England's fiery four Set to trouble India

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England's fiery four Set to trouble India

Pitched By Subhangi Sinha

Friday, 14 November 2008

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FUNNY how both times Australia faced the bad side of a series outcome, it was the opposing team's seamers who were going great guns. In India, it was the pair of Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan that bought the mighty to their knees. In 2005, it was the quartet of Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison, Matthew Hoggard and Simon Jones that won English the Ashes.

It wasn't just that series which they won for their team. Prior to the Ashes, England had demolished the West Indies in their own back yard 4- 1 in the Test series that even had the likes of Mick Jagger dancing in the stands during the Port- of- Spain Test. Suddenly, the team that everyone banished as hopeless suddenly reclaimed its lost glory, courtesy a great pace attack.

They may have not been as ferocious during the India tour in 2005 but they did make sure that the series was levelled and talk to anyone on that tour and the name Flintoff rushes to mind and the famous Test match at Mumbai.

A lot has happened since then.

The quartet was disbanded, broken and all of its members at some point were in a rut thanks to injury, bad behaviour or pathetic form.

Harmison got injured, lost his confidence went out of the side.

Flintoff lost his temper, more times than once and then became the scapegoat of the Ashes disaster in 2006. Hoggard and Jones succumbed to one injury after another and slowly gave way for other players.

England are back in town and this time they have bought two of their ‘ Fab Four’ who have shown in the series against South Africa that their career's sunset hasn't arrived as people claimed.

And this time, along with Harmison and Flintoff, the English have brought James Anderson, Ryan Sidebottom and Stuart Broad, all whom India should not take lightly.

“ They are a great attack. I think this is going to be a good series. I'm not saying that India should be worried but yes the likes of Flintoff are always good to have in your team. On paper it looks like a great attack,” former captain Dilip Vengsarkar told MAIL TODAY , who has probably been one of India's best batsmen against England.

It seems that England's fortune tend to change whenever they get a new skipper and especially when their pacers are doing a great job. One saw how good form returned to Harmison and Flintoff during the South Africa ODI series that handed the Proteas the drubbing of a lifetime.

This just shows that England's good form has always been directly proportional to the form of their pacers. In the series where they lost 5- 1 to India, the visiting English side actually had a very weak and inexperienced pace attack.

However, this time the Indians may just have to face some stiff bowling that could turn fortunes in the visitors' favour.

“ We do have a well balanced attack this time round. The bowlers have been in great touch and we hope that they deliver the goods when the time is right,” said England skipper Kevin Pietersen.

He knows that while his batters Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell, Matt Prior himself and Flintoff would be the deciding factors of the series, one can't rule out the necessity of having a good pace attack.

The White West Indian, as Harmison was fondly called during his days of destruction, took a small break from the nets and bowled a couple of deliveries on the wicket prepared for Friday's game.

On half a run- up with almost one- third of the speed, he still got the ball to bounce, swing and skid. Chances are that the team winning Friday's toss will bowl first and if Harmison can repeat this ball, India may be looking at tough times.

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Yogendra - Funny Article

|2008-11-14 14:18:37

Take a World tour. I guess you poms are noting but day dreamers. SA was caught
on wrong foot in the 4-0 loss to Eng. But English pace attack is nothing. Only
Flintoff is OK. He looks good because rest of the English attack is pathetic. I
looking forward to 7-0 loss to India in ODI and 2-0 loss in Test.

I dare you to
drop me a mail after series. Dont get too drunk, there is no escape for the
mauling English team is going to get.