Weather closes in to deny England likely win

Cricket/First Test:India escaped defeat in the first Test by the skin of their teeth, thanks to the wild weather that tickled and teased them before arriving from the southeast around teatime and to an uncharacteristically restrained and unbeaten innings of 76 from Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Over the three-and-a-half hours he was at the crease, female Indian hearts will have been throbbing like diesel engines. Three-and-a-half hours! In that time Dhoni can get from Chandigarh to Delhi on his motorbike.

By the time the light closed in and the drizzle began to drip, England, whittling away at the Indian batting order since the start, had got themselves within one wicket of a win that would have put them one up in the three-match series.

But with the sky deepening ever more to pewter and the scoreboard lights piercing the gloom, Michael Vaughan had already been forced, with two wickets yet to get, to abandon a pace attack armed with a second new ball still only 10 overs old.

Instead he had to resort to his own prim off-spin from the Pavilion End and - with a dash of JM Barrie - the faithful Monty Panesar from the Nursery.

Panesar managed to induce a stroke so rash from RP Singh that it would have had the batsman reaching for a double dose of antihistamine, but that was all England could manage.

The umpires, Steve Bucknor and Simon Taufel, had little option but to take the players from the field, ostensibly for an early tea. Despite the promise of a restart, the rain made itself comfortable and the match was abandoned as a draw at 6.20pm.

India were 282 for nine, 98 shy of a win of their own.

As the England players prowled the dressing-room, watching the rain, there will have been grumbled, hard-luck discussion of two decisions they will feel cost them the win, and not a mention of swings, roundabouts and things evening themselves up.

Dhoni had made 28 when James Anderson, enjoying a resurgent match, whistled one through that appeared to feather the outside edge of the bat and clip Dhoni's right elbow before ending up in Matthew Prior's gloves. England's appeal, full of conviction (not always the case from any side these days), was greeted with indifference by Taufel, who simply shook his head, and outrage by Dhoni, who rubbed his elbow vigorously.

If it did touch his bat, and numerous replays suggest it may have done, it was a really hard decision to make and a forgivable one to get wrong.

The lbw turned down by Bucknor only 11 deliveries before the end was more regrettable.

This was a match where the fingers of the umpires had been raised with the regularity of two men outbidding each other in a charity auction. Once, 15 years ago in Port of Spain, Bucknor had been standing, in the unlikely company of Dickie Bird, when 17 lbws were awarded to West Indies and Pakistan for a Test record that still stands.

Fourteen were already in the book from this game, equalling the record for England, given at The Oval in 2000 when England met West Indies.

Now Panesar pitched one to the right-handed Sreesanth on or around middle stump, whereupon it gripped and straightened.

Sreesanth and India can count themselves fortunate to have survived.

Lord's Scoreboard

Overnight: England 298(A Strauss 96, M Vaughan 79) and 282(K Pietersen 134; R Singh 5-59, Z Khan 4-79). India 201(W Jaffer 58; J Anderson 5-42, R Sidebottom 4-65) and 137-3(K D Karthik 56 not out).

INDIA - Second Innings

W Jafferc Pietersen b Anderson 8

K D Karthikc Collingwood b Anderson 60

R Dravidlbw b Tremlett 9

S R Tendulkarlbw b Panesar 16

S C Gangulylbw b Sidebottom 40

V V S Laxmanb Tremlett 39

M S Dhoninot out 76

A Kumblelbw b Sidebottom 3

Z Khanc Prior b Tremlett 0

R P Singhb Panesar 2

S Sreesanthnot out 4

Extras(b13 lb5 w6 nb1) 25

Total(9 wkts, 96 overs) ... 282

Fall of wickets:1-38, 2-55, 3-84, 4-143, 5-145, 6-231, 7-247, 8-254, 9-263.

Bowling:Sidebottom 19-4-42-2, Anderson 25-4-83-2, Tremlett 21-5-52-3, Panesar 26-7-63-2, Collingwood 1-0-6-0, Vaughan 4-0-18-0.

England drew with India