Date-stamped : 09 Feb95 - 10:32 India "A" v England "A", Test 3 Sector 16 Stadium, Chandigarh, 4-8 February 1995 ====> Prematch, 2 Feb 95 Piper and Johnson may play in the third test Wicket-keeper Keith Piper will put his frustrations behind him when he gets his chance for England A against India on Saturday. He had to watch from the pavilion while Paul Nixon took the gloves for the first two matches, both won by England. "I didn`t feel jealous of Paul - I wanted to get out there and be a part of things," he said. Middlesex seam bowler Richard Johnson is the only other member of the party to miss the first two games and he may also be included. Contributed by Rohan (azhar@cs.Stanford.EDU) ====> MORE After the loss in the second test, the selectors have dropped Praveen Amre, Rajesh Chauhan, Sairaj Bahutule and Vijay Yadav from the Indian A team for the third test citing poor form and contribution. Also the Harayana opener, Jiten- dar Singh was not considered for the 3rd test, since he will be on the U-19 team touring Australia. They have been replaced by Gagan Khoda (Raj), Bhupinder Singh Jr (Pun), Avi- nash Vaidya (Kar), Kanwaljith Singh (Hyd) and Anantha Pad- manabhan (Ker). Syed Kirmani will be the manager. Contributed by Gautham (gautham@wipro.wipsys.soft.net) ====> prematch, 3 Feb 95 ENGLAND A PLAY WAITING GAME England A are playing a waiting game as they prepare for the third and final Test against India A in Chandigarh starting on Saturday. With the pitch looking set to take seam, manager Phil Neale has yet to decide if he should leave out spinners Min Patel and Ian Salisbury. Out of form Yorkshire opener Michael Vaughan is expected to be replaced by all-rounder Paul Weekes Contributed by Rohan (azhar@cs.Stanford.EDU) ====> Day 1, 4 Feb 95, Lunch Lancashire paceman Glen Chapple produced a telling burst with the new ball to put England A in early control of the Third Test against India A. Chapple took two for 10 from his six over first spell after Do- minic Cork had struck with the third ball of the match Amol Muzumdar and Rahul Dravid, two of India`s most promising youngsters, had taken the score on to 54-3. ====> Day 1, End of Play Charged-up Chapple fires England Lancashire paceman Glen Chapple bagged 4-41 as Eng and A sent In- dia A tumbling to 183-8 on the opening day of the third and final Test. The 21-year-old spearheaded another fine all-round performance as England chased a 3-0 series whitewash. Chapple, with 14 wickets at just under 18 apiece against India A, said: "You have to concentrate on not wasting the new ball in places like this." Thanks :: ITV Meridian ====> Day 1, more Lancashire`s talented Glen Chapple took four for 41 to spearhead another fine performance by the England A team. At close India A were 183-8 and Alan Wells` side look on course to complete a 3-0 series whitewash. Chapple struck two vital early blows as India A crumbled to 10-3, before coming back after lunch to bowl the highly-rated Amol Muzumdar. Derbyshire all-rounder Dominic Cork also played an important part with two wickets, and spinners Richard Stemp and Min Patel took one apiece. Thanks :: BBC Ceefax Contributed by Rohan (azhar@cs.Stanford.EDU) ====> Day 2, 5 Feb 95 India A and England A players have been warned for excessive ap- pealing and verbal intimidation after the second day in Chandi- garh. Both captains and team managers were called to a clear-the-air meeting by umpires Roy Choudhary and Kuncha Parthasarthy. England A captain Alan Wells said: "It was a very competitive day`s play. The umpires are in control and all parties are happy with the situation after the meeting." England slumped to 145-7 at close in reply to India`s 229. Contributed by Rohan (azhar@cs.Stanford.EDU) ====> Day 3, 6 Feb 95 Glen Chapple took three vital wickets with a stylish burst of fast-bowling as England A regained the advantage in the third and final "test" against India A. The home side were tottering on 136 for eight in their second innings at close of play on the third day after losing five wickets in a sensational last hour. Chapple, the bowling find of the series, struck twice in 16 balls after Rahul Dravid and Amol Mazumdar pulled India A out of early trouble and built on a slender 20-run first innings lead. (Thanks : INtv) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com) ====> Day 3, more Chapple swings England in sight of clean sweep - Simon Hughes THIS `Test` series has seen more collapses than the Italian lira. The latest, inflicted by another spell of inspired bowling from Glen Chapple, has put England A in with a chance of a four-day victory and a 3-0 clean sweep. They will have to bat better than they did at the first attempt, though, when they squandered a promising 103 for two to be 153 for eight before the team`s two smallest individuals, Min Patel and Keith Piper, restructured the innings. Piper pulled the first ball of the morning to the boundary and repeated the treatment several times while Patel, bristling with confidence, hit perkily off the front foot, his 35 taking 46 balls. Their vignette ended when both were out to half-volleys in the space of three deliveries, and England conceded a lead of 20. In the four overs before lunch, Dominic Cork almost trapped his rab- bit Vikram Rathore lbw for a pair. But after the break lured Ganguly into a wild drive - Piper swallowing the ball horizontal- ly in front of first slip - and continued to pose problems with a full-length and nagging line, until his back seized up. On tour he seems to need a whole army of fetchers and carriers. This pitch is slower than Bangalore or Calcutta and Patel is the most effective of the spinners, because he pushes the ball through and makes it scuttle. He got spin, too, but could not breach the defences of either Rahul Dravid - an elegant, wristy player in the mould of Carl Hooper - or Amol Mazumdar. Just as the wicker-chair experts were about to lambast Alan Wells for letting the game drift, he brought back Chapple who, working up a sharp pace and bowling straight, snared Dravid lbw, walking across his stumps, and then struck Rizwan Shamshed in front second ball. Astonishingly the umpire gave it not out - his only explanation could be that the batsman`s legs were obscuring the stumps. Fortunately, Shamshed obligingly nibbled at Chapple`s outswinger in the next over, as did wicketkeeper Vaidya. When the obdurate Chatterjee was run out by Cork`s spectacular direct hit and Mham- brey was bowled sweeping, the Indians had lost five wickets for 18 runs. Like the other pitches in this series, you are never quite in on this one, but India`s lower middle-order has been practically invisible throughout. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by phaedrus (phaedrus@minerva.cis.yale.edu) ====> Day 4, 7 Feb 95 England find victory quest frustrating - Simon Hughes THE Chandigarh ground is the Indian equivalent of Queen`s Park, Chesterfield. Surrounding the arena are trees, gardens, fountains and herbaceous borders and all it lacks is a crooked spire. Un- fortunately the pitch is like a worn-out lawn. There is not a blade of grass on it and the creases are completely obscured by dust, making run-scoring and umpiring hazardous. England`s batting in their second innings was actually better than the first, but they fared worse and need 31 to win today with only two wickets left. The pitch`s surface had disintegrat- ed, the spin bowling was crafty and the umpiring erratic, but these are common factors in India best countered with actions rather than words. Creditably, most of the early order grappled well with the awk- ward conditions and the hullabaloo around the bat and will emerge wiser and better which is the main thing. Glen Chapple is the player who has most enhanced his reputation on tour, but he had a relatively quiet day after removing Amol Mazumdar`s leg-stump to finish off the Indian second innings. The seam-bowling has been niggardly throughout the series, and England began their pursuit of 177 at one an over. The opening pair ran well when they were allowed to, nearly coming to grief after Nick Knight`s schoolboy contradiction of "yes, no . . . sorry", but there was nothing to hit. Alan Wells and Paul Weekes stopped the rot As soon as spin was introduced, Jason Gallian`s intentions broadened but, aiming a dicey shot against the spin, he was caught at slip. After battling away for an hour and a half Knight tried the same thing with a similar result. In between David Hemp - hero of the second Test - drove languidly into the hands of a short extra-cover who had just that moment been stationed there. Though a naturally gifted player, he does have a Goweresque tendency to look lazy in defence and make the odd aberration when set for a big score, which must sometimes give the captain kittens. He is prepared to listen, however, and will surely improve. Keep a close eye on him. Alan Wells and Paul Weekes stopped the rot, in spite of the ball often turning and shooting and an off-spinner Kanwaljit Singh, with a blue turban and crooked teeth, shrieking either in excite- ment or frustration every ball. If you knew that he had been in the Hyderabad team for 16 years and that this was his first glimpse of upward mobility, you would understand why. Enthusiastic appealing is acceptable, but rushing towards the umpire en masse or muttering verbal abuse at the batsman from silly point, is not. Singh eventually produced a pearler for Wells, bowling him through the gate as he advanced to drive, a shot he rarely misses. "If there`s a better off-spinner in India I`d like to see him," Wells said afterwards. Or noisier. Amid mounting tension, witnessed mainly be a few sikhs and a flock of scavenging ravens, Weekes continued to bat brightly, driving on the move and slashing anything short. In attack he generates extraordinary bat speed. The collapse had placed extra pressure on the lower order which, objectively, was appropriate, because this tour is as much a toe in the water of experience as a foot up the backside of the opposition. For both sides. Some questions were answered when only two singles were scored in half an hour after tea for the loss of two wickets, Dominic Cork lbw pulling and Weekes unwisely charging Singh`s first ball from over the wicket. When Keith Piper was given out caught off his shoulder and Chapple taken at slip, the score was 127 for eight. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com) ====> Day 5, 8 Feb 95 Johnson`s batting heroics clinch whitewash - Simon Hughes SOON after England A had clinched victory in the third and final `Test` yesterday, the dressing room was reverberating to a chant of "three-nil, three-nil" and the strains of Take That. It was sweet revenge for the drubbing the seniors received when they stumbled about here two years ago, and an immense perfor- mance considering the captain`s inability to win the toss. What- ever happens on tour from now on, this England party have proved that, with good planing and teamwork, the whole can be greater than or at least equal to the sum of its parts. It took the last three batsmen only 41 minutes to make the 31 runs required. Instead of using spin at both ends on a pitch now completely masked by dust, the Indians made the mistake of using the seamer, Mhambrey, from one end and he was soon edged low to the boundary by Richard Johnson and tucked away for three by Min Patel using the pace of the ball. At the other end Johnson opted for attack and despite several scouts and a dewy outfield, twice smote Chatterjee straight for four. With nine wanted Patel was lbw, but Richard Stemp strode out pur- posefully in a helmet more suitable for a Vespa rider. He blocked one, then swatted the next ball way over midwicket for six, a re- petition of the `cathedral shot` he often attempted at Worcester. Every member of the squad has now contributed significantly to a victory "There was no thought about it," he said afterwards. "I instinc- tively swung the bat and then I thought `ooh, I`ve middled it, that`s good`." He then pinched a single and flourished the first ball of the next over through the covers with a nonchalance reminiscent of Barry Richards. Johnson remained 33 not out, an innings worth twice as many on a less Saharan surface. At last he had something to be proud of other than his luxuriant sideburns. Therein lies a story. With Johnson`s heroics in this match, every member of the squad has now contributed significantly to a victo- ry, a fact not lost on the methodical captain Alan Wells. "Each Test has thrown up a different match-winner which speaks volumes for the team spirit we have established. I think the Indians have been surprised how resilient we are as a side." The coach, Phil Neale, said: "Everyone`s very hungry and very focused and there`s a great spirit. All the players were just as pleased for Richard Johnson as he was himself. There is a lot of good talent in India and our success proves it. But perhaps En- glish players need to appreciate how hard you have to work for that success. Perhaps some people have had things too easy." They have adapted their techniques superbly The three `Tests` have thoroughly examined this group of young English players, providing tense situations and difficult pitches. They have adapted their techniques superbly in complete contrast to the stubborn, blinkered approach of Graham Gooch`s side in 1993. Seam bowlers have located a fuller length and used the new ball intelligently, spinners have adjusted their pace and trajectory to suit the pitches, batsmen have assessed their options and com- plied with unusual umpiring interpretations rather than fought against them, the fielding has been brilliant. Saving 30 runs a day in a Test match can be the difference between winning and losing. Each member has accepted his individual responsibilities, from the vigilant tailenders to the physiotherapist hitting high catches to the tour manager smoothing life and getting people`s Walkmans mended. Everyone is absorbed in the game. Rest assured, the English garden is not completely full of weeds. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by The Management (help@*ogi.edu)