***Official England in India***

[shankar]

I'm truly astonished that the number of dot-balls bowled per team this series before this game is near enough identical.

You'd have thought for sure that India had bowled far, far more.

India've played 40 balls more.SO the % dot balls would be lower than England's but only slightly.

 

[tooextracool]

Collingwood has always been more of an lbw candidate than a CB candidate tbh.

 

[kingkallis]

Colly is playing like a club cricketer! Completely out of touch!

 

[Richard]

WoW, this pitch is scuttling a bit here. If it keeps doing this you'd wonder if India won't be at a disadvantage batting second.

 

[Richard]

Colly is playing like a club cricketer! Completely out of touch!

And just like that Ishant lets the pressure off with a leg-stump Half-Volley.

Funny thing is that Collingwood averages over 30.40 against ODI-standard sides in just 2 countries: Zimbabwe (in which he's played 3 games) and Australia. In Australia, this basically amounts to 6 good games out of 17.

 

[Richard]

Powerplays finished for now, Harbhajan Singh on.

 

[tooextracool]

Not sure why Pietersen doesnt use the slog sweep these days, particularly against a bowler like Harbhajan to play with the turn.

 

[Richard]

Certainly beats wandering down and trying to smash it over mid-on.

Anyway I'd much prefer see Pietersen try to play Harbhajan on merit and look to smash the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan and Sehwag.

 

[GIMH]

I'd go the other way TBH. Harmison replacing Anderson was a must, Bell still averages nearly 35 as an opener and this is just more needless overcomplication with players dropped without failing conclusively.

Dhoni wins the toss and will field.

Intreguingly, India elect to rest Gambhir and Munaf Patel, not the two I'd have expected.

Is that because you want to see him get carted?

 

[Richard]

Yeah, Anderson has already been, now it's Harmison's turn.

Anyway terrible first over from Yuvraj, no fielders saving one on leg so what does he do? Bowls every ball flat at the pads.

 

[Richard]

Sun going down already. Wonder when the dew will start to come down. Hope for Harbhajan's sake it's not too soon as he's only into his 3rd over.

Think this might be the first day\night game I watch where the lights are into effect by the halfway point in the first-innings.

 

[tooextracool]

Wonder if Pietersen even practices the sweep these days? The 2 times hes executed it thus far, hes executed it with rather appalling technique, although it could just be that he wasnt premeditating it.

 

[GIMH]

Yeah, Anderson has already been, now it's Harmison's turn.

Anyway terrible first over from Yuvraj, no fielders saving one on leg so what does he do? Bowls every ball flat at the pads.

Why do you enjoy seeing our bowlers carted?

 

[tooextracool]

How on earth someone as poor a bowler as Yuvraj Singh is allowed to get through his overs at less than 4 an over is beyond me really.

 

[Richard]

Yup, just been thinking exactly that. Pietersen needs to target him, for mine. Don't mind if he tries the slogged sweep or the big bunt over mid-off or mid-on, but he has to attack Yuvraj. Harbhajan is fine, but Yuvraj has to go.

 

[Richard]

Why do you enjoy seeing our bowlers carted?

'Cos that way I can hope that maybe they'll be out of the side by the time the ODIs that matter (ie, WC2011) come around and we might have a good bowling-attack by that time.

Long-shot, I know, but there's more hope with the crap being smashed than being allowed to bowl economically now.

And it's Collingwood who hits the four off Yuvraj Singh.

 

[tooextracool]

Well Collingwood is finally starting to show some intent here. Really wasnt doing anyone a favor by scoring at the rate he was going at one point. If Pietersen got out now, this game would pretty much be gift wrapped for India, given that Flintoff will come in next and scratch around as well.

 

[kingkallis]

50 for KP!

 

[Richard]

Collingwood now equalling his best score against a ODI-class side batting four. And Pietersen almost caught-and-bowled just after getting his half-century.

 

[tooextracool]

England finally taking advantage of a bowler who cant bowl for toffee.