Fourth-innings jitters no concern for Strauss

Andrew Miller at Lord's

Andrew Strauss said that the fourth-innings failings that had marred England’s winter campaign had not been on the team’s mind as they overcame an early wobble to win the first Test against West Indies by five wickets at Lord’s.

Chasing a mid-range target of 191, England had been rocking at 10 for 2 overnight and lost Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen in a dicey first hour of the fifth day to slump to 57 for 4. However, Alastair Cook and Ian Bell responded with a fifth-wicket stand of 132 to break the West Indian resistance.

“It was getting a bit harder but we had faith the wicket would stay flat and slow,” said Strauss. “Our plan was just to negotiate the new ball and things would become more simple. Whenever you’re chasing there’s a bit of pressure so it was an outstanding effort from Cook and Bell. They played in a very classy manner.”

In their 3-0 defeat against Pakistan, England were especially vulnerable when chasing small targets, not least in the second Test at Abu Dhabi, when they collapsed to 72 all out chasing 144. “In some ways it’s easier chasing 190 than 100, because you just go out and bat. In shorter chases on less even surfaces, there are a few more mental hurdles in how you overcome it.”

West Indies’ captain, Darren Sammy, declared he was “quite pleased” with the spirit his team had shown throughout the match. “We were told no fifth-day tickets had been printed, but we showed a never-say-die attitude and some good performances. We’ll take these positives into the next Tests.

“For the last ten years people have been [writing us off], but we bowled as disciplined as we could be, and we got England’s last seven wickets in the first innings for 130-odd runs. We’ve got to be at our best all the time against the No.1 team.  We knew we needed wickets with the new ball, and did that. But Bell and Cook played really well to guide England home.”

Stuart Broad was named Man of the Match for his career-best haul of 11 for 165, the best figures in a Test at Lord’s for 34 years. “There’s always room for improvement,” he said. “In the first innings I didn’t bowl as well as I could do, but my stride pattern and rhythm felt nice, and in the second innings my rhythm improved in less helpful conditions. But going to Trent Bridge, we need to reset our minds and focus.”


Date: 21/05/2012 15:56:31 by AMiller
In: Today | England |