England 69-2 vs. India at Trent Bridge

NOTTINGHAM, England (AP)—England recovered from the loss of two early wickets on Friday to reach 69-2 at lunch on day one of the second test against India at Trent Bridge.

England captain Andrew Strauss reached 29 not out while Kevin Pietersen is unbeaten on 26 after the hosts lost Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott early.

India had reduced England to 23-2 in the first hour, after Ishant Sharma (1-16) dismissed Cook lbw for 2 and Sreesanth (1-23) had Trott caught by VVS Laxman for 4.

The tourists won the toss and chose to bowl, with the ball expected to swing in the overcast conditions.

The controversy over India’s refusal to allow the Decision Review System to be used for lbw calls in this series was also reignited.

In the fifth over Praveen Kumar was denied the wicket of Alastair Cook when he hit him on the pad, but an over later Cook was given lbw to Ishant Sharma.

Replays suggested that both decisions were marginally incorrect, although there was no argument over Trott’s departure, in Sreesanth’s first over.

Trott made just four runs before he edged Sreesanth to Laxman at third slip.

Batting looked difficult, until Kevin Pietersen swatted fours from successive Sreesanth balls.

Pietersen then survived an appeal for lbw from Kumar, to a ball that would have clipped the bails, a decision that so angered Kumar he had to be ushered away from umpire Marais Erasmus by his teammates.