Cricket story by Vinnie Mitchell, Sun, 19 Mar 2006 18:48:01 GMT


England finished strongly at the end of the second day of the third test match taking three quick wickets for only 28 runs. India were fighting at stumps finishing the day at 89/3. Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh were at the crease putting on an undefeated partnership of 61 runs for the fourth wicket.

Earlier England were bowled out for 400 runs in their first innings notching up the highest total of the series. Resuming at 272/3 England lost three quick wickets and were reduced to 333/6. Paul Collingwood and Andrew Flintoff had added 54 runs to the overnight score when Collingwood was snapped up by Dhoni off Shreesanth to give India its first wicket of the morning.

Debutant Owais Shah who had gone off the pitch retired hurt on the first day joined his captain. In the mean time Flintoff completed his fifty of 85 balls before he was caught by Sachin Tendulkar off the bowling of Anil Kumble. Geraint Jones made only one run before he was caught by Kumble again off the bowling of Shreesanth. England went to lunch at 345/6.

Munaf Patel, who was unlucky to have three of his catches dropped decided to take the matter into his own hands and had Shaun Udal trapped leg before and castled Matthew Hoggard off successive deliveries to reduce England to 356/8. Shah then added 30 runs with James Anderson before getting out for an impressive 88 runs to Shreesanth.

The last England pair added 15 runs before Harbhajan Singh got his second wicket of the innings to wrap up the English innings for 400 runs. India started badly losing Virender Sehwag to Hoggard for just 6 runs. Hoggard struck once again to have Wasim Jaffer caught behind by Jones for 11 runs. Sachin Tendulkar was once again out cheaply edging Anderson to Jones. Dravid and Yuvraj then stuck in and put on a partnership of 61 runs.

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