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England hope for pacier Lord’s pitch for second Test against India England hope for pacier Lord’s pitch for second Test against India
(about 1 hour later)
Peter Moores and his England team will turn up at Lord’s on Tuesday morning desperate to see a pitch that will change the tempo of their summer, leaving Nottinghamshire to reflect on what went wrong at Trent Bridge. Peter Moores and his England team will turn up at Lord’s on Tuesday morning desperate to see a pitch that will change the tempo of their summer, leaving Notting‑ hamshire to reflect on what went wrong at Trent Bridge.
“There is a theme at the moment, and it’s not one we particularly like,” Moores reflected after the pace battery with which England had planned to blast Sri Lanka and India after the retirement of Graeme Swann was neutered for the second time in three Tests, having offered a tantalising hint of its potential on the first day at Headingley last month. “There is a theme at the moment, and it’s not one we particularly like,” Moores reflected after the pace battery with which England had planned to blast Sri Lanka and India after Graeme Swann’s retirement was neutered for the second time in three Tests, having offered a tantalising hint of its potential on the first day at Headingley last month.
On that occasion, they blasted out the Sri Lankans for 257 inside 70 overs on the first day, with Liam Plunkett taking five wickets, before even that pitch lost its pace to leave England regretting the lives they offered to Kumar Sangakkara.On that occasion, they blasted out the Sri Lankans for 257 inside 70 overs on the first day, with Liam Plunkett taking five wickets, before even that pitch lost its pace to leave England regretting the lives they offered to Kumar Sangakkara.
But England knew from their arrival in Nottingham last Monday that they were dealing with an even deader pitch than the one on which their seamers defied the odds to go so close to victory in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s. Now Moores, who started his professional career as a wicketkeeper on the MCC groundstaff, is relying on Mick Hunt, the long-serving head groundsman with whom he has a good relationship, to come up with something a bit spicier for the second Test against India that starts on Thursday.But England knew from their arrival in Nottingham last Monday that they were dealing with an even deader pitch than the one on which their seamers defied the odds to go so close to victory in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s. Now Moores, who started his professional career as a wicketkeeper on the MCC groundstaff, is relying on Mick Hunt, the long-serving head groundsman with whom he has a good relationship, to come up with something a bit spicier for the second Test against India that starts on Thursday.
“It has been frustrating,” said Moores. “Plunkett’s exciting, he’s probably one of the quickest bowlers in the world at the moment. But there’s no kids in England have had the chance to see that yet because of the pitches he’s having to bowl on. I think that’s a shame. “It has been frustrating,” said Moores. “Plunkett’s exciting, he’s probably one of the quickest bowlers in the world at the moment. But no kids in England have had the chance to see that yet because of the pitches he’s having to bowl on. I think that’s a shame.
“We have quite a lot of pace in the side – bowlers in the high 80s [miles per hour] and above. So if it’s a wicket with bounce in it we back ourselves.”“We have quite a lot of pace in the side – bowlers in the high 80s [miles per hour] and above. So if it’s a wicket with bounce in it we back ourselves.”
Moores went out of his way to praise Steve Birks, Nottinghamshire’s head groundsman, who was devastated both by the pitch he produced, and the opprobrium that has followed. “Steve is a top bloke,” he said. “We have had some great pitches here for Test cricket so we should not be out here to nail Steve. He’s just got it wrong. It’s not an exact science.”Moores went out of his way to praise Steve Birks, Nottinghamshire’s head groundsman, who was devastated both by the pitch he produced, and the opprobrium that has followed. “Steve is a top bloke,” he said. “We have had some great pitches here for Test cricket so we should not be out here to nail Steve. He’s just got it wrong. It’s not an exact science.”
“He’s a bit fragile,” admitted Lisa Pursehouse, the county’s chief executive, of “the most important employee I have. Being a groundsman is harder than being a goalkeeper in football. Steve has never made an error like this before. “He’s a bit fragile,” admitted Lisa Pursehouse, the county’s chief executive, of “the most important employee I have”. “Being a groundsman is harder than being a goalkeeper in football. Steve has never made an error like this before.
“We’ll look and see what happened this time in a calm and rational way as we would in any area of the operation. Anyone that seriously thinks they know more about pitch preparation than the 18 county groundsmen is utterly deluded.”“We’ll look and see what happened this time in a calm and rational way as we would in any area of the operation. Anyone that seriously thinks they know more about pitch preparation than the 18 county groundsmen is utterly deluded.”
Pursehouse, who was in London on Monday for a meeting about the allocation of future international matches, refutes any suggestion that Birks was pressurised to produce a tame pitch for financial reasons, thereby ensuring that the match stretched into the weekend – pointing out that Nottinghamshire lost money on Sunday, the fifth day. Pursehouse, who was in London on Monday to attend a meeting about the allocation of future international matches, refutes any suggestion that Birks was pressurised to produce a tame pitch for financial reasons, thereby ensuring that the match stretched into the weekend – pointing out that Nottinghamshire lost money on Sunday, the fifth day.
She believes the changing nature of all the pitches on the Trent Bridge square highlights wider issues for the English game to address – the amount of cricket being played, and perhaps even climate change. She believes the changing nature of all the pitches on the Trent Bridge square highlights wider issues for the English game to address the amount of cricket being played, and perhaps even climate change.
Moores highlighted another unsexy but significant issue for the English game to ponder when discussing a possible recall for Simon Kerrigan, pointing out that the current schedule of the county season, whereby more than half of the four-day Championship programme is completed in seam-friendly conditions in the spring, is doing no favours for the development of spinners. It is an irony that at a time when the England team is steered by products and advocates of the county game, following the reappointment of Moores and the promotion of Mick Newell and Angus Fraser to the selection panel, they are sometimes undermined by it. Moores highlighted another unsexy but significant issue for the English game to ponder when discussing a possible recall for Simon Kerrigan, pointing out that the current schedule of the county season, whereby more than half of the four-day Championship programme is completed in seam-friendly conditions in the spring, is doing no favours for the development of spinners.
But in the here and now, all three are hoping for a less demoralising Lord’s pitch for Plunkett, Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad, all of whom Moores expects to be declared fit to play despite bowling around 60 overs each at Trent Bridge. “It will be no different this week to normal back to back Tests,” said the coach. “The challenge is after the second Test when you go into the third and fourth Tests because there is less of a gap than usual.” It is an irony that at a time when the England team is steered by products and advocates of the county game, following the reappointment of Moores and the promotion of Mick Newell and Angus Fraser to the selection panel, they are sometimes undermined by it.
But in the here and now, all three are hoping for a less demoralising Lord’s pitch for Plunkett, Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad, all of whom Moores expects to be declared fit to play despite bowling around 60 overs each at Trent Bridge.
“It will be no different this week to normal back-to-back Tests,” said the coach. “The challenge comes after the second Test when you go into the third and fourth Tests because there is less of a gap than usual.”
There was some good news for Broad on Monday as he climbed back into the top 10 of the world Test bowling rankings. Anderson slipped behind Broad to 13th, and there was not even much consolation in the batting rankings, as despite his career-best 81, a new record for England’s No11 in Test cricket, he still languishes at a lowly 136th, 25 places behind his highest ever ranking in July 2009.There was some good news for Broad on Monday as he climbed back into the top 10 of the world Test bowling rankings. Anderson slipped behind Broad to 13th, and there was not even much consolation in the batting rankings, as despite his career-best 81, a new record for England’s No11 in Test cricket, he still languishes at a lowly 136th, 25 places behind his highest ever ranking in July 2009.
Joe Root, his partner in the world record last wicket stand at Trent Bridge, is now officially the highest-ranked England-qualified batsman, having climbed from 38th to 16th this summer – meaning he is now two places higher than Kevin Pietersen. Joe Root, his partner in the world record last-wicket stand at Trent Bridge, is now officially the highest-ranked England-qualified batsman, having climbed from 38th to 16th this summer – meaning he is now two places higher than Kevin Pietersen.