Not an ideal start for England, says Tredwell

New Delhi, Jan 8 (IANS) England off-spinner James Tredwell Tuesday said two successive defeats in the warm-up matches for the ODI series against India were not an ideal start to their tour.

England, who returned home after winning the Test series, lost to Delhi by five wickets at the Ferozeshah Kotla here Tuesday. Their first loss came against India A Sunday.

“It is certainly not an ideal start. We have not been able to execute our plans. The result in the practice matches is irrelevant but we would have definitely wanted to start off on a positive note,” Tredwell told reporters after the five wicket loss to Delhi.

Talking more about the performance in the two games, he said: “We have not been able to find the right lengths. Batting wise, we did well today. The batsmen spent time in the middle so that is a good thing.”

Ian Bell (108) scored a hundred while Alastair Cook, Eoin Morgan and Craig Kieswetter too showed good form with the bat as England made 294 for five.

The ODI series starts in Rajkot Friday and Tredwell said the team was looking forward to playing in warmer conditions.

“It has been pretty chilly here. So it would be nice to play in a warmer place. But at the end of the day, we need to execute our plans on the field,” said Tredwell, who took two wickets in the game.

IANS 2013-01-08 20:48:05