In conditions that will bear no resemblance to those in the first Test, England are learning little from their warm-up matches

George Dobell in Ahmedabad10-Nov-2012
ScorecardRahul Dewan became only the second Haryana batsman to carry his bat in a first-class match•AFPLike studying for a maths exam by brushing up on the names of the Tudor monarchs, England will have gained little benefit from the third day of their gameagainst Haryana. On a pitch that bears no comparison to that on which the Test will be played and against opponents with little in common with those in theirnational team, England were obliged to spend four sessions in the field under a hot sun. They could be forgiven for having moments when they wished this wasa three day match rather than four.The day was not completely wasted. England’s bowlers, the second string though they are, will have all benefited from a thorough work-out, while RahulDewan enjoyed a performance he will never forget by becoming just the second Haryana batsman to carry his bat in first-class cricket. His unbeaten 143 helpedHaryana to a total of 334 – their highest total this year – and ensured that his side avoided a rout. Only two other men passed 17.Later, with England 188-ahead but eschewing the chance of enforcing the follow-on, Jonathan Trott and Nick Compton opened the batting and, utterlyuntroubled, posted an unbroken 118-run partnership to take their lead to 305 with a day remaining. But, offered only a diet of unthreatening seam bowling, theywill have learned little from the experience. They faced just two overs of spin.The conditions on offer in this match will bear little relation with those in the Test. While this game is being played on an even-paced pitch offering nothing tobowlers, the pitch in the main stadium – this game is being played on the ‘B’ ground – has been re-laid as recently as September. The clay content in the surfacehas been changed – from pond clay to farm clay – and reduced – more sand has been added – with a view to it breaking up more quickly. While no-one canpredict with any certainty how a new pitch will play – there has been no game of any note on it as yet – it appears that batting could become far more difficult asthe match progresses. Winning the toss and batting first would appear to offer a disproportionate advantage.It remains to be seen if any of England’s bowlers in this game make it into the team for the first Test. While neither Steven Finn or Stuart Broad bowled inpractise, they were both able to train as planned. The England camp is increasingly confident that Finn will be fit for the Test, while they remain insistent thatGraeme Swann will have returned to India in good time and that Broad, too, will have recovered. Matt Prior, having recovered from his stomach upset, was also able toplay a full part on day three.Stuart Meaker was the pick of the England bowlers on the third day, but he may have to pay his dues for a little while longer. It is not in the nature of thisEngland set-up to fast-track any player into the side. But Meaker, called into the squad only a week ago and short of bowling since the end of the Englishdomestic season, has been the only bowler on either side to generate anything at all out of this benign surface. Amit Mishra was caught behind off one thatbounced a little more expected, Jayand Yadav was beaten for pace and Chanderpal Sani’s enterprising innings – he helped add 60 for the ninth wicket – was ended when thebatsman played across a straight one.”I certainly haven’t done myself any harm by taking a few wickets,” Meaker said, while accepting that his chances of forcing his way into the Test team wereslim. “Looking at how Steven Finn is going, he’s getting closer and closer to being ready. But I look at it more long term: it’s a great chance for me to show thenew Test captain I can perform in these conditions and that will bode well for a future Test call.”Tim Bresnan, too, could feel satisfied with his performance. He soon dismissed Sandeep Singh, who edged a tentative prod, and will have pushed himself intocontention for the Test side.Graham Onions was not at his best. Both short of bowling and increasingly weary, he struggled with his line and was outbowled by both his seam bowlingcolleagues. He enjoyed little luck, though, and was most unfortunate to see Compton put down a straightforward chance at gully offered by Amit Vashisht.England’s catching – or, more accurately, their lack of catching – remains a concern. Three times the ball flew between Prior and Alastair Cook, at first slip,with Cook far from convincing in the cordon. Trott, who was the unfortunate bowler on one occasion, also put down Sanjay Budhwar at first slip, off KevinPietersen, the ball before he was caught at second slip. As Pietersen put it afterwards “I should be on a hat-trick.”Still, it was a special day for Dewan. Once deemed a bright enough prospect to win the Indian under 22 player of the year award (for the 2007-08 season), hehas a first-class score of 254 not out to his name but, in the T20 age, has struggled to progress. While not blessed with the widest range of strokes, he was disciplinedand, generally waiting on the back foot, proved particularly effective at steering anything short through point. Typically he brought up his century – the sixth ofhis first-class career – with a cut to the boundary off Samit Patel. He was dropped on day two when he had 14 and, on 87, might have been caught by Cook offTrott. Instead Cook failed to react and the ball sped to the boundary. Jitender Singh, who made 107 out of a total of 270 against Karnataka in 1998-99, is theonly previous Haryana player to carry his bat in a first-class game.”This attack is a notch higher than first-class attacks,” he said afterwards. “All the bowlers bowled well. They bowled in the right areas and didn’t give manyloose balls. They were all on the money I would say. But there was nothing for them in the wicket, so it wasn’t very tough to handle them.”