Liam gives England sight of rare victory
LIAM PLUNKETT might prove to be England’s saviour as they gave themselves a shot at a long overdue Test victory.
Plunkett’s maiden Test 50 against India at Lord’s helped England to 319 all out early on day three.
Then, after the hosts had eked out a 24-run lead in this second Investec Test, their pace-bowling all-rounder took two big wickets in two balls.
India eventually closed on 169 for four thanks to an ultra-patient fourhour half- century from opener Murali Vijay (59no).
But England should still have a feasible chase over the final two days in pursuit of a first win in 10 Tests.
Their bowlers made precious little progress between late morning and early evening, with only the wicket of Shikhar Dhawan in 43 overs.
Plunkett then not only broke a second-wicket stand of 78, by having Pujara caught-behind, but put himself on a Test hat- trick for the third time this summer.
He did so by bagging another prize victim too, as Virat Kohli left a delivery which kept coming up the slope and hit the top of off-stump.
But the hat-trick proved beyond Plunkett, just like it had twice against Sri Lanka last month.
When Stuart Broad had firstinnings centurion Ajinkya Rahane controversially caught- behind shortly after – not for the first time already this summer, DRS would have aided India – England had taken three wickets for five runs.
Plunkett ( 55no) had already made a telling contribution with a 75-ball half-century.
He and Matt Prior defied the best overhead bowling conditions of the match, completing a very handy 51-run stand.
But Ben Stokes continued his unenviable sequence of three successive ducks for England.
Broad then counted four between gully and and point first ball but edged his second delivery to Dhawan at slip as Kumar took his fifth and sixth wickets in the same over.
The nagging seamer’s instant follow- up was a perfect way to celebrate his place on the Lord’s honours board, but he got no change out of number 11 James Anderson.
He stuck around to make 19 of the 39 he and Plunkett added for the last wicket this time.
Only Dhawan succumbed for India in the afternoon - caught by Joe Root, but his opening partner Murali Vijay was notably unhurried.
He needed 57 deliveries before he hit his first boundary, and Pujara was characteristically studied too.
Their slow grind was a frustrating one for England, though - until Plunkett’s sudden intervention.
Broad then found enough bounce to hit Rahane on the arm- guard. Umpire Bruce Oxenford presumably concluding the noise was bat handle as he gave the batsman out after Prior made a low gather.
But Vijay completed his painstaking 162- ball 50 with successive boundaries off Anderson in an unbroken stand of 46 with a very determined Mahendra Singh Dhoni.