News & Neuigkeiten » balance out at Talladega.Brad Kes

Just for little while, it seemed the almost impossible was becoming the merely unlikely.As Alastair Cook and Haseeb Hameed resisted for 50 overs, it seemed England really might be able to defy India in the sort of conditions English players grow up to fear. The last 10 overs - and most of all, that last ball - were a harsh way to wake from the dream.This has been an odd game. Whatever happens on the final day - and victory for India remains highly likely - England will leave Visakhapatnam encouraged by their performance. There seems every chance that this will turn out to be that most British of things: a heartening defeat. Really, it might be the most heartening defeat for years.Why? Because theyve proved (to themselves as much as any of us watching) that they can compete in such conditions. Theyve shown that they have the character and skill to cope with losing the toss and playing against good bowlers in turning conditions. And, just as importantly, theyve shown they can claw their way back into games from unpromising situations. You could make a strong argument that they have had the best of days three and four. Its just the damage inflicted on days one and two was too deep.They have learned several useful lessons, too. They have learned, or been reminded, they cannot afford even half a bad session in such circumstances. So the loss of their first five first-innings wicket before the end of the second evening - a couple of them to somewhat soft strokes - was a setback from which they have never been allowed to recover. The footwork has to be more certain; the techniques more solid. They cannot afford a bad hour here.And, while there are no easy answers to dealing with Virat Kohli - he has looked magnificent in this series - England will reflect on the chance he offered when on 56 in the first innings and know that, had they been better organised and had a better fielder than Adil Rashid in position for the hook trap, the whole complexion of this game might have been different. It was a fleeing moment, certainly, but that may well prove to be as good an opportunity as England find in this series. If they are going to win, they have to seize such moments.They may rue the tenth-wicket stand of 42 they conceded on Sunday, too. A target of 363 in 160 overs would, perhaps, have been scarcely less daunting in practical terms. But in terms of morale? Final-wicket stands drain and dispirit like little else. While England hardly bowled a poor delivery in the first 100 minutes or so of the day, when they took six for 64, they may reflect that, just for a few minutes, they then allowed their concentration to drift and were punished for it.Generally, though, since Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes resumed on the third morning, there has been much to admire about this England performance. Stuart Broad has never bowled better in India, Rashid has never bowled better in Test cricket and, for all the praise lavished upon Indias spinners, Rashid and Moeen Ali have better bowling averages and strike rates than R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja at this stage in the series.But perhaps it was the performance of Hameed that provided most cause for encouragement. For the second Test in succession, Hameed demonstrated a calm temperament in an unhurried display that belied his 19-years. It took an almost impossible ball, one that kept horribly low, to dismiss him.These were desperately tough circumstances for Hameed. On a pitch offering turn and, most pertinently, variable bounce, he was tested in just about every way a batsman can be tested. Indias seamers examined his discomfort against the short ball and Indias spinners examined his ability to play the turning ball.His struggles against short-pitched bowlingt will have had fast bowlers around the world taking note. Whatever he achieves in the next few weeks, it is inevitable now that Hameed will be on the receiving end of many bouncers when he comes up against West Indies, South Africa and Australia. And they will almost always be directed at him on quicker, livelier tracks than this.There was talk of this potential weakness before he arrived in India. He was troubled by Surreys fast bowlers (Stuart Meaker and Mark Footitt) in the English summer and by Taskin Ahmed in Bangladesh.Here he was struck on the hand by the first delivery he faced - he later received treatment on his little finger, but the England camp played down any serious damage - after taking his eye off a fine, head-high bouncer from Mohammed Shami and took two more deliveries in the rib area. He wore a chest guard in this innings, but he may have a bruise or two for the rest of this week.But, whether he had been hit or not, he was right back in line for the next delivery. And whether hit or not, he was right forward to the next delivery as required. Theres no question of courage with Hameed, he is just learning to deal with that line of attack. The challenge confronting him might be compared to that confronting Ben Stokes and spin. Stokes overcame that challenge; how Hameed manages may well define how far he progresses in international cricket.There were, in all, nine deliveries that might reasonably be described as bouncers directed at Hameed. While his inclination seems to be to sway out of the way, he also ducked once and played the ball from in front of his face straight into the ground on other occasions. Short-leg was never in business and the two men out for the hook seemed utterly redundant. It was painful, but he survived.The manner in which he dealt with spin was even more impressive. Having been dismissed in Rajkot by Ashwin bowling around the wicket, he has resolved to watch the ball harder and be even more precise in his foot movement. He leaves the ball well outside off stump and gets further forward than most to smother the spin.While other batsmen - and not just young batsmen - might have become uncomfortable with the slow rate of scoring, Hameed looked supremely unworried. And while other batsmen might have allowed the match situation to play on their mind, Hameed seemed to enjoy the prospect of five sessions of crease occupation. Where else would he rather be?Every day, in every way (it was Hameed who was most insistent that England should utilise their review which resulted in KL Rahul being given out) he seems to be growing more comfortable with this level and the environment of the England team. This was a terrifically tough day and he came through it bruised but unbowed. It was another step forward in his development.It is for such reasons that, whatever happens on Monday, England will leave Visakhapatnam with spirits and heads high. They are learning and improving all the time. Emmitt Thomas Jersey . Soukalova missed only one target and completed the 15-kilometre course in 40 minutes, 32.6 seconds for both victories in this seasons individual discipline. Darya Domracheva of Belarus was second, 34. 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Drivers still in contention for the Chase for the Sprint Cup probably dont want to see the hand theyve been dealt for the race Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway.They know that unless they have won either of the first two races of the quarterfinal round of 12 -- Jimmie Johnson won Charlotte, Kevin Harvick won Kansas -- they have no guarantees and dont necessarily control their own destinies to keep from being among the four eliminated.A win Sunday automatically advances a driver to the semifinal round of eight. The four winless drivers lowest in points dont advance.With drivers needing to rely on others for a good push and not to make a mistake to cause a big crash, drivers have less control on their ultimate finishes at Talladega than any other Chase race.But drivers who have had two good races in the round have at least some room to survive bad fortune.This is how the race Sunday stacks up:Matt Kenseth (third on Chase grid)Points: 29 points ahead of eighth/ninthClinch if he finishes: 28thOutlook: Only once in his past 10 Talladega races has Kenseth finished worse than 30th. His worst finish this year in restrictor-plate races was 28th. That would get him in. Hes in good shape.Kyle Busch (fourth)Points: 27 points ahead of eighth/ninthClinch if he finishes: 26thOutlook: Busch can look at recent restrictor-plate races -- a third and a pair of seconds -- and feel good. He can look at 2014 when he had what seemed like a comfortable 25-point cushion on eighth but then was tagged by Austin Dillon while riding around in the back and got eliminated. He probably cant forget 2014 -- he recently mentioned that he still hasnt gotten an apology from Dillon -- and has to be nervous.Carl Edwards (fifth)Points: 24 points ahead of eighth/ninthClinch if he finishes: 23rdOutlook: Edwards will want to make moves to run well and make sure he doesnt get involved in anyones mess -- or create a mess as he did in May. If he resists and just stays in a line, he might be better off.Kurt Busch (sixth)Points: 17 points ahead of eighth/ninthClinch if he finishes: 16thOutlook: He has battled his way to his Chase finishes, earning a finish either as good or better than his cars at the start of the race. The good thing for Busch is that he doesnt have any teammates on this list, so he could have lots oof help and get the push he needs to get into the Chase.ddddddddddddMartin Truex Jr. (seventh)Points: 13 points ahead of eighth/ninthClinch if he finishes: 12thOutlook: Truex nearly won the Daytona 500. But just as Busch has the benefit of having all his teammates focused on him getting into the Chase, Truex might not get as much help when it comes to the final laps at Talladega as all five Toyota drivers look to advance.Joey Logano (eighth)Points: 0 points ahead of ninth, 13 points behind seventhClinch if he finishes: Second if winner is not Dillon, Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, ElliottOutlook: Logano is the defending winner of the Talladega fall race, so he knows he can win it. But last year, he had no pressure having won the previous two races. This time, he has all the pressure.Austin Dillon (ninth)Points: 0 points behind eighth, 13 points behind seventhClinch if he finishes:?Second if winner is not Logano, Hamlin, Keselowski, ElliottOutlook: He has top-10s in all three restrictor-plate races this year. If he earns another top-10, he will have a decent shot, assuming another one of the Chase drivers gets involved in the big one.Denny Hamlin (10th)Points: Six points behind eighth, 19 points behind seventhClinch if he finishes: FirstOutlook: Hamlin won the Daytona 500. Unfortunately, that car is still at Daytona as part of the track tour. Bitten by mechanical issues in the opening two Chase races of this round, Hamlin hopes the scales of racing luck balance out at Talladega.Brad Keselowski (11th)Points: Seven points behind eighth, 20 points behind seventhClinch if he finishes: FirstOutlook: Keselowski has won the last two restrictor-plate races. In 2014, he won in a must-win situation at Talladega. The law of averages would say he wont repeat that again. But the law of averages hasnt caught up with Harvick as far as clutch performances, and Keselowski can be just as clutch.Chase Elliott (12th)Points: 25 points behind eighth, 38 points behind seventhClinch if he finishes: FirstOutlook: Elliott needs to either win or run well and have lots of help. There would be no better time for him to earn his first win. He finished fifth at Talladega in May. ' ' '