England skip net practice, discuss strategy for fifth ODI

Bhubaneswar, Nov 25 (UNI) With the series already out of their reach, the England team today skipped net practice at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack and preferred to hold a team meeting here focussing on strategies to be adopted for the fifth ODI against India tomorrow.

The visitors did not explain why they cancelled the practice session, but batsman Owais Shah told mediapersons here that the team discussed the performances of the last few games in which it did not fare well.

He said it was time for the top order to come good and also added that the bowlers must use yorkers and slower ones to salvage some prestige.

''We need to do some basics right and the top order has to fire,'' he said while talking to newspersons at the hotel. ''The emphasis would be on the top order,'' he said adding it was essential for England team to adopt the skill for wickets in the sub-continent.

According to Shah, the Indian bowlers have used the yorker and slower deliveries to a great success.The English blowers should also follow the same procedure.

On the Bangalore run chase, he said it was a T20 type of game, adding,''we could have achieved the target but we did fall short by 18 to 20 runs.'' To a question, Shah opined that the Duckworth Lewis system needed a re-look by the ICC as India had the advantage of 18 overs of power play over England.

Praising Yuvraj Singh's batting, he said,''Yuvraj is in fine nick and has already two centuries in the series.His batting confidence has filtered to his bowling too.'' Asked whether the team had any strategy against Yuvraj, the England batsman said,''we need to outdo and outmanoeuvre him.'' UNI DP SJC AB PM1945