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| December 22, 2001 | Saturday | Shawwal 6, 1422 |
Hoggard happy to find swing
BANGALORE, Dec 21: England fast bowler Matthew Hoggard, who grabbed three middle-order Indian wickets on the third day of the final Test on Friday, said he was happy to find the ball swinging at last in the series.
“There was a bit of a carry, a bit of swing,” Hoggard told a news conference on a rain-marred day when he dismissed Rahul Dravid, skipper Saurav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag.
“It’s taken two Test matches and 60 overs to find some swing,” added Hoggard, who gave away 65 runs for his scalps.
“When the ball is swinging it’s a different ball game.”
Thanks to his effort, India, in reply to England’s 336, slumped to 218 for seven at the premature close.
The Bangalore pitch was billed as one for spinners, but both teams found their pacemen doing better in the first three days while the weather has been mostly overcast.
“When the ball is swinging, the weather is helpful,” Hoggard said of the conditions.
He said after six indifferent overs, he found his bowling rhythm on Friday, and now looked forward to getting India on the mat for a winning chance in the two remaining days.
“If we get quick wickets, you can see Indians under pressure.”
Besides the see-saw fortunes of the game, batsman Sachin Tendulkar and England skipper Nasser Hussain were involved in an on-field row on Thursday over left-arm spinner Ashley Giles, who annoyed Tendulkar by bowling consistently around the legs.
Match referee Denis Lindsay issued a terse warning to both the teams asking them to play the game the right spirit, holding the captains responsible for team behaviour.
Asked if Hussain had spoken to the team on this, Hoggard said: “It only took two seconds and it was dismissed.”—Reuters
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