Thursday, June 14, 2007

Buoyant England plan swing attack

Mathew HoggardFOURTH NPOWER TEST, RIVERSIDE:
England v West Indies
Play starts Friday 1100 BST
Live Scores-England Vs WestIndies 4th Test will be exclusively available here:)
Matthew Hoggard and Ryan Sidebottom could be the key figures for England in the fourth Test against West Indies.

Although Steve Harmison will be looking to shine on his home ground at the Riverside, skipper Michael Vaughan expects swing to be a vital weapon.

Hoggard is fit again following a groin strain and eager to join forces with former Yorkshire team-mate Sidebottom.

"If we can get the ball swinging, which it tends to do here, we can really put them under pressure," said Vaughan.

Dreadful weather in the north-east kept the players confined to indoor nets on Thursday, and the forecast for Friday is very poor.

But from then on, brighter conditions are expected.

England hold a winning 2-0 lead in the series after coming out on top by 60 runs and the return of Hoggard - a "beautiful bowler of a swinging ball", according to Vaughan - for local boy Liam Plunkett will be the only change.

Hoggard, 30, and Sidebottom, 29, shared 53 wickets when Yorkshire won the County Championship in 2001.

And Hoggard said: "Ryan's done really well - it will be rolling back the years.

"It's a while since I've opened the bowling with him, but we enjoyed it last time we did it and I'm sure we'll enjoy it this time."

Vaughan expects England to be stronger after a tough match in the third Test.

"They fought very hard, but we got asked a lot of questions and answered them in the right manner. It got a little bit tight at the end and your team definitely grows quicker when you win a game like that," he said.

England's main concern is the form of opener Andrew Strauss, who some felt was lucky to be given another chance after averaging 15 in the series so far.

"It's just not happening [for him] at the minute, and when you go through spells like this as a batsman, you've just got to dig in there, keep believing, keep going through your routines, and it will change.

"He got two decent deliveries at Old Trafford , swinging back into the left-hander, pretty quick deliveries as well, but I'm sure there's score around the corner," Vaughan told BBC Sport.

The England skipper has urged spinner Monty Panesar, man of the match at Old Trafford with 10 wickets, to carry on appealing with as much enthusiasm as ever.

Words were exchanged between the Northants slow bowler and umpire Aleem Dar - and the same umpire is on duty at Chester-le-Street.

But Vaughan said: "We all love Monty Panesar - he appeals, he celebrates with a high-five, he misses the odd high-five and he's brilliant for the game.

"We don't want that taken away. He's entertaining a lot of people - let him continue."

West Indies, meanwhile, are hoping fast bowler Fidel Edwards can raise his game another level after some promising signs that his pace and bounce can upset England's batsmen.

Edwards played his first Test of the series at Old Trafford, and though he is unlikely to get the same response from the surface at the Riverside, coach David Moore remains confident.

"Fidel came in and bowled on a wicket that was hard and had a lot of bounce. He'd been short of top-quality cricket, so he needed some time to find his feet."

But skipper Daren Ganga was less impressive, with scores of five and nought, falling early to Steve Harmison both times.

Moore said: "Daren's an excellent tactician and excellent captain.

"Unfortunately we haven't seen the best of his batting yet, but over the last six to eight months he's been averaging 40-plus, so I'm hoping his batting will come good for us."

Ganga, meanwhile, urged his team to maintain self-belief despite not winning any of their last 19 Tests.

He said: "It's very difficult for young players coming into a team that is not winning and having to put in a big effort time and time again and getting nothing at the end of it.

"We all have to ensure we have the right work ethic and believe strongly that we are going to win."

This is the third Test - and biggest to date - to be staged at the Riverside, after easy wins for England against Zimbabwe in 2003 and Bangladesh two years later.


England (from): Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Michael Vaughan (capt), Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell, Matthew Prior (wk), Stephen Harmison, Ryan Sidebottom, Matthew Hoggard, Monty Panesar, James Anderson.

West Indies (from): Chris Gayle, Daren Ganga (capt), Devon Smith, Runako Morton, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Darren Sammy, Jerome Taylor, Fidel Edwards, Corey Collymore, Daren Powell Umpires: Billy Bowden (NZL) and Aleem Dar (PAK). TV umpire: Nigel Llong (ENG). Match referee: Alan Hurst (AUS)

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