Poor Umpiring Takes Sheen Off Indian Win

KOLKATA

In a one-day international that was a classic of its kind, India won athrilling match by 22 runs despite a marvellous innings of 121 from MarcusTrescothick. India had looked out of it when England were 224 for 4, but adreadful umpiring decision that sparked a woeful collapse enabled India to takefirst blood in the six-match series.

India got off to exactly the start they wanted. Sachin Tendulkar and SouravGanguly set off at a rattling good pace, taking advantage of some Englishbowling that was slightly below par. There were enough wayward deliveries toallow run-scoring without risk-taking. The 50 came up in the tenth over and atotal in excess of 300 could be envisaged at this stage.

Paul Collingwood came on to bowl the 14th over of the innings only to be hitfor a straight six by Ganguly, and was withdrawn from the attack after concedingten from the over. Before the change could be effected, however, Andrew Flintoffhad broken the partnership.

The wicket, greeted with an eerie silence from the vast and otherwise noisycrowd, was something of a collector's item. It will certainly featureprominently in Flintoff's collection, for he hit Tendulkar's stumps with a ballof fullish length that the batsman tried to work to mid-wicket.

Three overs later, Ganguly fell to the same bowler. He also tried to fetch aball from outside off stump towards mid-wicket with plenty of predeterminationabout the shot. He only succeeded in sending it high into the air for NasserHussain to take a testing catch with comfort.

Dinesh Mongia was joined by VVS Laxman who became the third batsman to getout with mid-wicket in mind when well set. He chipped Darren Gough there whenGough had been brought back into the attack with the single aim of takinganother wicket.

Mongia, playing a sensible innings with a maturity that belied hisinexperience at this level, reached his 50 off as many balls with only fourfours and a six. He lost another partner when Virender Sehwag shaped a horribleslog to be bowled by Matthew Hoggard's slower ball, and India appeared to havewasted a very good start.

Mongia took a liking to Jeremy Snape's off-breaks when he returned to theattack with two straight fours, despite the fact that long-on and long-off wereset back, but then Snape snared his man. Mongia was bowled for an excellent 71from 75 balls.

Two more wickets then fell in quick succession. Ajit Agarkar was beautifullystumped by James Foster off a leg-side wide from an off-colour Ashley Giles, andAjay Ratra was run out. Hemang Badani found a willing partner in Harbhajan Singhto stop the rot, and this pair manipulated the total to the level that Indiawould have had in mind at the outset.

England had been docked one over for a tardy bowling rate, and could besatisfied that it was not more than one. They were not satisfied with the startthey made as they went after the impressive total.

Trescothick got a single off Javagal Srinath's first ball, but the bowlerwrung an lbw decision out of the umpire as Nick Knight faced his first ball. Didit pitch outside the leg-stump? Not according to the umpire.

Nasser Hussain came in with only one thing on his mind, and that was to getthe scoreboard moving. Using the open face that he favours, he managed to locatethe rope frequently enough, while Trescothick was totally uninhibited with hisstrokeplay.

Both batsmen were dropped by Laxman at second slip. Trescothick was on onlytwo when the fielder spurned a chance off Agarkar, and Hussain on 19 when Laxmanagain erred, this time off Srinath. That one did not prove as expensive, forHussain was lbw to Anil Kumble's second ball when he had scored 29. Despite thelength of stride he got in, the umpire needed no time to think about hisdecision.

Trescothick made the most of the fielding restrictions in the remainder ofthe first 15 overs, hitting sixes off Harbhajan Singh and Kumble and three foursoff Harbhajan in the 15th over.

Michael Vaughan was just beginning to look more comfortable havingcontributed 14 to a partnership of 59 off eight overs with Trescothick when hetried to lift Kumble over mid-off but failed to do so. Collingwood played hispart before he too took an unnecessary liberty with Ganguly to offer a simplecatch to mid-wicket.

Trescothick meanwhile had brought up a memorable century from just 80 ballswith 13 fours and two sixes. It was a gargantuan effort from a man who had leftthe field five times during the Indian innings feeling unwell. With Flintoffovercoming a nervous start to keep Trescothick company, they brought therequired rate down to no more than five an over.

Ganguly needed wickets; England needed to go steadily along. They might havedone had Trescothick's innings not come to an end in the unhappiest ofcircumstances. Srinath was brought into the attack, bowled a ball that pitchedsome six inches outside the left-hander's leg stump. The bowler appealed and theumpire gave a shocking decision in his favour.

It was the turning point in the match. There was an awful mix-up betweenFlintoff and Snape that resulted in Flintoff being run out at a crucial stage.Snape became the fourth lbw victim sweeping at Harbhajan Singh, and England'schallenge became forlorn.

Foster chased a wide one from Agarkar to give Ratra his first victim ininternational cricket, Gough lasted no time at all and although Giles did hisbest to eke out the required runs at the end, he was out for 18 and India hadwon a great game of cricket.

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