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Go to the Bermuda news section for snippets of new from BermudaEngland (286-8) beat Bermuda (45) by 241 runs
If the pitch
here at Arnos Vale is typical of the surfaces for this World Cup, England
better come up with an imaginative plan to play the slow bowlers after an
18-stone Bermudan policeman caused their middle order to suffer rigor mortis
after imparting some classy left-arm spin.
Dwayne Leverock is a decent tweaker, but England, who won their warm-up
game here by 241 runs after Bermuda's batting imploded for 45 all out, will
meet better over the coming weeks. They will meet more too, once teams see
how hamstrung all but Jamie Dalrymple were in coping with the turning ball
on a slow pitch.
Dalrymple made 76 from 79 balls, though he might have gone
on 19 when a ball from Leverock appeared to brush the wristband of his glove
after he mistimed a reverse sweep. The ball popped up in front of the stumps,
but so did Dalrymple, unintentionally impeding the wicketkeeper, Dean Minors,
as he tried to take the catch. Fortunately for England, Bermuda did not
appeal or even make a fuss so the umpires were never called upon to make
a decision on whether the batsman had obstructed the field.
The inability to cope with spinners getting the ball to grip has been a perennial one-day
problem for England's batsmen. Some, like Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff,
are gung-ho and look for boundaries, while others just sit on the splice
and hope to attack the bowlers at the other end.
Happily for England, Bermuda
did not have very much to support Leverock, who dismissed Paul Collingwood
and Pietersen in successive overs, but other teams will have. Some, like
Michael Vaughan and Ed Joyce, never faced the spinners at all, though with
a distinct lack of pace coming from opening bowlers Kevin Hurdle and Saleem
Mukuddem, it was only a matter of degree. Certainly Joyce seemed to be done
in the flight after being yorked by Hurdle, while Vaughan, having spanked
successive fours off the same bowler, was caught by David Hemp at square
leg. It is the fourth time Vaughan has been caught between there and midwicket
since his return to England colours. On this occasion it was a pull shot
that proved his undoing. Apart from the off drive, it is about the only
big shot Vaughan has, which is probably why he insists on playing it.
More
pleasing for him and his team is that he appeared to move freely during
his innings and the 10 overs he spent in the field while Bermuda batted.
A cold compress was applied to his left hamstring 10 minutes after his knock
but the team's physiotherapist, Dean Conway, insisted it was routine.
Ian
Bell looked in good touch and was four runs short of his fifty when he was
caught by Bermuda's captain, Irving Romaine, at mid-wicket. It was a smart
diving catch off a full-blooded pull shot, but it gave Romaine blurred vision
for the rest of the day after his head struck the ground, a problem that
left him unable to bat.
When England defended their 286, the gap between
the sides (Leverock excepted) widened to a yawning chasm. The slowness of
the pitch should have benefited the minnows, but lack of discipline and
obvious nerves caused wickets to fall with unedifying speed. For some reason
the International Cricket Council think mismatches like this are good for
the game. Sides such as Bermuda need to be encouraged, but humiliation on
this scale is for masochists. It is also difficult to see what England gleaned
from it save a warning that their batsmen need to sharpen up against spin.
All six bowlers used by England took wickets with Jon Lewis, himself returning
from ankle injury, returning an impressive three for seven off four overs.
One of his victims, opening bowler Mukuddem, froze as he watched the ball
on to his stumps seemingly unable to bring the bat down. Never have batsmen
been more compliant and England's bowlers will do well to measure their
progress in Friday's game here against Australia, rather than by this meaningless
slaughter.