Flintoff fires up England's challenge for victory

CRICKET / India v England, third Test: The destiny of the final Test and with it the series was hanging in the balance this morning. After a day of attrition England, unable to release the tourniquet applied by Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, spent more than 77 overs in scoring a further 160 runs before they were all out for 191.

India, set 313 to win and with what amounted to eight overs plus a full day to get them, managed 18 for the loss of the makeshift opener Irfan Pathan.

England knew last night all the laws of logic dictated their position was unassailable. Increasingly the pitch was offering help to the spinners, not so much in the form of extravagant turn but with bounce, and there was no sign the swing, orthodox or otherwise, had diminished in the heat.

In Monty Panesar and Shaun Udal England may have a pair of novice spinners but Panesar acquitted himself beyond his experience in the first two Tests. Much also depended on England's seamers who, if they could continue to operate as a unit, would provide more of a test for batsmen who are second to none in their skill against the turning ball.

There was already some disruption to India's order in that Virender Sehwag, their pyrotechnic opener, had spent the bulk of the England innings in the dressingroom suffering from a bad back and would not be able to come in until the fall of the fifth wicket. It posed a problem of who should open with Wasim Jaffer. Pathan was given the job and after he had dragged Jimmy Anderson's full toss on to his stumps he was succeeded by a nightwatchman in Kumble.

Dravid, it will have been reasoned, was too valuable to expose to the new ball, with the additional consideration that the fall of another wicket would have got Sachin Tendulkar, injured shoulder or not, back to the crease.

Although England set out with the best of intentions yesterday morning - see out the first session, rattle along in the second and have an hour and a half bowling - their tactics were dictated by the quality of the bowling coming at them. There was no lack of urgency on the tourists' part but, pinned down by Harbhajan and Kumble, the opportunity to break out was rarely there.

In fact when England did attempt to advance at more than a shuffle they survived only through the benevolence once more of the fielding, which should be given charitable status - although the run-out of Owais Shah by Tendulkar was a smart enough piece of work and both spinners were to take stunning return catches to see off Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood.

It was against this background Andy Flintoff, whose captaincy this series - with the exception of the final session in Nagpur, where India ambushed England - has been first rate, raised his game yet again. The Lancastrian has already demonstrated in this series his capacity to play spin has been transformed, but now, reined in perhaps by an escape when Mahendra Singh Dhoni failed to stump him when he had 14, he showed commendable patience and application. By the time he waltzed down the pitch to Kumble and was stumped, he had spent three hours over 50 runs, with six fours and a six.

It was a means to an end. His sixth-wicket stand with Collingwood, hugely determined over his 32 runs, added 66 in 32 overs, an alliance which may just have tipped the balance England's way. Had they attempted things beyond their capability England's attempt to level the series might have foundered, leaving India fewer runs and more time in which to get them. They should not be criticised for ensuring the security of their situation.

SCOREBOARD

THIRD TEST (Fourth Day)

Overnight: India 279 (M S Dhoni 64, R Dravid 52; J M Anderson 4-40). England 400 (A J Strauss 128, O A Shah 88, A Flintoff 50; S Sreesanth 4-70) and 31-2.

ENGLAND SECOND INNINGS

O A Shah run out 38

S D Udal c Jaffer b Pathan 14

K P Pietersen c & b Kumble 7

P D Collingwood c & b Harbhajan Singh 32

A Flintoff st Dhoni b Kumble 50

G O Jones c Pathan b Harbhajan Singh 3

M J Hoggard lbw b Kumble 6

J M Anderson c Dravid b Kumble 6

M S Panesar not out 0

Extras lb9 w4 nb10 pens 0 23

Total (92.4 overs) 191

Fall: 1-9 2-21 3-61 4-73 5-85 6-151 7-157 8-183 9-188. Bowling: Pathan 13 2 24 1 M M Patel 13 2 39 1 Sreesanth 13 3 30 1 Kumble 30.4 13 49 4 Harbhajan Singh 23 9 40 2

INDIA SECOND INNINGS

(Close)

W Jaffer not out 4

I K Pathan b Anderson 6

A Kumble not out 8

Extras pens 0 0

Total 1 wkt (8 overs) 18

Fall: 1-6 To Bat: V Sehwag, R Dravid, S R Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, M S Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, S Sreesanth, M M Patel. Bowling: Hoggard 4 1 7 0, Anderson 3 1 9 1, Panesar 1 0 2 0.