England opening pair hit 195 runs

Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook put on a partnership of nearly 200 runs for England on the first day of the second Ashes Test at Lords. Captain Strauss went on to get 22 boundaries for a total of 161 not out, while Cook fell just short of a century, getting caught out lbw from a Mitchell Johnson delivery on 95. England's decent early performance was challenged later in the day as the Australians began to mount an offence in the afternoon, with Ravi Bopara, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Matt Prior and Andrew Flintoff all dismissed before the close of play. Nathan Hauritz and Mitchell Johnson both picked up a brace of wickets, although the former was removed from the game after dislocating his finger while going for a caught-and-bowled opportunity.The home side finished on 364-6 and bookmakers are finding it hard to choose a second Test winner between the two, with Stan James(Go to Stan James ») offering odds of 10/3 for both teams. A draw is available at 8/13 with Blue Square(Go to Blue Square »).

Written By:- Francis (About our Authors)
Posted on:- 17/07/2009 - 12:00 PM
Filed in:- Cricket Betting News