Shah was very unlucky. Two nurdlers in the top three is ridiculous, even though it worked very well yesterday. Cook and Bell should be competing for one place, and KP should be batting at 3. Let's see how the rest of the series goes, but a really encouraging start.

One of those nurdlers posted 126 runs at more than a run a ball.. and the other scored a century at a strike rate that 10 of the 11 Indian batsmen failed to match!

What was most impressive about Bells batting was that his running between the wickets was actually pretty good .

This was the first time that I've seen Bell bat with that kind of authority for a whole innings (instead of a cameo of 20). If he wants to establish himself in the side he needs to do this more often and start converting his starts into big scores.

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Mark.

Precisely,the thing is they need to start doing it more often,i have no problem having them in the side as long as one of them anchors the innings by making a big score but if they both plod around for 15 overs before getting out it puts pressure on the rest to make up the runs.Hopefully this is the start of a brighter future for the one day side but i am not holding my breath.

Yes, you are quite right. They both did very well. But they should both be in the top three of our ODI side. The fact that they have achieved spledidly in one match does not negate the fact that starting very very slowly and hoping to keep wickets in hand is an outdated and largely ineffective tactic. I'm not talking about throwing the bat at everything, but England should be aiming at between 100-120 in the power-play overs. Sometimes, like on Tuesday, they will be successful, but these performances will be the exception. Look at the world cup if you don't believe me.

You are absolutely right. If England persist with this tactic though, one of them needs to take the initiative early after Prior is dismissed and the other should anchor the innings through. Of course, KP should be batting at 3, and I can't comprehend for the life of me why England are so reluctant to do so.

Because the Ego doesn't want to bat at three. What's the point of wasting our best batsman in a position he's uncomfortable in?

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"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose."
- Ayrton Senna

Maybe it happens gradually. It took time to get him to move from five (where he felt comfotable) to four. KP hasn't always been a batsman; he was a bowler (maybe a bowling all-rounder) when Notts signed him. He first batted at six for Notts and then moved up to five.