England Lions feast on stingless Indian bowling

England Lions proved that India’s impotent bowling attack has neither the zing nor the sting as the three-day warm up cricket match between them petered out into a drab draw

England Lions proved that India’s impotent bowling attack has neither the zing nor the sting as the three-day warm up cricket match between them petered out into a drab draw here today.

Chasing an improbable 258 runs in the last hour, the Indians reached 91 for one in their second innings. At draw of stumps on the final day, Wasim Jaffer was not out on 22 while Yuvraj Singh was batting on six.

Dinesh Kaarthick (51) was the lone Indian wicket to fall after he had scored a scintillating half-century off just 45 balls, stroking eight boundaries. He fell to leg spinner Adil Rashid as he charged down to play a shot but hit it straight to Ravi Bopara at short covers.

But overall, this was a lamentable performance by the Indian bowling attack, which could not bowl out the hosts even once in the match.

Delhi pacer Ishant Sharma cut a sorry figure. Apart from going wicketless in the match, the lanky bowler bowled a staggering 27 no balls in the match, including 15 in the first innings.

Rahul Dravid’s men take on England in the first Test starting at Lord’s on Thursday.

SCOREBOARD

ENGLAND Lions (1st innings): 413/8

Indians (1st innings): 383

England Lions (2nd innings): A Strauss b Powar 80, J Denly c Jaffer b Zaheer 18, O Shah not out 77, J Trott not out 31.

Extras (b5, lb1, w1, nb14): 21;

Total (For 2 wkts decl, 59 overs) 227.

Fall of wickets: 1-60, 2-140

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Bowling: Zaheer 8-1-36-1, Srees-anth 9-0-37-0, Ishant 9-0-44-0, Powar 13-2-49-1, Ganguly 8-1-20-0, Yuvraj 8-2-16-0, Kaarthick 4-0-19-0.

Indians (2nd innings): D Kaa-rthick c Bopara b Rashid 51, W Jaffer not out 22, Yuvraj Singh not out 6; Extras (b4, lb6, w1, nb1): 12;

Total (for 1 wkts, 20 overs) 91.