Date-stamped : 29 Dec93 - 18:49 Eng v Ind U-25, Cuttack, 24-26 Jan 93 ====> Day 1, 24 Jan 93 The Guardian 25 January 1993 - DeFreitas doubt as tour turns to shower - David Hopps in Cuttack. A freakish groin injury could put Phil DeFreitas out of the In- dian Test series; Devon Malcolm has been confined to quarters for the past four days with a virus; England are bracing themselves for a nine-hour overnight train journey to Calcutta for the first Test after their charter flight was cancelled because of a pi- lots' strike; and Graham Gooch cannot celebrate his 100th first- class century because the clumsy hand of officialdom may decide next month that he has only 99. India brought to mind yesterday GK Chesterton's observation about the battle of matter against man: ''It is the small things rather than the large things which make war against us.'' England are hanging on for all they are worth. DeFreitas has fallen prey to that most absurd of injuries - the slip in the shower - and has aggravated a troublesome groin which last summer took five weeks to heal. The start of the final Test in Bombay is less than four weeks away. England's team manager Keith Fletcher concedes that DeFreitas is day. It is premature to wonder about replacements but, as that has never stopped anyone, Neil Mallender must be top of the list. Malcolm, whose viral infection was serious enough for England to request blood tests, was selected for the XI against India Under-25, such was England's anxiety to give him his first bowl for three weeks. If he can get through a spell without collapsing in mid-pitch it will be enough for him to be considered seriously for a Test place. England's enthusiasm for fielding two spinners in Calcutta must be waning. Salisbury's first tour wicket yesterday, as India Under-25 closed the second day on 224 for four, 184 behind, was only the fifth by an England spinner in India. Tufnell's mood was hardly enhanced by a mauling at the hands of Amaya Kuresia, a dashing 21-year-old left-hander who has been in prolific form for Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy. He retired hurt on six in the morning, struck on the knee by Taylor, but re- turned in vengeful mood after tea to reach 88 not out, with 74 in boundaries. Tufnell's first spell had been tidy if unpenetrating, but he conceded 19 in one over, and 43 in six, as Kuresia met him with a torrent of blows. Salisbury bowled well enough to pass the outside edge at regular intervals but his 12 overs still only brought him figures of one for 66. Three of the four Indian wickets to fall went to lbw decisions - the umpiring on this tour has been exemplary - and it was hear- tening to see Lewis propel the new ball with some fire in his belly. Gooch posed before play in front of the scoreboard which bore the legend strolled to a declaration at lunch on 408 for four. Smith's unbeaten 149, in 6 1/4 hours, was the highest score of the tour and must have played him into some sort of form. Thanks to the staggering ineptitude of cricket's administrators, Gooch's 100th first-class century on Saturday - or 99th if next month's ICC meeting so determines - was marked by muted celebra- tion. It was an anticlimax, in any event, for Gooch to reach the mile- stone on a low-key occasion, even more so when statisticians and officials are squabbling over the authenticity of a 100 made for the English rebels in South Africa in 1982. Admittedly a pace at- tack of Van der Bijl, Le Roux, Jefferies and Rice was of high calibre, although doubts remain as to why recognition should be granted to an unofficial tour which propped up the apartheid re- gime. Whatever side one takes, however, is insignificant alongside the disappointment that at the moment of his (possible) triumph, equalling (possibly) a feat achieved by only 22 batsmen and 18 Englishmen before him, Gooch was left in bewilderment. ''Not one of my best, but I needed a net,'' was hardly a trium- phalist comment even for the England captain. In his heart of hearts Gooch believes he is still on 99 and, if he makes a centu- ry in Calcutta in his 100th Test, he will probably prefer it so. Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com) The Guardian 26 January 1993 - Malcolm can see the light - David Hopps in Cuttack. Tour match: India Under-25 v England XI It took two days for Devon Malcolm to summon enough energy to leave his darkened hotel room, but only two overs for him to in- flame English spirits with a fast-bowling spree that demanded his selection in the Calcutta Test. When Malcolm wandered uncertainly into the outfield at the Bara- bati Stadium yesterday morning, for once he had good reason to be blinking into the sunlight. Barely over the worst effects of a debilitating virus, he said: time to get going.'' As Malcolm gives the impression at the best of times that he can hardly read an advertising hoarding at three paces, it was wise for Graham Gooch to delay his introduction into the attack for more than an hour. By then the fog had cleared. Malcolm's practice ball, propelled towards mid-off, was so inac- curate that Salisbury had to fling himself yards to his right like a demented goalkeeper. The bowler had also failed to locate a swirling leg-side catch offered by the century-maker Amay Kuresia, but sensibly stayed out of harm's way to leave Smith with a sprawling, unsuccessful dive. So soon after illness, it had the hallmarks of disaster, espe- cially as Malcolm possesses a cumbersome bowling action which is prone to malfunction unless he is in tip-top condition. But his strength of purpose was undeniable. He was smoothness personified, dismissing the India Under-25 lower order in the three-day draw in only two overs, taking three for nought in only four balls and leaving the field to the banter of his team-mates. Opposing batsmen could not have been dispensed with any more ef- ficiently the day he took six wickets in seven deliveries for Richmond College as a raw fast bowler in Sheffield. First he had Pandey caught in the slips, then Zaidi succumbed first ball to the frightened-rabbit syndrome. Kuruvilla dug out the hat-trick ball but was unhinged by a rapid delivery which knocked back his leg stump. A thoroughly satisfying day was completed by Atherton, who grazed his fill for an unbeaten 80 in less than three hours to enable England to declare half an hour after tea with a lead of 281. Nine fielders then emerged wearing dark glasses, presumably dazzled by Malcolm's rude return to health, and they were not disappointed. Jadeja was beaten for pace in Malcolm's first over and he had a good blow as the Under-25s closed on 53 for one. Malcolm's timing was inspirational. In 16 overs England drew confidence from two bowlers who are capable of making things hap- pen when the Calcutta Test begins on Friday, the second of them being the leg-spinner Salisbury, who enjoyed a more propitious spell which brought two pre-lunch wickets. Kuresia is the best of the non-Test batsmen England have so far encountered and it drew a particular whoop of delight when, after taking his overnight 88 to 103 in only three hours, he drove Salisbury to extra cover. Salisbury's adventure makes him the likeliest of England's spinners but only a stubborn faith in their ability is likely to salvage a Test place for Tufnell and Emburey, and it was signifi- cant that when play ended 20 minutes early Tufnell remained on the square for an impromptu coaching session. The purists talk of confusion over what pace he should bowl and the fact that he is undercutting the ball. One onlooker preferred yesterday to put it another way: ''Tufnell's head is spinning more than the ball.'' Atherton's unobtrusive half-century was ground out in the shadow of a 150ft pink pagoda, shaped like a moon rocket, with the addi- tion of eight balconies and a clockface which, as if in sympathy with his initial rate of progress, remained forever stuck at a quarter past three. Little that Atherton painstakingly produced on his way to 50 could be deemed responsible for a trickle of falling masonry, but he had marked his first innings in nearly three weeks with a duck. Once his half-century had been achieved, he even struck Bahutule over long-off for six. Above the scoreboard, the sculp- tured face of Mahatma Gandhi stifled a yawn and once more smiled benignly upon him. Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)