Day One at Lords – Eng 342-6 at stumps
Eoin Morgan is like a Morgan car: quirky but a classic. His innings of 79 stole the show at Lord’s today after we found ourselves in deep poop at 22-3. Those of us who have craved a pugnacious left hander in the middle-order since the retirement of Graham Thorpe (whose batting I still go all girly about) will have a smile as wide as Ian Austin’s belly tonight.
The other man of the day was Alastair Cook, who made a steady 96 when all around him were, err, playing all around straight ones. Dilshan’s decision to insert England after winning the toss looked totally nonsensical – the skies were blue and the pitch only had the faintest tinge of green. Unfortunately however, Strauss and Trott forgot the two most important things about batting (a) play straight and (b) actually hit the bloody ball.
When KP got out poking a wide ball to gully – a dreadful shot that betrayed his nerves – we were making a belting pitch look like a minefield. Thanks heavens that Cook and Morgan dug in.
Cook really deserved a hundred, but it wasn’t to be. He attempted to pull a ball that wasn’t quite short enough, and hit the ball straight up in the air. The Lord’s crowd groaned in unison – and this time it had nothing to do with the cost of their tickets, or the price of the cheese and ham baguettes. Now there’s a first.
Matt Prior also played a gem of an innings. He attacked from the offset and took the momentum away from a tiring Lankan attack. His timing and placement were a joy. If there’s a more attractive batsman to watch through the offside, I’ll eat my white floppy hat (the one at the bottom of my kit bag that’s crusty and covered in mould).
Prior was undefeated on 73 at the close. After a tricky start, our total of 342-6 puts us in a decent position. But let’s not forget that the Lord’s pitch is flatter than the proverbial pancake. Four hundred will only be a par total. Taking twenty wickets is going to be a tad tricky. You’re probably best out of it, Mr Dernbach.
James Morgan
