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England in draw shock
Wisden CricInfo staff - December 11, 2001
England have drawn their first match in over a year. Their last draw came thirteen matches ago, against Pakistan at Faisalabad in November 2000. Since then, they recorded a famous victory in the Karachi twilight, won 2-1 in Sri Lanka, drew 1-1 at home with Pakistan, then lost 1-4 to the Australians before going down by 10 wickets in last week's Test at Mohali. Their record in that period - played 12, won 5, lost 7.
Ashley Giles became the first England spinner to take the new ball since Peter Such in 1993. Such opened the bowling with Martin Bicknell against Australia at Edgbaston. The last English spinner to open up overseas was another left-armer, Phil Edmonds, who shared the new ball with Norman Cowans against India at Bombay in 1984-85.
Anil Kumble took 3 for 118 in the second innings, giving him 10 for 233 in the match. It is his fourth Test ten-for in his 65th Test.
In five Tests against England at home, Kumble has now taken 39 wickets at an average of 20.05. In four Tests in England he has taken eight wickets at 63.
Mark Butcher and Nasser Hussain's partnership of 112 is a new second-wicket record for Tests at Ahmedabad. The previous-best was 83, added by Navjot Sidhu and Vinod Kambli for India against Sri Lanka in 1993-94.
Butcher scored two fifties in a Test for the first time. This is his 34th match.
Nasser Hussain's 50 was his 19th half-century in Tests and the fifth in his last six Tests. Before that Hussain had passed 50 only twice in 14 Tests. He is playing in his 65th match.
Giles took 5 for 67, his best Test figures, surpassing the 5 for 75 he took against Pakistan in the second Test at Faisalabad in 2000-01. He has now taken 29 of his 31 Test wickets in the subcontinent. This was Giles's second five-for; he is playing in his ninth Test.
Sachin Tendulkar's 103 was his 27th Test hundred, moving him up to joint-third on the all-time list alongside Allan Border and Steve Waugh. Only Don Bradman (29) and Sunil Gavaskar (34) have made more. Tendulkar is playing in his 88th Test.
The partnership of 118 between Tendulkar and VVS Laxman is a record for the fifth-wicket at Ahmedabad. The previous-best was 70, by Stephen Fleming and Nathan Astle for New Zealand against India in 1999-2000.
Laxman and Virender Sehwag added 37 for the sixth wicket, a record for Tests at Ahmedabad - not that that says very much. The previous-best was 34, added by Mohammad Azharuddin and Kapil Dev against Sri Lanka in 1993-94.
Craig White scored his maiden Test century, in his 23rd Test. His previous highest had been 93, against Pakistan at Lahore in 2000-01. His century is the first by an England No. 7 since Jack Russell made 124, also against India, at Lord's in 1996, 63 matches ago.
The seventh-wicket partnership of 105 between White and James Foster was the highest by England in India, breaking the record of 100 set by David Gower and Phil Edmonds at Kanpur in 1984-85.
Kumble took 7 for 115, the 18th five-for of his Test career and the third time he has taken seven or more wickets in an innings. He took 7 for 59 in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Lucknow in 1993-94 and, more famously, 10 for 74 against Pakistan in the second Test at Delhi in 1998-99.
Of those 18 five-fors, only four have come overseas; and of his best 15 analyses in Tests, 14 have been taken in India. In four and a half Tests against England at home, Kumble has now taken 36 wickets at an average of 18.44. In four Tests in England he has taken eight wickets at 63.
Kumble's figures are the fourth best by an Indian in home Tests against England. Vinoo Mankad, with 8 for 55 at Chennai in 1951-52, heads the list.
England's total of 407 was only the second time in almost ten years that they had exceeded 400 batting first in an overseas Test. The other instance was against Pakistan at Lahore last winter, when they made 480 for 8 declared. Before that, the last case was against New Zealand at Christchurch in 1991-92, when they made 580 for 8 declared.
England's 407 is the highest innings total in a Test at Ahmedabad. The previous best was 395 by Pakistan in 1986-87.
Marcus Trescothick became the 62nd person, and the 13th Englishman, to be dismissed for 99 in a Test. The last Englishman to be out for 99 was Mike Atherton, against South Africa in the 2nd Test at Headingley in 1994, although Alex Tudor was 99 not out in the first Test against New Zealand at Edgbaston in 1999.
Butcher's first innings 51 was only his second score of 50 or more in overseas Tests. The other was 116, made in the first Test against Australia at Brisbane in 1998-99. Butcher is playing in his 15th overseas Test, and this was his 28th innings.
With Graham Thorpe (70 caps) returning home for personal reasons, England are fielding what is believed to be their most inexperienced side since 1993. This side shared 217 caps before the match - the team that played in the third Test against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1993 (Lathwell, Atherton, Stewart, Smith, Gooch, Thorpe, Hussain, Caddick, Ilott, McCague and Such) took the field with 205 between them. Incidentally, that match was also Thorpe's debut.
This is also believed to be England's greenest side in an overseas Test since the trip to West Indies in 1989-90. In the fourth Test of that tour, in Barbados, the team (Stewart, Larkins, Bailey, Lamb, Smith, Hussain, Capel, Russell, DeFreitas, Small, Malcolm) shared 128 caps.
Trescothick and Butcher put on 124 for the first wicket, England's highest opening partnership in India since Graeme Fowler and Tim Robinson managed 156 at Kanpur in 1984-85. The partnership fell seven runs short of the first-wicket record at Ahmedabad, 131 by New Zealand's Gary Stead and Matt Horne in 1999-2000.
Nasser Hussain won the toss in a Test match for the first time in over a year. He last won at Lahore in November 2000, 11 matches ago.
Indian captain Sourav Ganguly is playing in his 50th Test.
© Wisden CricInfo Ltd
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