Bowling remains the big issue as Tim Bresnan strikes

9 November 2012

England’s batting for the Test series against India appears to be signed and sealed, if it has yet to deliver. The bowling may take a little longer.

As runs continued to flow today in their final warm-up match, with England ending their innings on 521 all out, wickets were slightly harder to accrue as Haryana closed day two on 72 for four. The selection for the opening Test, which begins here next Thursday, is now firmly in two parts.

The tourists know which batsmen to pick and can be heartened by the fact they have all now found some decent form, albeit on flat pitches against mediocre bowling.

But the four-man bowling attack is much more complicated. None of the probable preferred quartet has been available for this match. Steve Finn and Stuart Broad are injured (thigh and heel respectively), Graeme Swann has returned home for a few days to be with his ill daughter and Jimmy Anderson has been rested.

The latter apart, some or all of the others, may not make the Test line-up. There was much better news on Finn as he bowled from his full run-up in the nets but Broad will not bowl until tomorrow at least.

None of the remaining quartet of bowlers found the going easy today. But they responded well enough against a team determined to dig in after being bowled out for 55 in the Ranji Trophy last week.

Tim Bresnan made the early breakthrough by inducing a false shot to gully in an otherwise undistinguished opening spell. His ability with the bat at No8 has always to be considered and a second wicket later helped. The spinners, Monty Panesar and Samit Patel each took a wicket.

Bresnan was one of the casualties in a late England clatter of wickets, the last five going for 14 runs. But by then Patel, with a well modulated 66 and Matt Prior, with a bustling 41, had already impressed. England’s first seven batsmen all passed 40.

Prior was discomfited by a queasy tummy which forced him to leave the field while keeping wicket. England’s request at tea for Jonny Bairstow as a replacement was refused by the match umpires and referee because the first-class regulations do not permit such an exchange.

But the referee called the Board of Control for Cricket in India who decided there were extenuating circumstances. Play was briefly held up by two monkeys encroaching on the playing area, perhaps hired by the BCCI to enhance the entertainment.

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Bowling remains the big issue as Tim Bresnan strikes

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