India´s last-wicket duo embarrass England

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AFP
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India´s last-wicket duo embarrass England
NOTTINGHAM: India´s last-wicket pair of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami frustrated England with a record stand that took the tourists to 433 for nine at tea on the second day of the first Test at Trent Bridge on Thursday.

Number 10 Kumar, who does have a first-class hundred to his credit, was 46 not out while Shami, whose Test average before this match was 3.33, had made a first-class best unbeaten 39.

Their partnership was worth 87 after they´d come together at 346 for nine following a flurry of wickets. The duo had surpassed India´s previous highest 10th-wicket stand against England of 73 shared by Anil Kumble and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth at The Oval in 2007.

At lunch, India were well-placed at 342 for five, with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni 81 not out and Ravindra Jadeja 24 not out. But a largely self-inflicted slump then saw them lose four wickets for two runs in 12 balls.

Left-hander Jadeja (25) was caught behind off all-rounder Ben Stokes and Dhoni too had added just one run to his interval score when, setting off for a needless single, he failed to beat James Anderson´s direct hit from mid-off.

Test debutant Stuart Binny managed just one before steering Stokes to Joe Root at backward point, and so did Ishant Sharma -- bowled shouldering arms to Stuart Broad.But England, without a win in eight Tests, then ran into Kumar and Shami.

England captain Alastair Cook deployed three men in a line from short mid-on to mid-wicket, an innovative ploy that had no effect.

Meanwhile the pacemen went round the wicket in a bid to ´rough´ up the final-wicket pair but both batsmen were largely untroubled. Shami proved just how little respect India had for Moeen Ali (none for 93 in 17 overs at tea) by clubbing the part-time off-spinner for four through mid-off to raise a fifty partnership in 102 balls.

India, on a still docile pitch, then went past 400 when Kumar edged Stokes beyond slip for a boundary.Shami then struck a late-cut four off fast bowler Liam Plunkett that third man Broad simply didn´t see.

With India nine down, the scheduled tea interval was delayed by 30 minutes but the extra time did England few favours. There was further frustration for England when Shami, on 37, edged a cut off Plunkett through to wicketkeeper Matt Prior. Cook, at silly point, was the only fielder to appeal, but umpire Bruce Oxenford ruled not out and, with Indian objections meaning there was no Decision Review System in use this series, the Australian´s verdict stood.(AFP)