The Calm after the storm and Oscar excitement

By declaring after the end of play on Day 4, England had allowed themselves that much extra time on Day 5 to bowl India out. And one of the most thrilling and noticeable changes in Test cricket over the past 3-4 years, has been how teams look to and have successfully dismissed the batting team on the last day, with the last session after the tea-break packing more action than a Dan brown novel. Calcutta 2001 springs to mind. And England had pulled off a remarkable win last year on their South Africa to secure a test series victory.

Proceedings began on an inauspicious note when Hoggard shattered Sehwag's stumps early in the morning and Jaffer looked to be struggling against the new ball. Ominous signs. But with due credit to Jaffer and Dravid, they batted extremely well to place India in an impregnable position. Jaffer looked especially aggressive, with spanking and caressing strokes on either side of the square. With the fear of defeat safely negotiated, the hunter became the hunted, as India launched into a brilliant counter-attacking mode with Tendulkar and Irfan Pathan, aiming to get as close to the winning target as possible. At the end England may have well let out a sigh of relief and settled for a well-fought draw.

England lack an attacking fourth bowler, a role Simon Jones usually carries out with an almost menancing precision. His absence leaves the bowling rotation less potent. Hoggard picked up the Man of the match award.

Final Scorecard (From Cricinfo)


Only a few hours remain before the Oscars. Here's an interesting article about famous/infamous Oscar acceptance speeches (which I'll admit, I shamelessly borrowed from Rediff).

How to make a memorable Oscar speech

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