Strauss falls with England in control

Strauss falls with England in control


England consolidated their strong position at Edgbaston as Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook took their opening stand to 157 on the second morning. Strauss moved along to 84 and Cook reached his first fifty of the series as the home side got to within 67 of India's under-par first-innings total of 224.

Play was delayed by 30 minutes because of rain, and India again failed to pose much of a threat despite the pitch still offering assistance, though the bowling was better than it was the previous evening. They didn't make the batsmen play often enough and there was a general lethargy in the field.

Praveen Kumar was the pick of the attack, probing away as he has throughout the series and finding movement, but the slow surface allowed Strauss and Cook plenty of time to adjust. There was a clear intent from the opening pair to ensure against no early setbacks, well aware that India's attack is limited and the opportunity to press on will arrive later in the day if a solid foundation is laid.

Sreesanth's opening over set a poor tone - two leg-stump deliveries allowed Strauss and Cook to get themselves going - but just one run came off the bat in the next five overs. For India, though, halting England's run rate wasn't really helping their cause if wickets didn't follow.

Praveen's morning figures read 7-5-2-0 but the hard work of the openers began to reap rewards as runs started to flow. Strauss scored the day's first boundary with a slash through gully and Cook, who played straight and left well, followed with a flowing cover drive.

Third man became a productive area as edges went down rather than carry to the slips, adding to the bowler's frustrations, but the value of patience was again highlighted when Cook was offered another half volley and dispatched it sweetly through the covers. Cook, after four low scores, reached his half-century off 130 deliveries with a neat flick off the pads and Strauss collected another boundary off Amit Mishra as momentum built. A situation that was already desperate for India had become dire.