England In Command

By Ananova
July 27 2002

England are in a commanding position after the third day's play in the first nPower test, at Lord's, having opted not to enforce the follow-on against India.

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England In Command

Michael Vaughan's unbeaten 81 helped England finish the third day of the opening Test at Lord's with a lead of 450.

Vaughan, who had one significant escape when he was dropped by wicketkeeper Ajay Ratra the delivery after he had brought up his 78-ball landmark, played with his usual fluency and accelerated in the final hour.

He and John Crawley, who completed a second half-century of the match and resumes on 56 on Sunday, shared on an unbroken century stand.

The pair came together at 76 for three after Mark Butcher (18), first-innings centurion Nasser Hussain (12) and the out-of-sorts Graham Thorpe (1) went cheaply.

England dominated proceedings with the ball and Hussain's side built steadily on their 266-run first-innings advantage after the captain refused to enforce the follow-on.

India's demise was largely of their own making as they slumped to 221 all out deep into the middle session.

Resuming on 130 for three and with Sachin Tendulkar taking guard, the tourists managed a paltry 46 as they lost both the little master and Rahul Dravid in 25.2 overs before lunch.

Dravid looped a catch to gully, four short of his 50, from one that lifted sharply as the impressive Matthew Hoggard claimed his second of three wickets.

In contrast to Dravid, who was prised out after a 162-ball vigil, Tendulkar gave his wicket away as a loose slash at Craig White provided a catch behind for Alec Stewart.

Captain Sourav Ganguly was another guilty of a loose shot as he sliced a wide delivery to Vaughan at point off Andrew Flintoff, in the first over of the middle session, and the Indian innings was over before tea.

Debutant Simon Jones gained his maiden dismissals in Test cricket with two wickets in seven deliveries, both edges behind, while Kumble chopped White into his stumps.

And when Hoggard enticed a nick from last man Zaheer Khan, from the fifth delivery with the new ball, India had lost their last nine wickets for 93 runs in 48 overs.

While Hussain will have been encouraged by the discipline shown by an attack devoid of Darren Gough, Andrew Caddick and Alex Tudor, the Indians were the masters of their own decline on a track which, although deteriorating, is far from treacherous.

Hoggard, who now needs one more victim to reach the 50-mark in Test cricket, was the pick of the England attack and finished with figures of three for 33.


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