Sri Lanka Fight Back After Elgar Century
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THURSDAY, JULY 17, 2014 SPORTS Anderson-Jadeja row spices up second Test LONDON: Tensions in the second Test at Lord’s 25 Test hundreds, during which time he has are set to be increased after the International averaged a lowly 24. Cricket Council charged England’s James Meanwhile, England haven’t won in nine Anderson with allegedly “abusing and push- Tests, their worst run for more than 20 years. ing” India’s Ravindra Jadeja just two days Joe Root and Anderson’s Test record last-wick- before the match. et partnership of 198 at Trent Bridge bailed The incident is alleged to have happened England out after the latest in a long line of after the players left the field for lunch on top-order collapses. Thursday’s second day of last week’s drawn “I’ve got to believe the wheel will turn at first Test in Nottingham when all-rounder some stage,” said Cook. “I need to start scoring Jadeja was batting. runs at the top of the order for England.” India, cricket’s financial powerhouse, and England have added Simon Kerrigan to England may be two of the ‘Big Three’ nations their squad, after part-time off-break bowler now effectively running the ICC but that rela- Moeen Ali proved expensive in Nottingham, tionship is sure to be put under strain in the even though left-arm spinner Kerrigan hasn’t coming days and weeks. Indeed, even before played Test cricket since conceding 53 runs in the ICC confirmed the charges against eight wicketless overs on his debut against Anderson which, if proved, could see the Australia at The Oval last year. Lancashire seamer banned for up to four Tests, “I fear for Simon Kerrigan,” said former the England and Wales Cricket Board issued a England captain Michael Vaughan. “Throwing statement of its own saying the bowler had him out to bowl at Lord’s potentially, against their “total support” and warning they would an Indian batting line-up that plays spin with report Jadeja for breaches of the ICC’s code of its eyes shut, is unfair.” conduct should the global governing body India, by contrast, have a proven Test off- pursue action against the paceman. Both spinner in Ravichandran Ashwin waiting in the Anderson and Jadeja are free to play at Lord’s wings, even if his away bowling average of as it is highly unlikely a disciplinary hearing nearly 75 against Australia and South Africa is overseen by an ICC judicial commissioner will hugely worse than his under 29 on Indian be underway by the time the match starts pitches. today. At Trent Bridge, it seemed the most likely LONDON: India’s Virat Kohli (left) and Ravindra Jadeja (center) attend a training session at Lord’s cricket ground. England will play India in However, Anderson could now miss some way Anderson would be sidelined was if he the second Test starting today. —AP part of what is India’s first five-Test tour of was required to bowl long spells on similarly England for 55 years. Prior to the ICC docile pitches throughout the rest of a series bit of life in it.”It was a point echoed by India India).” After Trent Bridge groundsman Steve get a brief reply. announcement, England’s biggest specific crammed into just 42 days. “If we end up bowl- captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who said: Birks apologised for his pitch, attention turned “They (captains and coaches) tell me what concern heading into the second Test was the ing 60 overs (each) every week then we are “When you come to a country you want to to Mick Hunt, his Lord’s counterpart. Hunt has they want the pitch to do all the time but I form of captain Alastair Cook. not going to get through the five Tests,” said play on a wicket that’s the speciality of that spent more than 40 years working on the don’t listen to a word they say,” Hunt once It is now 25 innings since the left-handed Anderson. country...when you come to England you want square at the ‘home of cricket’ and anyone explained in an interview. “I just say, ‘okay’ and opener scored the last of his England record Cook added: “We just need a pitch with a the wickets to be slightly quicker (than in advising him on how to do his job is liable to carry on doing exactly what I planned.” —AFP Dhoni has no regrets over Anderson charge LONDON: India captain Mahendra right time. At the end of the day we Singh Dhoni insisted yesterday his side play sport and lot of people look up to had been right to complain about the us, and there is a lot of responsibility on conduct of England’s James Anderson. us. “There have been a few individuals England seamer Anderson was charged from our side in the past that have by the International Cricket Council crossed that line. It’s a difficult one. You (ICC) on Tuesday for allegedly “abusing can be aggressive, you can be vocal and and pushing” India’s Ravindra Jadeja that’s fine but there are certain guide- during last week’s drawn first Test at lines and we should be following all of Trent Bridge. them.” If the charge is upheld, Anderson Earlier yesterday, Cook accused India could be banned for as many as four of making a “mountain out of a mole- Tests and England have responded by hill” in an effort to try to get Anderson levelling a charge of their own against banned. “I think so, I think that’s pretty Jadeja. much where it’s come from,” Cook said. England captain Alastair Cook sug- “It’s probably a little bit of a tactic by gested at a pre-match press conference India. “For Jimmy, all the lads will rally at Lord’s, ahead of Thursday’s second round him. He’s a stalwart of our side.” Test, that India’s complaint had been a Cook added he believed completely the deliberate tactic to get Anderson version of events that Anderson had banned from the rest of the five-match told him but that, under ICC regula- series. tions, he could not reveal the conversa- However, Dhoni-speaking later at tion. The incident involving Anderson Lord’s-said: “We felt what happened and Jadeja is said to have happened was wrong so we went ahead with the after the players left the field for lunch charges. “It’s not something that we on Thursday’s second day when the have done. Let’s realise the fact. Indian was batting and taken place as “In a press conference you can ask the teams entered the narrow corridor me tough questions.”I have the right to of the Trent Bridge pavilion. GALLE: South African batsman Dean Elgar plays a shot as Sri Lankan wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal watches during the first day of the first answer them or not to answer them, The ICC’s statement Tuesday added: Test match. —AP but in no way can I go and touch you or “It is alleged that this was a continua- you can come and touch me,” the wick- tion of a verbal altercation between etkeeper-batsman added. Anderson and Jadeja as they were walk- “You can put it in whatever way you ing from the field.” Sri Lanka fight back want to but there are certain things England are understood to have that need to be followed, and it should responded by accusing Jadeja of a be followed. Level Two offence rather than one at “Frankly, usually we have been on Level Three in case this looks like an after Elgar century the receiving end a lot of times where admission a physical confrontation took somebody starts something and we place. GALLE: Opener Dean Elgar smashed a century applause for what was the first ton by any South fielding and had to be taken out of the attack. retaliate and we get fined or different The ICC said Tuesday a disciplinary before Sri Lanka pegged back South Africa with African opener on the island. The visitors dominated the first two sessions kinds of offences are levelled against hearing under a judicial commissioner four key wickets late on the opening day of the Elgar said the rest of the batsmen would have after Amla won the toss and opted to bat on a us,” added Dhoni of an India coached by would be held “as soon as reasonably first Test in Galle yesterday. to work really hard because the wicket had placid track. Petersen was particularly severe on former England boss Duncan Fletcher. practicable”. The visitors were cruising at one stage after a already deteriorated quite considerably. left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, welcoming Dhoni added: “It was good on However, Anderson is unlikely to cracking 103 from Elgar and a sedate 80 from Faf “We’d have loved to have been three-down at him with four boundaries in his first over of the Jadeja’s part to not really do something. miss either the second Test, or indeed du Plessis. But the hosts fought back in the final the end of the day. But we have batters in the day. “It could have gone a bit far, but I felt next week’s third of the five-match session to restrict South Africa to 268-5 at close shed who all know how to play their shots,” he Elgar in turn picked Eranga for special treat- he addressed this in the most appropri- series in Southampton, because any of play.