup would be the jewel in the crown. The Olympics should not be very far away. Pakistan crashed out of the Davis Cup, losing badly to a weak South Korea team. The Koreans made short work of Aisam Qureshi and Aqeel Khan in both singles and doubles.
What was most disappointing was the performance of the second string. Yasser Khan could not win a single game while Samir Iftekhar, who was brought in all the way from England, declined to play the fifth match, citing a leg injury. It is not known when and where Iftekhar sustained the injury, whether in camp in Islamabad in which case he should not have been in the team. If he was injured while in Korea, then why did the captain nominate the boy for the dead rubber? Was he not aware of the injury?
Something is not quite kosher here and the PTF should take serious note of this. This player had behaved very badly in the camp and this unwillingness to play should be investigated and suitable disciplinary action taken. The PTF had organised trials for the Davis Cup in the searing heat of Islamabad, but in the end decided to remain with the previous team. This shows a bit of indecision that should have been avoided.
