Taunton onslaught sounds timely warning to England (27 May 1999)

27 May 1999

Taunton onslaught sounds timely warning to England

Michael Henderson

The thunder that England heard yesterday came from Taunton, as India's batsmen went on the rampage against the soon-to-be-deposed World Cup holders. The fact that Sachin Tendulkar failed for once should send a tremor through the camp. He may feel, as a result, that he has some catching-up to do when his team take on the host nation at Edgbaston on Saturday.

After their seven-wicket victory against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge on Tuesday the England players were given a rare day off. They will regroup in Birmingham this morning, knowing that a fourth win will carry them into the Super Sixes as the second-placed team in Group A. India need a win to assist their own chances of going through.

Should England finish second, behind South Africa, they will play their first game in the next round at the Oval a week on Friday, followed by matches at Old Trafford and Trent Bridge.

If they qualify in third place the games will be at Headingley, Lord's and the Oval. In an ideal world England would beat India, to carry forward two points earned by beating fellow qualifiers.

The main virtue of the victory over Zimbabwe was the time Graham Thorpe spent in the middle. Until then he had accompanied Graeme Hick briefly towards the end of the opening match, against Sri Lanka, and failed against South Africa. He needed a few runs at Trent Bridge, to feel his way back into form, and duly got 62 of them.

"Our top order has been playing well," Thorpe said, "and the rest of us have not had much of a look-in. It is not easy when you don't bat for a couple of matches. Some of the guys have only had that innings against South Africa. All you can do is practise in the nets, and hope that when you get out in the middle you find your touch. It is important to stay positive. You are not going to win anything if you stay in your shell too much."

Thorpe shared a stand of 123 with Nasser Hussain against Zimbabwe - and clearly enjoyed it. Hussain has been given the chance to establish himself at the head of the order, above Nick Knight, who has mislaid his touch, and while Thorpe sympathises with the Warwickshire batsman, he is, of course, glad to see his chum prosper.

"It was good to bat with Nasser again," he said. "He has given us some stability. You have to go for the men in form when you are in a tournament like this."

Thorpe now expects England to improve as the competition progresses. "If we had lost against Zimbabwe, we would have been up the creek. I think we can get to the semi-finals, and then anything can happen.

"South Africa and Pakistan have looked the best sides. At the moment they are in a league of their own, but when it comes to knock-out cricket, you can have one bad day and you're out."

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk)

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