Cricket: England on Top at Nottingham
A magnificent unbeaten partnership between Eoin Morgan and Paul Collingwood takes hosts England to a position of immense strength on day one of their first cricket test against Pakistan being played at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.
The two have added 213 runs in their unbroken stand for the fifth wicket that has knocked the stuffing out of the visitors who were hoping to roll over the hosts for a cheap first innings score when they had them in a spot of bother at 118 for 4 shortly after lunch.
But the fourth wicket was Pakistan’s last for the day as the hosts went on the charge. With a brilliant partnership between the stoic, Paul Collingwood, and stroke player, Eoin Morgan, who registered his first three figures score in the longest format of the game, entertaining the sizeable crowd at Trent Bridge.
Pakistan have themselves to blame as both batsmen were given reprieves by wicket-keeper and vice-captain Kamran Akmal, who for the umpteenth time in his career missed two opportunities one each in the last two sessions of play. After letting off the English captain Andrew Strauss in the opening exchanges of the day.
Mohammad Aamer bowled a beauty which was nicked by Strauss, only to see Kamran Akmal spill a regulation chance.
However, Akmal made amends as he dismissed Strauss, when Aamer once again induced an outside edge with the batsman on 45.
Eoin Morgan than got a reprieve when an outside edge of his bat was taken on the bounce by Akmal, who was standing two deep behind the stumps.
The worst offence of the day by Akmal was with Collingwood on 48, the English T20 captain danced down the wicket and was beaten all ends up as he attempted a big shot off http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Danish-Kaneria-c1314.
Akmal missed the ensuing stumping chance, which was one of the simplest of his test career as Kaneria screamed in anguish.
The leg-spinner just like Akmal had a miserable day returning extremely modest figures of 21 overs, no wicket for 100 runs.
The Karachi and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Essex-c783 spinner conceded 4.7 runs per over, and other than the error by Akmal had two reviews go against him in one of the worst days of his 60 odd test match career.
The English team started the match positively as Strauss won the toss and opted to bat first.
Pakistan’s main stay in bowling, Mohammad Aamer was the first one to strike as he had opener Alastair Cook snapped up in the slips by Imran Farhat, Cook made only 8 runs.
Strauss was dismissed on the eve of the lunch break with the English total on 93.
After the resumption http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 made two big breaks, with Kevin Pietersen chopping a delivery from Mohammad Asif onto his stumps, which was soon followed by the dismissal of Jonathan Trott, who shouldered arms to an Aamer in-swinger that swung in late and caught the batsman in front of the stumps.
But it was the Morgan-Collingwood show in the last two sessions, as the duo ground out the threat from the Pakistani bowlers.
Morgan was not out on 125 at close, having reached his ton off 151 balls, while Collingwood who dropped anchor at the other end was batting on 81 when the stumps were drawn, with the day clearly belonging to the hosts.
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