Date-stamped : 03 Aug2000 - 10:25
11-13 May 1996
Gloucestershire v Indians, Match Report
CricInfo
Day 1: Indians exploit weak seams
By Scyld Berry
If India are sent in to bat in the Test series, and post 200 by tea
for the loss of a single wicket, it will make for a cracking game. At
Bristol, against Gloucestershire, it did not.
Gloucestershire had no seamers of any experience to follow up the
decision of their acting captain, Mark Alleyne. They fielded hardly
any experienced cricketers at all for that matter, apart from Monte
Lynch, who will no doubt be complaining soon to the European Court of
Human Rights.
He was fined for going absent without leave in pre-season; now he was
punished a second time for the same offence by being made to play
yesterday and to stand at slip in the chilliest of winds.
Swathed in sweaters, the Indian batsmen helped themselves, especially
their Punjabi opening pair. But David Graveney, Gloucestershire`s
former left-arm spinner, was back on his old stumping ground to
observe as a selector and to note the pair`s failing of not getting
their head and weight well forward in their front-foot play.
Vikram Rathore followed his scores of 165 and 72 against Wor-
cestershire with 63 to ink himself in for his Test debut at Edgbaston.
Some of his 12 fours were fine back-foot cuts and forces, before he
chipped to square leg. where the debutant, Dominic Hewson, leapt to
his left, like a former winner of the Daily Telegraph fielding prize
should. But Jack Russell, before he went off to watch the football,
saw how Rathore always hooked in the air.
Navjot Sidhu, receiving far less than his share of the strike, could
not quite average one run an over before lunch but as soon as spin was
offered he opened up and went down the pitch to loft Richard Davis`s
second ball straight for four, as if he had been John Emburey.
When Sidhu pulled, he kept the ball down; but if the ball should
outswing and dart back, he, like Rathore, will be a can- didate for a
leg before wicket.
Sidhu hooked two consecutive fours when Kamran Sheeraz dropped short
to record his fifty and had raised a few cheers from a smattering of
Indian supporters huddled in one of the less exposed areas. Having
reached 93 by tea, he went to his first hundred of the tour in 285
minutes but from only 203 balls immediately after seeing Sanjay
Manjrekar caught and bowled in the drive.
On flat dry pitches, such as England offered to Australia in 1993,
none of India`s main deficiencies will show up
Manjrekar, No 3 for the Tests, does get his head and weight well
forward in his front-foot play and has to have a major series if he is
to protect his strokemakers, Mohammed Azharuddin and Sachin Tendulkar,
from a too-new ball.
On flat dry pitches, such as England offered to Australia in 1993,
none of India`s main deficiencies will show up; their opening batsmen
can happily carve away, their spinners will come into their own. On
damp green surfaces, however, they may also struggle to dismiss
England as well as make their runs.
Today, the hospitality tents should be full to watch Javagal Srinath
on his return to his old county where he took 87 wick- ets last
season. Yesterday only a third of the tents were full with lunchers
and revellers. It is possible, of course, that the other tents were
full too, but that their inhabitants pre- ferred to keep the flaps
down.
These tourist matches have come to be in considerable need of
re-animation. Tetley enlivened them for a while by offering their
prize money but that novelty has worn off and the games have lapsed
into their traditional slumber, a reward of #7,500 for victory not
worth the effort.
Last year the West Indians won four of their 13 matches against the
counties. In 1994 both the New Zealanders and the South Africans won
a single game. Only the 1992 Pakis- tanis won the jackpot which used
to be on offer, thanks to Wasim Akram, who bowled the season through
and took more wickets than any touring bowler since 1964.
A way to revive them would be to adapt an idea from the mid- 1960s and
restrict the first innings for both sides to 60 overs. Spectators
would then be sure of seeing the two teams bat on the opening day at
brisk pace; on the second too, as 20 overs of the second team`s first
innings would remain. For the rest of the game 180 overs would still
have to be bowled - enough for a result in most instances.
Day 3: Symonds stays quiet as Gloucs hold out
By Mike Beddow
Indians (406 & 144-6 dec) drew with Gloucestershire (251-4 dec &
158-8)
Two issues were unresolved at Nevil Road yesterday. India failed to
force a first victory over county opposition and Andrew Sy- monds
avoided questions seeking affirmation of his commitment to play for
England.
The answer, according to Philip August, Gloucestershire`s chief
executive, should be beyond doubt by now. Symonds - born in
Birmingham but brought up in Australia - will be available if
selected, a statement that was apparently reinforced by the player
himself in an interview with an Indian journalist, but not to the
English media.
Whatever the reason for this lapse in the line of direct com-
munication, the subject is likely to remain an irritation un- til he
is again asked to play for an English representative team. All that
mattered here was that India were unable to take two wickets in the
last 27 overs and that Symonds was #300 richer after earning the man
of the match award.
This was for his first-innings century rather than a lower key score
of 28 after the county side, needing 300 to win, had lost three
wickets within four overs from Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad.
Srinath, well versed in the ways of English cricket after taking 87
championship wickets for Gloucestershire last season, put his
knowledge into practice as the new ball moved around, and the less
experienced Prasad eased some of the doubts about the depth of India`s
pace bowling.
India used the morning to set up a declaration and for the first time
in two county matches, their batsmen had to ac- celerate beyond the
pace of leisurely practice.
Symonds batted for 67 minutes until he was leg before to the third
seamer, Saurav Kanguly, and much-weakened Gloucestershire ultimately
relied on the competitive instincts of Richard Davis, Jonathan Lewis
and Kamran Sheeraz to secure their survival.
India used the morning to set up a declaration and for the first time
in two county matches, their batsmen had to ac- celerate beyond the
pace of leisurely practice.
Vikram Rathore`s lavish drive, taken overhead by Tim Hancock at cover,
laid down the ground rules. These were quickly fol- lowed by Navjot
Sidhu, well held by Davis at slip, Rahul Dravid, stumped immediately
after a pick up for six, and Mohammad Azharuddin, driving back to
Davis.
The one exception, though not with any loss of ambition, was the
Bengal all-rounder, Ganguly, with 11 fours and a straight six off
Davis in an unbeaten 64 from 80 balls.
"It is our clear understanding that, if selected, he will play for
England," August said. "He understands the ramifications of the
contract he has signed. I am convinced Andrew has commit- ted himself
to English cricket and Gloucestershire cricket."
Last September Symonds, 20, rejected England`s invitation to join the
A tour of Pakistan. Instead, he returned to Queensland to play
Sheffield Shield cricket.
Symonds is now back at Gloucestershire as an England-
qualified player, having signed a contract saying he is avail-
able for the country of his birth.
Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http.//www.telegraph.co.uk)
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