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ESPNcricinfo previews the first ODI between South Africa and India in Durban

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya11-Jan-2011Match FactsAn impressive show in the Twenty20 match and strong batting skills could help Wayne Parnell make the final XI•Getty ImagesJanuary 12, Durban
Start time 14:30 (12.30 GMT, 18.00 IST)
Big PictureThe Test series between the top two teams in international cricket was meant to be this tour’s biggest draw, but the ODI series that starts on Wednesday is almost as significant. Bilateral one-dayers are an after-party to a grand event, though not in this case with the World Cup just over a month away and with the teams required to finalise their fifteen-member squads for the event by January 19. Three of the five games in this series – the last official 50-over preparation for the two sides ahead of the World Cup – will be played out before the deadline and they are likely to influence the composition of the final squads.Injuries to Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have led to call-ups for Rohit Sharma and M Vijay for the ODI series, though Virat Kohli appears to have done enough in the middle order for his place to be in any risk. There is more competition in the bowling, with a possible tussle between Sreesanth and Munaf Patel for a spot alongside Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar and Ashish Nehra in the fast-bowling attack. Praveen’s eleventh-hour injury gives Ishant Sharma, who had an ordinary Test series, another go at the one-day level, though he is almost certain to miss the first game. Piyush Chawla returns to the 50-over format after more than two years, but R Ashwin is the favoured second spinner in the squad, while Harbhajan Singh will look to build on his performance in the Tests.South Africa have roped in legspinner Imran Tahir and left-arm spinner Robin Peterson, as potential slow-bowling partners to Johan Botha; Colin Ingram, who scored a century on ODI debut, fills in for the injured Jacques Kallis at No.3, and could be in the running for a top-order spot in the World Cup, while David Miller will possibly be fighting for a middle-order slot along with the leg-spinning allrounder Faf du Plessis. The battle for the third seamer’s position will be between Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Wayne Parnell, though Ryan McLaren, not playing this series, has also done the job in the past.South Africa, at home on lively tracks, go in as the favourites. The team coming on top will go into the World Cup on a high, but individual performances in this series could be just as important as the scoreline itself.Form guideSouth Africa: WLWLW
India: WWWWWPlayers to watch out for…Virat Kohli: One of India’s in-form batsman, Kohli comes into this series with two centuries and two half-centuries in his last six matches. Almost a certainty in India’s World Cup squad, given a successful 2010, an impressive performance in tougher conditions – his only ODI series outside the subcontinent has been in Zimbabwe – should further reaffirm his chances.Faf du Plessis: He was signed up for US$120,000 at the IPL auctions and will be eager for an ODI debut here. An impressive List A batting average of 44.37 and his abilities as a legpinner makes him a strong contender as an all-round option in South Africa’s middle order.Team newsThe teams could shuffle their line-ups for the first few games. Sachin Tendulkar returns to the 50-over format after a self-imposed break – his last ODI was in Gwalior, where he scored that record-breaking double-century against the same opposition.Praveen’s absence puts Munaf in the frame for the third seamer’s spot, but India will want to take a good look at the conditions before taking a call on whether to go with two spinners and two fast bowlers.India (possible): 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 M Vijay, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 R Ashwin / Munaf Patel, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashish NehraParnell’s impressive show in the Twenty20 match will make it tough for Smith to ignore him. Tsotsobe was in good form against Pakistan in the UAE when Parnell was injured, and the latter’s batting credentials could be the clinching factor.South Africa (possible): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Colin Ingram, 4 AB de Villiers (wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Faf du Plessis / Robin Petersen, 7 David Miller, 8 Johan Botha, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Wayne Parnell / Lonwabo Tsotsobe, 11 Morne MorkelStats and trivia India’s have won only three matches and lost 16 against South Africa in South Africa – their worst record in any country Sachin Tendulkar has scored 1422 one-day runs in South Africa, but only 522 of those have come against the hosts, at an average of 26.10Quotes”It’s something that I have dreamt of throughout my captaincy.”South Africa captain Graeme Smith is excited at the prospect of having an attacking spinner in Imran Tahir in his squad

“You have to start respecting the bowlers right from the very start.”India captain MS Dhoni knows conditions in South Africa are different from the ones the India team is used to at home

Manchester United legend Roy Keane singled out Anthony Elanga for praise during the Red Devils’ 3-0 Premier League victory over Brentford. 

The lowdown: Much-needed positivity

The Red Devils ended their 2021/22 home campaign on a high as Ralf Rangnick’s side ran out comfortable winners at Old Trafford.

Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring in the first half before a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty was followed by Raphael Varane’s first goal for the club to cap a much-improved display.

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Sitting in the studio watching an important night on and off the field, United legend Keane was impressed by one bright spark in particular…

The latest: Keane praise for Elanga

Speaking at half-time during Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football [via Manchester Evening News], the midfielder who made 471 appearances for the club was full of praise for Elanga after the 20-year-old provided the assist for the first goal.

Keane gushed: “Just the movement from Elanga, he’s very positive. Very good movement, but poor defending.

“That’s what you want from young players. You got to mix your game up, when to go short, when to spin. It’s a good ball from Dalot.

“Right into the area and Fernandes, very simple but very effective. Lovely ball (from Elanga). He’s definitely got a bright future. Everything he does, on the pitch, is always positive.”

The verdict: Green shoots

Elanga has certainly been a rare beacon of positivity from what has been an otherwise dismal season for the red half of Manchester.

Predominantly operating as a right winger, the twice-capped Sweden international has created three big chances, completed 0.6 dribbles and taken 1.1 shots per game on average in the Premier League (Sofascore).

Overall, Elanga has scored three times and provided two assists in 25 appearances across all competitions and seems almost certain to play a major part in Erik ten Hag’s impending rebuild.

In other news: Man Utd star could make sensational summer exit…find out more here

After being outplayed on the first two days, Madhya Pradesh ended the third in a better position by restricting Rajasthan’s first-innings lead to 123, and then setting up a strong second innings

The Report by Amol Karhadkar in Jaipur19-Nov-2012
ScorecardAfter being outplayed on the first two days in Jaipur, Madhya Pradesh ended the third in a better position by restricting Rajasthan’s first-innings lead to 123, and then setting up a strong second innings. They may now escape with a draw, and not suffer outright defeat.Fast bowler Ishwar Pandey and wicketkeeper-opener Naman Ojha made MP’s recovery possible. Rajasthan were dismissed 379 due to Pandey’s six-wicket haul, and then Ojha’s unbeaten century took MP to 200 for 1 at stumps, ahead by 77. With the green wicket not offering much assistance to the bowlers, and without a quality spinner, Rajasthan may find it difficult to force a result on the final day.Pandey had taken four wickets on the second day, including those of stand-in captain Vineet Saxena, Ashok Menaria and centurion Rashmi Parida. He claimed two more on the third morning. Resuming at 306 for 6, wicketkeeper Sidhant Yagnik and Madhur Khatri began the day well for Rajasthan, hitting four boundaries in four overs. But then Pandey settled into a nagging line to left-hand batsman Yagnik, who edged one in the ninth over of the day to keeper Ojha.Before Rituraj Singh could get his eye in, Pandey put in some extra effort, and the additional bounce had Rituraj edging his delivery to Zafar Ali at second slip. Though Khatri, primarily in the side as an offspinner, played an effortless knock, he ran out of partners on 47 when Anand Rajan bowled last man Aniket Choudhury to earn his 100th first-class wicket.Rajasthan’s lead wasn’t a small one, especially with more than a day and a half remaining in the game. After a disastrous performance by MP’s top order on the opening day, when they were reduced to 71 for 5 in the first session, the openers had to come good to earn one point. Ojha and Ali learnt from their first-innings mistakes to put on 134 before Ali was trapped lbw by Rituraj.Ojha, however, was the star of the day. In the first innings, he had poked at and edged a delivery that moved away from off stump. This time, Ojha didn’t flash his bat outside off for the first hour. He preferred to leave as many balls as he could.Ojha didn’t go into a shell either; he chose the balls he wanted to score off. Soon after he reached his fifty, he went after the part-time spinner Ashok Menaria, hitting two sixes over long-off and cutting to the point boundary. In the next over, however, Ali was dismissed. With Pankaj Singh and Rituraj steaming in, Ojha, batting on 78, defended for the next hour.Only in the last over of the day, when Khatri was brought on, did Ojha attack again. He stepped out to hit a six over long-off and then swept the next ball through square leg for a boundary to raise his ninth first-class century.”[Ojha] was terribly disappointed after being dismissed in that manner (in the first innings),” MP coach Mukesh Sahani said. “We had a chat about it. He realised that he hadn’t justified his position of being among the senior players in the team by getting out in that manner. It was heartening to see him rectifying it.”Despite playing first-class cricket for 12 years, Ojha has not fulfilled his batting potential “I haven’t converted as many starts into hundreds as I should have but over the last few years, I have realised the need for scoring big hundreds and have been working towards it,” Ojha said. “Since I came to the Ranji Trophy days after playing the Champions League [for Delhi Daredevils], it took time for me to switch into the first-class mode. But now that I have, I hope I can continue for the rest of the season.”After stumps, most of the MP squad played a game of football until the light faded, unlike other days. Though the team had conceded three points with the first-innings lead, their relieved faces indicated that their primary objective at the start of the penultimate day – to avoid being in a position to concede an outright victory to Rajasthan – had been achieved.

Ed Joyce has been cleared to represent Ireland at the World Cup in February next year after being granted a special dispensation by the ICC

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2010Former England batsman Ed Joyce has been cleared to represent Ireland at the World Cup in February next year after being granted a special dispensation by the ICC. However, ex-New Zealand international Hamish Marshall’s request to be allowed to play has been denied, meaning he won’t be eligible to play for Ireland until April.Both players last played international cricket for their respective former countries at the 2007 edition of the World Cup, and under normal ICC regulations would not have become eligible to play for Ireland in official ODIs until April next year. Looking to strengthen their squad, Ireland asked the ICC earlier this year to allow a slight shortening of the usual four-year qualification period to allow both to take part in the World Cup.”Ed was granted permission for his four-year standout period to be slightly reduced so that he could compete in the World Cup,” explained an ICC spokesperson. “This was done on the basis of exceptional circumstances and the unique facts of his specific case, which included his Irish background and his very strong ties to Irish cricket from childhood up to senior national representation.””It’s obviously tremendous news,” said Joyce, who had already joined Ireland on a pre-World Cup training camp in India. “Playing for Ireland again is something I’ve given a lot of thought to over the last few years and to be given the opportunity to do so, a little earlier than expected and on the biggest stage, is absolutely fantastic.”Having seen the talent and work ethic of the squad over the last week or so in India, I feel Ireland will, once again, make a huge impact at the World Cup and I look forward to hopefully offering a lot to the team in the tournament and the whole of 2011.”Joyce, 32, was one of Ireland’s strongest batsmen at ICC Trophy level, scoring 758 runs in 14 matches between 2001 and 2005 at an average of 84.22. He had played in 50 games for Ireland – the last of which was in the ICC Trophy final against Scotland in July 2005 – before he switched allegiance to England and made his one-day international debut his former team at Belfast in June 2006.”It’s a huge boost to have Ed available for the World Cup, adding to the selectors’ headaches in an already strong squad – but that’s a nice problem to have,” said Ireland coach Phil Simmons. “Of course, it would have been fantastic to have both Ed and Hamish available, but it’s not to be.”I’ve seen first hand over the past 10 days here in Pune just what hard working and talented players both are. Their dediciation and professionalism is evident for all to see, and everyone has responded positively to their being with us. I feel very sorry for Hamish, but this squad will be at other big tournaments – of that I’m certain.”Marshall, 31, was born in Auckland and played the last of 66 ODIs against Ireland at the 2007 World Cup. He subsequently turned down a New Zealand contract so that he could continue his county career with Gloucestershire as a non-overseas player and also joined the ICL. But in April this year he made clear his intentions to qualify for Ireland as an Irish passport holder, and is also eyeing a coaching role in Irish cricket.”Cricket Ireland is delighted to welcome back Ed to the fold again, and we are sure he will make a massive contribution to the squad,” said chief executive Warren Deutrom. “We regret that Hamish has missed out on this occasion, but we have no doubt he will play a huge part in future World Cups and we are looking forward to him taking the field against England at the RSA Challenge ODI next August in Dublin.”We would like to thank the ICC for its positive consideration of the case for Ed, and express our special appreciation to both the England and Wales Cricket Board and New Zealand Cricket for their great cooperation and generosity throughout this process in terms of facilitating Ireland to have its best possible squad at the sport’s showcase event.”

Ryan ten Doeschate, the Netherlands allrounder, will play for Otago Volts in the HRV Cup this season

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Sep-2012Netherlands allrounder Ryan ten Doeschate will play for Otago Volts in the HRV Cup, New Zealand’s T20 league, this season. Ten Doeschate was declared the Most Valuable Player the last time he played in the tournament – for Canterbury in the 2010-11 season – with 284 runs from nine games to be the second-highest run-getter in the league.”I am really excited about having another opportunity to play in New Zealand. I really enjoyed the HRV Cup and the conditions that I encountered when I was last there a couple of years ago and can’t wait to come back. Otago has a strong side for this season and I am looking forward to getting over there and making a contribution,” ten Doeschate was quoted as saying by .Doeschate has represented Essex in the English domestic season this year, for the Clydesdale Bank40, Friends Life t20 and the LV County Championship. He was Essex’s fourth-highest run-getter in the Friends Life t20. He has also played for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, Mashonaland Eagles in Zimbabwe, Impi and Western Province in South Africa and Tasmania in Australia.”We were looking for a player who can bat in the top order as well as being an option to us with the ball and Ryan fits that description perfectly. Ryan is an aggressive batsman which fits nicely with how our team wants to play this season,” Otago Volts coach Vaughn Johnson said.Ten Doeschate will arrive for the league in the middle of December and will be available for eight matches besides the finals.

Rangers continued their superb run of form under Giovanni van Bronckhorst as they won for the fourth time in five games under the Dutchman.

The Gers beat Hearts 2-0 away from home and have now won all four of their Premiership matches with the 43-year-old at the helm.

Alfredo Morelos scored the opening goal with a composed finish from inside the box after electric wing play from Fashion Sakala down the right to tee him up.

Joe Aribo then doubled the lead after he latched onto a sublime pass from Connor Goldson before clinically dispatching a shot into the far corner, with the Gers holding out for the 2-0 win in the end.

Whilst Morelos and Aribo may get the credit for their part in sealing the three points, one player who also deserves immense credit is central defender Calvin Bassey – who impressed at centre-back.

Defensively, he was almost faultless. As per SofaScore, he won 100% (2/2) of his duels on the pitch, whilst making four clearances, two blocks, two interceptions and two tackles. This shows how strong he was defending his own goal, as he was able to make numerous key contributions at the back to keep Hearts at bay.

One criticism of his performance could be that he came close to scoring an own goal in the second half. He was caught in a difficult position at the front post from a cross and deflected the ball up onto his own crossbar and was fortunate that it bounced down the right side of the line from his perspective.

On the ball, he was reliable. As per Sofascore, he completed 100% of his passes as he found a teammate with all 40 of his attempts. He was successful with all three of his long passes and had 51 touches of the ball overall. This shows that he has quality in his distribution to go along with his excellent defending.

Therefore, he was the unsung hero for Rangers as he effectively and efficiently went about his business at centre-back and helped the side keep a clean sheet along with the three points. The £6.4k-per-week beast has been in fine form and van Bronckhorst will surely be hoping he can continue to put in performances like this at the back.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Kent: GvB must seal Rangers deal for £9.3k-p/w gem who “creates opportunities”…

Glasgow Rangers have been dealt a late injury blow ahead of their Scottish Premiership clash against Motherwell on Saturday afternoon, with Kemar Roofe the latest to be ruled out.

Add this to the news that Aaron Ramsey is unavailable for the Ibrox side and Giovanni van Bronckhorst faces a double injury blow that could have massive ramifications for the rest of the season.

However, there was some sort of good news following the pre-match press conference (via BBC Sport), in which the Rangers manager confirmed that Ramsey would only be missing three matches, along with Roofe, with an expected return due for the second leg Europa League clash against RB Leipzig.

Both players have ignited Gers’ chances of landing some silverware at the end of the season in recent weeks. Ever since Alfredo Morelos was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign due to injury, Roofe has stepped up to the plate, scoring vital goals against Dundee and St Mirren.

These injuries mean Van Bronckhorst will need to reshuffle his pack ahead of the crucial tie against Motherwell – something that is sure to have left the Dutchman fuming – with some players aiming to step up and take their opportunity.

Fashion Sakala is one of them. The lively Zambian has scored 10 goals and notched three assists in all competitions this season, more impressive when you consider the majority of those have been from the bench.

There is no doubt that losing Roofe and Ramsey to injury is a huge blow, but the Rangers faithful should get behind the likes of Sakala and Steven Davis as they are more than capable of slotting into the side when needed.

The Gers face eight cup finals before the end of the season (nine if they reach the Europa League final) and the squad should be brimming with confidence at the incredible opportunity that has presented itself.

AND in other news: £4.3m down the drain: “Massive” £25k-p/w “problem” robbed Rangers blind for 84 weeks

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner was thrilled with his side's 3-0 win over Burnley and how their attack "forced" their opponents to go a man down.

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Palace beat Burnley 3-0Brownhill sent off for ClaretsGlasner thrilled with victoryGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

The Eagles got Glasner's tenure at Selhurst Park off to a winning start thanks to second-half goals from Chris Richards, Jordan Ayew, and Jean-Philippe Mateta. Their pressure eventually told after Josh Brownhill was sent off in the 35th minute, with former Eintracht Frankfurt boss Glasner praising the performance and the way their attack led to the midfielder's dismissal.

AdvertisementWHAT OLIVER GLASNER SAID

He told : "Sometimes the players forget about keeping the balance in the game but how we forced the red card was brilliant and we attacked very high. It was really nice to see. We had a great spirit from the beginning and the players tried to do everything that the analysts prepared for them. Also thank you to my staff because we were only here for three days. My feeling was the fans were happy to see the players attacking and fighting, they were very loud, this is what we want. They had a great afternoon and now they can go somewhere in a pub and enjoy one or two beers."

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Ex-Wolfsburg manager Glasner replaced Roy Hodgson as Palace boss earlier this month after the latter agreed to step down from his role following a health scare and a poor run of results. While this win over relegation-threatened Burnley will not solve the club's issues, it does put them eight points clear of the bottom three. Conversely, Clarets boss Vincent Kompany will be under intense pressure to keep his job as they are 19th and eight points from safety.

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WHAT NEXT?

Glasner's Palace side, who are up to 13th in the table, travel to London neighbours Tottenham in their next Premier League outing on March 2 whereas Kompany's Burnley host Bournemouth in the English top-flight a day later.

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Raphinha to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, with the club insider confirming in a recent post on The West Ham Way that David Moyes’ side had launched an offer for the Leeds United winger after his agents contacted the club regarding a move.

However, Ex added that the offer was swiftly rejected by Marcelo Bielsa’s side, who informed West Ham that the 25-year-old is not for sale at any price this month.

Finally, the insider claimed that the offer for the Brazil international could have been as high as £50m, also stating that the Whites’ stance on parting with Raphinha this month does not look likely to change, even if the Hammers were to raise their offer.

In his post, Ex said: “I can confirm reports that we did make an offer for Raphinha of Leeds United are correct. Our top transfer source has confirmed (backed up by another – our two source policy) that an offer went in after agents contacted the club. The offer, however, was swiftly rejected and West Ham were told that Leeds are not prepared to sell at any price this window.

“A host of clubs, including Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool are said to be interested in the player. Therefore, if Leeds hold onto him until the summer, there is likely to be even higher offers for the talented Brazilian.

“The chances are that this offer is the mystery £50m offer that has been reported that we submitted but this is not confirmed. If Leeds change their stance we will let you know but this is considered to be very unlikely.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Raphinha has been since his £17m move to Leeds in October 2020, the news that West Ham are interested in signing the winger is sure to have left the London Stadium faithful buzzing.

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Indeed, over his 30 Premier League appearances during his debut campaign in England, the £36m-rated forward scored six goals, registered nine assists and created 12 big chances for his teammates. These returns saw the 25-year-old earn a sensational seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.14, ranking him as his club’s third-best player in the top flight.

The Brazilian has been equally as impressive over his 19 league outings so far this term, with the £63k-per-week forward having already scored eight goals, provided two assists and created seven big chances. These metrics have seen the Brazilian earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.06, ranking him as Leeds’ best performer in the Premier League.

As such, it is clear to see that Raphinha would make a fantastic addition to Moyes’ current options in attack. However, it would seem that West Ham will need to considerably raise their already sizeable offer for the winger if they are to have any chance of getting a deal over the line prior to Monday’s transfer deadline.

In other news: “Talks will continue..”: ExWHUemployee drops teasing update on late deal, GSB must act

Eoin Morgan had four Tests against Pakistan to prove he should be on the plane to Australia. He’s booked a ticket in one innings after his maiden Test century carried England to 331 for 4 on the opening day at Trent Bridge

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan29-Jul-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEoin Morgan brought out all his shots during a thrilling maiden Test century•PA PhotosEoin Morgan had four Tests against Pakistan to prove he should be on the plane to Australia. He’s booked a ticket in one innings after his maiden Test century carried England to 331 for 4 on the opening day at Trent Bridge. Morgan finished on 125 alongside Paul Collingwood on 81 as the fifth-wicket pair added 213 after Mohammad Aamer’s three wickets left England struggling on 118 for 4Other than Aamer’s continued excellence Pakistan’s cricket was shambolic less than a week after ending their 15-year drought against Australia. The support bowling lacked control with Danish Kaneria’s struggles creating a major headache for Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal had another nightmare behind the stumps. During the first session he dropped a regulation edge from Andrew Strauss and with the game being taken away from them during the final session he couldn’t complete a simple stumping when Collingwood charged Kaneria.Morgan, though, was breathtaking. He raised his hundred (just his seventh in first-class cricket) from 151 balls with a signature straight six off Kaneria – to rubber-stamp an individual battle he won hands down – and it was an innings that answered a lot of questions about technique and temperament.The fact he did it from a position where England were in some trouble after Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott departed in four balls after lunch added further weight to the innings. Neither did he change his game from what has brought him one-day success; he used his feet to the spinners, drove inside-out through cover and even unfurled the reverse sweep.There were a couple of nervous moments. Early in the innings he edged Aamer to Akmal but although the keeper claimed the catch – perhaps just in the sheer joy of thinking he’d caught one – replays soon showed it had grazed the turf. When he’d reached 78 he was given lbw to Kaneria but was saved by the UDRS when replays showed the ball would have spun past leg stump. Two of the next three deliveries were driven effortlessly through the covers.Ironically, had Pakistan not used up their two reviews early in the day they could have referred a lbw appeal against Morgan on 34 when he swept at Shoaib Malik and the ball was hitting flush on leg stump. Both Pakistan’s reviews were taken during Pietersen’s painful 29-ball innings as the visitors twice challenged not-out decisions. Mohammad Asif was the bowler on both occasions, firstly with an lbw appeal which replays showed was only clipping the bails then when he thought Pietersen had edged to the wicketkeeper but the noise, expertly noticed by Asoka de Silva, had been bat clipping pad.Pietersen, though, never settled and looked woefully short of form in his first innings for nearly a month and there was no doubt about his eventual dismissal when Asif nipped a ball back which took the inside edge into the stumps. It was another wonderful piece of bowling from an intelligent operator.England’s problems were compounded in the next over when Trott, who had been reprieved by the UDRS when he had 13 after being given lbw to Kaneria despite an inside edge, padded up to an inswinger from Aamer and this time Trott’s request for a review couldn’t save him.While Morgan entered needing to prove himself in a tricky situation, Collingwood has made his name in such positions and was quite happy to play second fiddle as his young partner sped away. However, he never passed up a scoring opportunity such as consecutive long hops from the struggling Umar Gul that were cut through the covers after Pakistan had kept England’s scoring rate to less than two-an-over for an hour after lunch. By the end of the day the hosts were racing and the stand was England’s first over 200 since Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara added 213 against West Indies, at Chester-le-Street, last May.Strauss had also looked in good form during the morning session although had a huge stroke of luck when Akmal added another awful drop to a sizeable collection of keeping horrors. Akmal had been tidy during the recent series against Australia but he remains an unconvincing gloveman. Aamer did manage to break the opening stand when he squared up Cook and Imran Farhat at first slip showed his keeper how to take a catch.Already, though, it was becoming clear that the onus was on Aamer to do the damage himself and when his opening six-over spell ended life became much easier for Strauss and Trott. But 10 minutes before lunch Aamer was recalled for his second burst and with his fourth ball he found Strauss’s top edge as the England captain’s eyes lit up at a hint of width. Pakistan might have thought they’d shifted the key left hander in the nick of time, but then along came Morgan to stamp his name on Test cricket.