Cricket: Furious Foster sends stumps flying
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Essex. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37-1
NEIL FOSTER, once of England and very much of Essex, is certain to be reported to the Test and County Cricket Board after kicking two stumps out of the ground at the end of a frustrating 67th over here yesterday.
Barrie Meyer, the senior umpire, said later that he was not allowed to comment, but Foster was clearly guilty of showing dissent and bringing the game into disrepute. Essex will probably fine him to pre-empt the Board.
Foster, in his moment of pique, was relieving the feelings of the entire team, for the champions endured an emotive day. Neil Fairbrother chose to bat on a morning of high humidity after the outfield had sustained several thunderstorms overnight. The ball must have been expected to seam and swing.
But Essex did not bowl well, Foster and Steve Andrew apart, firing down far too many half-volleys outside the off-stump. Worse, five catches, possibly more, were decked: Nick Speak was dropped at 41 and 51 off Foster and Mark Ilott; Mike Watkinson was dropped on 20, off Foster; Phillip DeFreitas was dropped at seven off Foster and at 33 off Ilott.
In addition, Foster saw at least three chances off his bowling hit the grass inches from a clutching hand. When, in that 67th over, he saw Watkinson and DeFreitas both escape, his notoriously fragile gasket blew; he marched back to the bowler's end and, under umpire Meyer's nose, kicked out two stumps.
In mitigation, it should be said that his sense of guilt was immediately apparent. He helped Meyer replace the stumps and before the next over, had words with his captain, Graham Gooch, who, in the changeover at the end of the over, had missed the explosion.
Lancashire's batting was all flash and dash, runs flowing bountifully, and it was left to Steve Andrew to finish with a career-best 7 for 47, leaving an England observer, Philip Sharpe, not much the wiser. Foster was 0 for 77, Ilott 3 for 79, Peter Such 0 for 41. Fairbrother, the captain, savaged England's new senior spinner, Such, for four sixes, his 63 runs coming off 70 balls.
Speak, caught behind on 99, deserved his century, but he has yet to find last summer's form. There are times when he stands up straight to drive off the back foot, we see a glimpse of Greg Chappell; there are also times when he looks distinctly uncomfortable against the rising ball.
Batting in poor light, Essex lost John Stephenson padding up.
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