da spicy bet： England’s Andrew Caddick and Darren Gough must now be among the most devastating opening partnerships in world cricket
CricInfo20-May-2001England’s Andrew Caddick and Darren Gough must now be among the most devastating opening partnerships in world cricket.After the innings defeat of Pakistan, the pair could be entitled to put their feet up after uprooting 16 batsmen between them.The visitors simply had no answer to the different styles of the two pacemen. Caddick, tall and angular with an action that owes not a little to Sir Richard Hadlee, found bounce and movement off the wicket, while Gough, pitching the ball up further than his opening partner, was more reliant on speed and swing.The Yorkshireman, who took his 200th wicket during the game, was delighted to pick up his first five-wicket return at headquarters and so get his name on the Lord’s honours board.”The main one was to get up on the board. I knew I had only one ballto do it because Caddy was on at the other end, and I’m sure he would havestopped me again.”That five means more to me than 200 wickets – that’s on the board and thereforever. I’d have got the 200 at some stage.”I expected us to bowl them out, whether we made them follow on I didn’tknow. Once we made them follow on it was a case of just keeping going, but ithelps when you knock the first two over early.”It was a great atmosphere. Lately we’ve started to play well at Lord’s andthe crowd have got behind us.”We are playing well, we are on top of our game and we got the result. Soonenough we’ll be playing the best side in the world in Australia.”What the public wants is to see us compete with Australia. The people willbe happy if they see England fighting in a competitive close series.”Caddick added: “The two of us use the new ball well because we capitalise ontaking early wickets, that helps. You’ve got to make the most of it and it seemsthat in the last 18 months, myself and Darren have made the most of the new ballcombination.”This win was very crucial for us; the batters did their job in getting 391after being put in, and the bowlers had to do ours, and in the end we did oursas well.”Central contracts have allowed us to have the rest periods we need. If wecan keep on this roller-coaster and keep going I think it’s a better learning curve than losing and trying to come back from it. We’ve done the job and the basics well in this Test.”Captain Nasser Hussain could only watch the drama from the dressing room balcony where he was nursing his fractured thumb but he was quick to pay tribute to his pacemen’s heroics.He said: “A lot of things went our way today; the catching was phenomenal,Caddick’s spell, Gough’s spell.”Gough and Caddick are a pleasure to captain and their attitude is great.”But Hussain threw in a word of caution. “Pakistan at Old Trafford will be a different side, the wicket there will suit them more than it suited them here. They will be a real contest.”The aim for us now is those five days because we want to win five series ina row.”