An England Master Class…

Another fabulous Test Match, another fantastic win for England and a further step towards them becoming the Number One Test Side. Put into bat (again) on another overcast morning, England quickly found themselves eight wickets down. While many feared the worst, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann looked totally fearless as they came out to bat. With a partnership worth 70 runs from just 73 deliveries it was not only crucial in getting England up to a competitive total but also in seizing the momentum. India, however, appeared to have grasped it back when they reached 267 for four; the partnership between Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Sing being worth 128 and looking ominous. That was until Broad’s hat-trick. A spell of bowling that, a few months ago, would have seemed almost impossible. But, such has been Broad’s transformation (ah, the benefits of bowling a fuller length), he is now arguably England’s premier bowler. OK, so his glorious hat-trick was greatly aided by the absence of the Decision Review System (oh, the irony for India), but it was still a fabulous spell and was crucial in restricting India’s lead to just 67. What was even more remarkable about England’s performance was the way they then batted in the second innings. Having lost two wickets while still trailing, Ian Bell’s 159 was sublime, as was Eoin Morgan’s 70 and Tim Bresnan’s 90. (A key feature of the series has indeed been not only England’s depth but strength in batting). Pummelling the Indian bowling attack (albeit depleted, with the continued absence of Zaheer Khan and the injury to Harbhajan Singh) into submission, England amassed an imposing lead of 477 runs. The batting taken care of, it was over to the bowlers who, once again, were superb; being much taller, fitter and skilled than there Indian counterparts and, thus, much more effective. While the star this time was Bresnan (with his six wickets), it was most definitely a team effort. While the build up to the series often pitted it as a battle between England’s bowlers and the India super-star batsman, it is clear who is winning the contest. Failing to reach 300 in four innings now, India are in real trouble.

One side looks the best in the world and it’s not India.