India Sealed The ODI Series Against England With 5-0 Whitewash

 

 

 

India beat England by 95-runs in the fifth One-Day International in Kolkata,thanks to spinners Ravi Jadeja who took four wickets and  Ashwin took three.

Earlier,Mahendra Singh Dhoni hammered belligerent 75 not out,hitting three fours and four sixes.England has not been able to dismiss him once from the last six matches.Ajinkya Rahane (42), Gautam Gambhir (38), Manoj Tiwary (24) and Suresh Raina (38) all contributed well.India made 271 for 8.

Samit Patel took three wickets for 57 by dismissing Jadeja, Kumar and Ashwin.

From England,openers Alastair Cook (60) and Kieswetter (63) were the top scorers.Cook hit eight fours while Kieswetter hit nine fours and one six.Other English batsmen could not contribute much with a bat.

World champions India moved to third place in the ICC ODI rankings.

INDIA BEAT ENGLAND BY 6 WICKETS IN 4TH ODI

 

 

Virat Kohli's unbeaten 86 and Raina’s swashbuckling 80 in 62 balls steered India to a victory by six wickets over England in the fourth One-Day International in Mumbai. India took a 4-0 lead in the series.Earlier,India also had a bad start of their innings,as they lost three wickets for 46.

Ravichandran Ashwin and Varun Aaron both took three wickets as England were bowled out for 220 after winning the toss.Tim Bresnan who was the top scorer with 45.Craig Kieswetter (29), Jonathan Trott (39) and Kevin Pietersen (41) could not play long innings,after losing four wickets cheaply.

India Clinched The ODI Series Over England

 

 

India registered a five-wicket win over England in the third One-Day International in Mohali to take the unbeatable 3-0 series lead,thanks to 91 from Ajinkya Rahane and 58 from Gautam Gambhir. With seven needed from the final over chasing a testing target of 299,Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit Tim Bresnan for two fours from the first two balls to guide India to a victory.

Earlier,Jonathan Trott's 98 not out as well as half-centuries from Kevin Pietersen (64) and Samit Patel (70 not out) provided England the platform to put up a mammoth total of 298 for four but India.

India Beat England By 8 wickets In The 2nd ODI

 

                         

India registered an emphatic eight-wicket victory over England with the help of Kohli’s Century-his seventh ODI century in Delhi in the second One-Day International in Delhi.Gautam Gambhir played a crucial knock of an unbeaten 84 in 90 balls.He hit ten fours in his innings while Kohli hit 16 fours.India also had a poor start as openers Parthiv Patel (12) and Ajinkya Rahane (14) fell to Tim Bresnan.

Earlier,England won the toss and chose to bat first.Alastair Cook and Craig Kieswetter were sent to the pavilion by Vinay Kumar with 1 run on board.Jonathan Trott made 34 runs before he edged to Mahendra Singh Dhoni bowled by Vinay Kumar.Kevin Pietersen (46), Ravi Bopara (36), Samit Patel (42) and Jonathan Bairstow (36) also contributed well with the bat.India bowled England out for 237.

India crushed England in the First ODI

 

 

 

 

India beat England by 126 runs in the first One-Day International in Hyderabad with the help of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s swashbuckling 87 not out in 70 balls.He struck ten fours and one six in his 64th ODI half-century. Raina smacked an explosive 61 in 55 balls.

Earlier while batting first,India lost four wickets for 123 as Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli failed to convert their good start of their innings into big scores.

England were bowled out for 174 in reply to India’s mountainous 300 for seven from their 50 overs thanks to spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin took three wickets apiece.

England began poorly, losing Kieswetter (7) to a catch at the wicket and Pietersen to a run out by Ashwin for 19.Only Alastair Cook stood firm at one end and batted nicely to make 60 in 63 with seven fours.But at the other end wickets were falling at regular intervals. 

England Tour of India 2011 Schedule

England team will travel to India for five match ODI series and one twenty20 internationals.   India v England complete Fixtures Series 2011 Fixtures (All timings are mentioned in GMT+05:30) Timing Teams Venue Results Sat 8 Oct 09:30 AM Tour Game - TBC v England Gymkhana Ground, Hyderabad   Tue 11 Oct 09:30 AM Tour Game - TBC v England Gymkhana Ground, Hyderabad   Fri 14 Oct (D/N) 14:30 PM 1st ODI - India v England Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad   Mon 17 Oct (D/N) 14:30 PM 2nd ODI - India v England Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi   Thu 20 Oct (D/N) 14:30 PM 3rd ODI - India v England Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh   Sun 23 Oct (D/N) 14:30 PM 4th ODI - India v England Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai   Tue 25 Oct (D/N) 14:30 PM 5th ODI - India v England Eden Gardens, Kolkata   Sat 29 Oct (D/N) 20:00 PM T20I - India v England Eden Gardens, Kolkata

INDIA’S TOUR OF ENGLAND 2011- SCHEDULE

India will tour England for four match test series, one T20I and five ODIs in July 2011. India is currently holding the number one position in ICC test ranking and recently has won the World Cup.So India would like to continue the winning run.

 

India v England  Series 2011 Fixtures (All timings are mentioned in GMT+05:30)

Timing	Teams	Venue	Results
Fri 15 Jul – Sun 17 Jul 15:30 PM	Tour Game - Somerset v India	County Ground, Taunton
Thu 21 Jul – Mon 25 Jul 15:30 PM	1st Test - India v England	Lord's, London
Fri 29 Jul – Tue 2 Aug 15:30 PM	2nd Test - India v England	Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Fri 5 Aug – Sat 6 Aug 15:30 PM	Tour Game - Northamptonshire v India	County Ground, Northampton
Wed 10 Aug – Sun 14 Aug 15:30 PM	3rd Test - India v England	Edgbaston, Birmingham
Thu 18 Aug – Mon 22 Aug 15:30 PM	4th Test - India v England	Kennington Oval, London
Thu 25 Aug 14:45 PM	Tour Game - Sussex v India	County Ground, Hove
Fri 26 Aug (D/N) 19:00 PM	Tour Game - Kent v India	St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury
Mon 29 Aug 19:00 PM	Tour Game – Leicestershire v India	Grace Road, Leicester
Wed 31 Aug (D/N) 22:30 PM	Only T20I - India v England	Old Trafford, Manchester
Sat 3 Sep 14:45 PM	1st ODI - India v England	Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street
Tue 6 Sep (D/N) 18:30 PM	2nd ODI - India v England	The Rose Bowl, Southampton
Fri 9 Sep (D/N) 18:30 PM	3rd ODI - India v England	Kennington Oval, London
Sun 11 Sep 14:45 PM	4th ODI - India v England	Lord's, London
Fri 16 Sep (D/N) 18:30 PM	5th ODI - India v England	Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

India vs England Full Match Highlights World Cup 2011

AUSTRALIA BEATS ENGLAND BY 39 RUNS IN THE 2ND ODI

 

Mitchell Johnson starred with both bat and ball as Australia beat England by 39 runs in the second one-day international at Lord's here on Sunday.
Victory, achieved with 23 balls to spare, saw world champions Australia go 2-0 up in the seven-match series.
England, chasing 250 for victory, were well-placed at 74 without loss.
But a rapid collapse saw them lose four wickets for 23 runs in 33 balls as they slumped to 97 for four.
Despite the best efforts of Paul Collingwood, last man out for 56, they were unable to retrieve the situation and were dismissed for 210.
Earlier, man-of-the-match Johnson's rapid 43 not out helped boost Australia's total to 249 for eight. He faced just 23 balls, including five fours before taking two wickets for 50 runs.
Together with Nathan Hauritz, he shared an unbroken stand of 41 after Australia were in danger of being bowled out inside their alloted 50 overs.
Callum Ferguson top-scored with 55, his second successive fifty after his man-of-the-match winning 71 not out in Australia's four-run win in Friday's series opener at the Oval.

England were in dire straits at 168 for seven in the 37th over.
They were given hope by a stand of 36 between Collingwood and Graeme Swann.
But the game was up for England when Swann was bowled by Nathan Bracken after an ugly heave across the line.
And, two balls later, 204 for eight became 204 for nine when Bracken bowled tailender Ryan Sidebottom for nought.
Brett Lee finished the match by bowling Collingwood, who faced 84 balls with three fours.
Strauss and fellow opener Ravi Bopara got the chase off to a sound start.

But all-rounder Shane Watson, the fifth bowler brought on by Michael Clarke, separated the pair when, with his fifth ball, he had Bopara lbw for 27.
Watson then made it two wickets for no runs in four balls when Matt Prior was caught behind to leave England 76 for two in the 17th over.
Strauss, his concentration perhaps broken by a fly-past by a World War II Lancaster bomber, marking the 65th anniversary of Lord's reverting back to a cricket ground from a Royal Air Force (RAF) recruiting centre, fell next.
His innings of 47, off just 53 balls with six fours, ended in tame fashion when he chipped a gentle return catch to off-spinner Hauritz.
England's decline then continued when Owais Shah was run out after a wretched mix-up with Collingwood.
Luke Wright fought back with 20 at better than a run-a-ball before he was caught behind, off Lee.

After Strauss won the toss, Ferguson's innings helped Australia recover from losing three wickets for 11 runs as they declined from 62 without loss to 73 for three, with the deceptively quick Wright striking twice.
Cameron White, who also made a fifty on Friday, and Ferguson staunched the flow of wickets with a stand of 69.
Their partnership ended when occasional medium-pacer Bopara struck first ball with White, trying to run the ball to third man, caught behind for 42.
And Australia were 155 for five when off-spinner Swann bowled Michael Hussey with a ball that turned past the left-hander's outside edge.
Ferguson's 58-ball innings, featuring five fours, ended when he was bowled hitting across the line by Anderson. That gave the Lancashire quick his first wicket in five international matches.
This series continues with Wednesday's day/night fixture at the Rose Bowl.

ENGLAND WINS ASHES

 

England has regained the Ashes from Australia by hammering them in the fifth and the final test match at the Oval. England needed to win the game to win the urn, whereas a draw would have sufficed for Australia, but the hosts required only four days to hand over a 197-run drubbing to the Aussies.
The Aussies looked like they were making a match out of it when they reached 80/0 overnight, but two quick wickets in the first one hour put paid to any hopes that existed. Ricky Ponting was then joined by Michael Hussey as the duo added more than hundred runs to bring the Australian hopes back. Ponting scored a half century and Hussey followed up with his, soon after that, but the captain was then run-out from a direct throw by Andrew Flintoff to let the English team back into the reckoning.

Michael Clarke’s amazing run in the series ended with a duck when he was run-out in a manner akin to Jonathon Trott’s dismissal in the first innings, and Marcus North departed soon after to leave the Aussies with nothing much to play with.

Hussey did get to his century and broke his long rut of form that had seen his average plummet like anything in the last one year or so, but the remaining batsmen collapsed under sustained pressure from Graeme Swann and the others to hand the Ashes back to England.

Stuart Broad’s spell had seen the English garner a 160-odd run lead in the first innings and that won him the man-of-the-match award, whereas Strauss and Clarke shared the man-of-the-series.

AUS LEVELS THE ASHES SERIES BY CRUSHING ENGLAND IN 4TH TEST

 

 

 

Australia thrashed England by an innings and 80 runs as they won the fourth Test at Headingley here on Sunday inside three days to level the series at 1-1 and revive their bid to retain the Ashes.
The result left the Ashes all square ahead of the fifth and final Test at The Oval starting on August 20.
England, who resumed Sunday in the dire position of 82 for five in their second innings, still 261 runs behind Australia's first innings 445 and facing the prospect of a record-breaking home defeat, were bowled out for 263.
Stuart Broad (61) and Graeme Swann (62) delayed the seemingly inevitable with an eighth-wicket stand of 108 off 79 balls that delighted home fans after the pair had come together with England on 120 for seven,
At lunch, England were 245 for eight, 98 behind, with Swann 56 not out and Stephen Harmison six not out.
But soon after the break Swann on 62, one shy of his Test-best score, was caught behind off left-arm quick Mitchell Johnson, who took five wickets for 69 runs in the innings.
Johnson then wrapped up the match in the sixth over after lunch when he clean bowled last man Graham Onions for nought.

England started the day with nightwatchman James Anderson unbeaten on nought and wicket-keeper Matthew Prior four not out.
Anderson, off Sunday's second ball, extended his world record for most consecutive Test innings without a duck to 54 thanks to a square cut four off Ben Hilfenhaus for four.
But next ball he edged to Ponting at second slip.
Prior offered brief resistance before he too fell to Hilfenhaus, for 22, well caught one-handed by diving wicket-keeper Brad Haddin to leave England 120 for seven.
Pace bowler Broad, who took a Test-best six for 91 on Saturday, was given a life on 18 when Peter Siddle at mid-off dropped a difficult chance, running back, off left-arm quick Mitchell Johnson.
Broad's four off Stuart Clark ensured England would not suffer Sunday a record home Test defeat by Australia to top their innings and 180 run loss at Trent Bridge in 1989.
Driving strongly, left-hand bat Broad struck four fours off one Clark over as he and Swann posted a fifty stand in 51 balls.
Broad then went to his fifth Test fifty in style with an off-drive off Siddle that rocketed through mid-off to the boundary, the 23-year-old reaching landmark in 78 balls with eight fours.

Broad could have gone on 53 when a drive off Siddle saw Johnson, back-pedalling at long-off, drop the difficult chance and knock the ball over the boundary for four and on 57 he was missed at long leg by Simon Katich.
He eventually holed out off Siddle to Shane Watson in the deep having faced 48 balls with 10 fours.
But Swann hooked Siddle for six to bring up his fifty in just 53 balls with 10 fours.
Siddle whose first six overs this innings on Saturday yielded just four runs, conceded 46 in his six overs before lunch on Sunday.
England, without injured stars Andrew Flintoff - the inspiration behind their 115-run second Test win at Lord's - and Kevin Pietersen, were on the backfoot after collapsing to 102 all out on Friday's first day.
Clark took three wickets for 18 runs on his return to international cricket and Siddle a Test-best five for 21.
Australia, in reply, were 151 for four, just 49 runs ahead, before a stand of 152 between Marcus North, whose 110 was his second century of the series, and vice-captain Michael Clarke (93) all but doubled the score.
England slumped for the second time Saturday, in a match where top-order batsmen Ravi Bopara, Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood managed just 16 runs between them, losing five wickets for 20 runs in 44 balls.

Final scoreboard on the third day of the fourth Ashes Test:
England 1st Innings 102 (P Siddle 5-21, S Clark 3-18)
Australia 1st Innings 445 (M North 110, M Clarke 93, R Ponting 78, S Watson 51; S Broad 6-91)
England 2nd Innings (overnight: 82-5)

A. Strauss
lbw b Hilfenhaus
32

A. Cook
c Haddin b Johnson
30

R. Bopara
lbw b Hilfenhaus
0

I. Bell
c Ponting b Johnson
3

P. Collingwood
lbw b Johnson
4

J. Anderson
c Ponting b Hilfenhaus
4

M. Prior
c Haddin b Hilfenhaus
22

S. Broad
c Watson b Siddle
61

G. Swann
c Haddin b Johnson
62

S. Harmison
not out
19

G. Onions
b Johnson
0

Extras
(b5, lb5, w5, nb11)
26

Total
(all out, 61.3 overs, 292 mins)
263

Fall of wickets: 1-58 (Strauss), 2-58 (Bopara), 3-67 (Bell), 4-74 (Collingwood), 5-78 (Cook), 6-86 (Anderson), 7-120 (Prior), 8-228 (Broad), 9-259 (Swann), 10-263 (Onions)
Bowling:

Hilfenhaus
19-2-60-4 (9nb)

Siddle
12-2-50-1 (1nb, 5w)

Clark
11-1-74-0 (1nb)

Johnson
19.3-3-69-5

Result: Australia won by innings and 80 runs

Andrew Flintoff’s good bye to test cricket

One of England’s best all-rounders of all times and certainly the best at the current moment, Andrew Flintoff, has decided to hang his boots from international test match cricket. However, he has said that he will continue playing in the other formats of the game; the ODIs and the T20Is. He has announced that the last four games in the Ashes will be his final swansong, and that he will play through pain if necessary.
Flintoff’s decision comes a couple of days after he was diagnosed with another problem with the knee because of which he was deemed to undergo a fitness test for the second Ashes test match at Lord’s. This was in continuation to his previous injuries to his ankle and to the same knee, which had seen him feature in only three games of the Indian Premier League and miss the ICC World T20 competition. He had also been ruled out of the test series against West Indies, but had regained the fitness for the Ashes.

However, even as England battled to save the game, Flintoff felt recurring pain on the same knee and had to take injections for soreness and swelling. In the press conference, he said that he took this (four ankle operations and a knee surgery) as a signal from his body to stop playing the longer format of the game.

His captain, Andrew Strauss was obviously disappointed, but he also said that he expected the move to come in sooner than later. He praised the Lancastrian by saying that Flintoff has had a very positive effect on English cricket as a whole and the statistics do not paint the whole picture.

 

It was true that Flintoff had been going through quite a lot in terms of his fitness and the five-day format. 

Clearly, this is a worrying trend in which there will be an increasing number of cricketers wanting to take the cricket’s VRS and get into the various leagues full time, thus depriving the international cricket of stars; something that the fans look forward to.

FLINTOFF LEADS ENGLAND TO VICTORY

 

 

 

Andrew Flintoff took five wickets as England finally ended their 75-year wait for an Ashes victory at Lord's with a 115-run win over Australia on the final day of the second Test here on Monday.
Victory saw England take a 1-0 lead in the five-Test series having clung on for a draw in Cardiff.
Australia set a mammoth 522 to win - a target that had they achieved it would have surpassed the fourth innings Test world record victory total of 418 for seven made by the West Indies against Australia in Antigua in 2002/03 - were bowled out for 406 shortly before lunch on the fifth day.
Fast bowler Flintoff, who before this match announced he would retire from Test cricket at the end of this series, took five wickets for 92 runs in 27 overs, including three for 43 in 10 overs Monday.
It was only the third time in the 31-year-old all-rounder's 77-Test career he'd taken five wickets in a Test innings.

Off-spinner Graeme Swann provided good support with four for 87.
Michael Clarke did his best to deny England with a superb innings of 136 but ultimately could not prevent the hosts beating Australia in a Test at Lord's for the first time since 1934, when they won by an innings and 38 runs. 

Australia resumed on 313 for five, 209 runs adrift of their target, with Clarke 125 not out and Brad Haddin 80 not out.
But starting again is never easy and they were unable to add to a stand worth 185 with Haddin out for his overnight score.
Haddin edged the 10th ball of the morning, fast bowler Flintoff's fourth, straight to Paul Collingwood who took a good low catch at second slip.
Flintoff was now fired up and hit Clarke on the head with a bouncer, as the batsman took his eye off the ball, before beating him on the outside edge.

New batsman Mitchell Johnson was fortunate on four, after being completely deceived by a Flintoff slower ball that struck him on the pad, that veteran umpire Rudi Koertzen, standing in his 100th Test, had correctly called no-ball.
But it was Swann who, with his second ball Monday, took the wicket England craved when he beat Clarke in the air as the batsman went down the pitch and bowled him off-stump to end the Australia vice-captain's innings of more than five hours.
Flintoff then bowled Nathan Hauritz for one as the batsman shouldered arms and Australia were 363 for eight.
Flintoff, the star of England's 2005 Ashes series win, though then completed only the third five-wicket haul of his Test career when he bowled Peter Siddle, and celebrated by going down on one knee with his arms outstretched after leaving his side on the brink of victory.
Fast bowler Johnson, who'd struggled with the ball, defied England with a 62-ball fifty.
But Swann, who dropped a difficult caught and bowled chance off Johnson, bowled him for 63 to seal England's victory.

Australia tour of England – the Ashes, 2009

 

 

Australia will tour England for Ashes series in June 2009 after twenty20 World Cup event. Australia will have a very long tour including five test match, eights one day internationals and two twenty20 internationals.

Australia Vs England Schedule (All timing are mentioned in GMT+05:30)

Wed 24 Jun – Sat 27 Jun

15:30 PM

Australia v Sussex

County Ground, Hove

Wed 1 Jul – Sat 4 Jul

15:30 PM

Australia v England Lions

County Ground, New Road, Worcester

Wed 8 Jul – Sun 12 Jul

15:30 PM

1^st Test - Australia v England

Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Thu 16 Jul - Mon 20 Jul

15:30 PM

2^nd Test - Australia v England

Lord's, London

Fri 24 Jul – Sun 26 Jul

15:30 PM

Australia v Northamptonshire

County Ground, Northampton

Thu 30 Jul – Mon 3 Aug

15:30 PM

3^rd Test - Australia v England

Edgbaston, Birmingham

Fri 7 Aug – Tue 11 Aug

15:30 PM

4^th Test - Australia v England

Headingley, Leeds

Sat 15 Aug – Sun 16 Aug

15:30 PM

Kent v Australia

St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury

Thu 20 Aug – Mon 24 Aug

15:30 PM

5^th Test - Australia v England

Kennington Oval, London

Fri 28 Aug

15:15 PM

Only ODI - Australia v Scotland

Grange Cricket Club Ground, Raeburn Place, Edinburgh

Sun 30 Aug

19:30 PM

1^st T20I – Australia v England

Old Trafford, Manchester

Tue 1 Sep (D/N)

23:30 PM

2^nd T20I – Australia v England

Old Trafford, Manchester

Fri 4 Sep (D/N)

19:00 PM

1^st ODI – Australia v England

Kennington Oval, London

Sun 6 Sep

15:15 PM

2^nd ODI – Australia v England

Lord's, London

Wed 9 Sep (D/N)

19:00 PM

3^rd ODI – Australia v England

The Rose Bowl, Southampton

Sat 12 Sep

15:15 PM

4^th ODI – Australia v England

Lord's, London

Tue 15 Sep (D/N)

19:00 PM

5^th ODI – Australia v England

Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Thu 17 Sep (D/N)

19:00 PM

6^th ODI – Australia v England

Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Sun 20 Sep

15:15 PM

7^th ODI – Australia v England

Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street

WEST INDIES ENDS ENGLAND’S HOPES OF REACHING INTO SEMI-FINAL

England suffered another Oval heartbreak against West Indies tonight when they slumped to a narrow defeat to miss out on an ICC World Twenty20 semi-final place.

 

Set a revised target of 80 in nine overs after showers delayed West Indies' reply, they reached their victory target with four balls to spare to record their first win over England since arriving here in May.

 

Their victory was achieved with Ramnaresh Sarwan driving Ryan Sidebottom through extra cover for four to complete a match-winning partnership of 37 from 20 balls with Shivnarine Chanderpaul just as England appeared to have gained the momentum.

England's hopes of reaching only their second semi-final since being beaten in the 1992 World Cup final - the Champions Trophy was their only other last-four qualification - had been lifted by their three seamers each claiming a wicket inside the first three overs.

Andre Fletcher was caught behind top-edging an attempted pull off James Anderson, Sidebottom struck in the second over to bowl Chris Gayle with a full-length delivery and Stuart Broad struck with the first ball of the next over with Lendl Simmons being caught at third man.

Spinners Graeme Swann and Adil Rashid, surprisingly preferred to all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas, also claimed a wicket apiece to leave West Indies needing 29 off the final three overs to knock England out of the tournament and march on into the semi-finals.

But the know-how of West Indies' two most experienced batsmen was crucial, with Sarwan hitting two fours from Anderson's next over and Broad was similarly treated in the penultimate over to leave them needing only three from Sidebottom's final over.

Once again England's lack of firepower in the middle order had undermined their innings when they won the toss and reached 161 for six despite again struggling to hit boundaries.

Yesterday, England scored only four boundaries in the final six overs in their victory over India at Lord's, which set up today's shoot-out for a semi-final berth.

When Kevin Pietersen departed in the eighth over, fours and sixes were at a premium and Owais Shah's wristy flick for six off Jerome Taylor at the start of the 11th over was the only boundary recorded until the final two balls of the innings - a gap of 50 deliveries.

Broad ensured England registered a superior total to that of 24 hours earlier by hauling the penultimate ball of the innings through the leg-side for four and then following up by lofting a straight six off giant spinner Sulieman Benn.

Star batsman Pietersen was called to the crease in the second over after opener Luke Wright launched Kieron Pollard high in the air and was caught by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, who sprinted all the way to mid-wicket.

Pietersen signalled his arrival by pulling his first ball for four and followed it with a lap to fine leg off the next delivery and he hit two more boundaries when seamer Taylor was introduced in the fifth over.

West Indies captain Gayle attempted to disrupt the rhythm with numerous bowling changes, with half a dozen bowlers being employed in the first half of the innings.

One of the changes coincided with a breakthrough as Pietersen, whose exquisite timing and placement suggested he was on course for only his third Twenty20 international half-century, top-edged a sweep to deep square-leg off Simmons' medium pace for 31.

Even with Pietersen back on the bench, England should have recorded a far bigger total, with opener Ravi Bopara showing his increasing aptitude for this format with his first Twenty20 international half-century.

Bopara hammered 55 off 47 balls to lay the platform for a late assault but once again the hosts struggled to build on a promising start, although they were not helped when the first of the showers halted play in the 17th over with England on 129 for four.

Their inability to find boundaries once again proved costly, however, and, until Broad's late assault from the final few deliveries, England threatened a far more modest target.

By the time the rain had ceased to allow West Indies' abridged reply, it soon became clear it was a weakness that would end England's interest in the tournament and allow Gayle's unpredictable side to move a step closer to a remarkable World Cup triumph.

2007 T-20 CHAMPIONS ARE OUT OF 2009 T-20 WORLD CUP

England knocked defending champions India out of the World Twenty20 tournament with a nerve-jangling three-run victory at Lord's.

Paul Collingwood's men  could only score 153-7 when asked to bat first, but a superb bowling and fielding effort saw India fall just short.

Despite a fine late stand between skipper MS Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan India fell just three runs short on 150-5 and, after losing their Super Eights opener against West Indies, they now cannot make the semi-finals.

As well as dumping out the defending champions, England kept their campaign alive and they will now face West Indies in 24 hours' time with Monday's clash being a straight shoot-out for a semi-final spot.

After losing Luke Wright in the second over, Kevin Pietersen and Ravi Bopara added 71 before the latter was bowled by 20-year-old spinner Ravi Jadeja for a run-a-ball 27.

Pietersen also fell to Jadeja (2-26), as he was trapped lbw just a ball after clubbing the youngster high into the stands, leaving the hosts on 92-3.

England's innings stalled as a result, with Dimitri Mascarenhas unable to get going after being promoted up the order and sent in at number four, and runs came exclusively in ones ands twos.

Owais Shah perished in the deep for 12 when he finally tried a big shot, and skipper Collingwood went for five in the penultimate over when trying a reverse dab against Zaheer Khan.

Harbhajan Singh then took two wickets in two balls, of James Foster and Graeme Swann, to restrict England to just 153-7, which looked a small target to defend.

The re-called Ryan Sidebottom got an early breakthrough as Rohit Sharma chopped on in the second over for 12, and he then removed Suresh Raina as he finally succumbed to the barrage of short balls by finding Wright out at deep mid-wicket.

Young Jadeja came in at four, but he and Gautam Gambhir struggled to keep up with the asking rate, and when Gambhir went in the 11th over India were on just 62-3.

Danger-man Yuvraj Singh came in and smacked his first ball for six off Swann to signal his intent and also signal that the victory target was still well in sight.

The 14th over proved crucial, as just after Yuvraj had slugged a second six Jadeja tried the same only for Broad to pluck a fine catch out of the air right on the fence.

Three balls later and Yuvraj was heading back to the pavilion for 17 after some excellent work from wicket-keeper Foster, who showed lightning quick hands to stump the Indian after he had over-balanced out of his crease when missing a Swann delivery.

Dhoni and Pathan gave it everything, taking 11 from the 17th and 18th overs to leave 29 from 18 balls to win, and that came down to 19 off the last after Broad had gone for just nine in the penultimate over - although he did fluff a sitter of a run-out chance.

Perhaps showing that the duo should have come in earlier, Pathan hacked a straight six off the fourth ball to leave nine required from two, but Sidebottom came back with a superb Yorker for a single.

Dhoni reached the fence off the last ball but it was too late and champions India saw their title defence end far too prematurely after losing a three-run thriller.

ENGLAND SHOWED A GREAT COMEBACK BY BEATING PAKISTAN

Kevin Pietersen made a timely return from injury to secure England's progress into the next stage of the World Twenty20 tournament following an emphatic win over Pakistan.
The former England captain missed Friday's humiliating defeat by Holland with a recurrence of the Achilles problems which have plagued him since this winter's tour of the Caribbean.
But after passing a strenuous fitness test before the must-win encounter at The Oval, Pietersen hit a match-winning 58 off 38 balls as England bounced back from their opening match embarrassment to secure a 48-run victory.
Tonight's triumph, which was achieved before a 23,000 capacity Oval crowd, guarantees England's progress to the Super Eight stage of the tournament on run-rate regardless of the result between Pakistan and Holland at Lord's on Tuesday.
It was a startling turnaround from the nervous performance they delivered against the Dutch to one with more intent and purpose with England setting a competitive target of 185 for five before restricting Pakistan to 137 for seven.
England's triumph also served to underline just how they depended on Pietersen's firepower if they are to progress further in the event - and the consequences if he suffers another recurrence of his Achilles problems.
Knowing they faced certain elimination if they were beaten, England suffered a shaky start with in-form opener Ravi Bopara brilliantly caught at backward point off the seventh ball of the innings.
It brought Pietersen to the crease earlier than he would have hoped, but in doing so it gave him an opportunity to shape the innings and lay the foundations for their impressive total.
Content at first to allow opener Luke Wright to be the aggressor, which he did impressively during his 34 off 16 balls which included England's first six of the tournament pulled over mid-wicket off 17-year-old left-arm seamer Mohammad Aamir.
Wright became one of two victims for seamer Umar Gul, the leading wicket-taker in Twenty20 international history, when his off-stump was removed with a perfectly-executed yorker.
But his demise merely served to insight Pietersen into one of his most influential innings in this format, dominating a 66-run stand with Owais Shah off only 51 balls and looking nothing like a player seemingly doubtful for the match until minutes before the toss.
England benefited from a slapstick fielding display from Pakistan, which included missing Pietersen on 30 when off-spinner Saeed Ajmal missed a difficult return catch as one of four dropped catches - and a series of fielding errors.
The only time Pakistan, playing at The Oval for the first time since their controversial Test against England in 2006, asserted any control over England's run spree was a four-over spell when Ajmal combined with Shahid Afridi and restricted them to only 24 runs.
Their stand was finally broken once Gul returned to the attack and took out Shah's leg-stump and just as Pietersen looked all set to launch a fierce onslaught in the final overs, he became one of two victims to fall in an over from Ajmal.
Captain Paul Collingwood was caught in the deep attempting to hit down the ground and four balls later, Pietersen finally mis-timed a shot and was caught close to the wicket having hit five fours and three sixes in his display.
It left England without any power-hitters for the final overs, but by then they had already secured a competitive target for Pakistan to chase on a surface favouring spin bowling.
England had responded to what they had seen in the earlier match between Scotland and South Africa by bringing in off-spinner Graeme Swann to partner leg-spinner Adil Rashid and both played their part in preventing Pakistan from keeping up with the required run rate.
Having claimed wickets early during Pakistan's reply with Stuart Broad making amends for his final over horror show against Holland to dismiss Salman Butt and the dangerous Kamran Akmal, they were always struggling to match England's strokeplay.
The key wicket was secured by man of the match Wright, who had hard-hitting Shoaib Malik caught behind as he attempted to force the rate in the 13th over leaving captain Younis Khan with the responsibility of attempting to overhaul England's total with their middle and lower order.
Younis batted superbly to score an unbeaten 46 off 31 balls but the performance of England's spinners swung the match firmly in their direction with Rashid conceding only 24 runs in his four overs while Swann grabbed one for 27 from his spell.
But in the end it was Pietersen's display of brilliance which secured England's progress and they can now look forward to the possibility of facing South Africa, India and Australia - assuming they all qualify - in the next stage.

A HUMILLIATING DEFEAT OF ENGLAND BY HOLLAND IN THE OPENING MATCH OF T-20 WORLD CUP 2009

England faced one of the most humiliating international defeats in their history by losing to minnows Holland in the opening match of the ICC World Twenty20 tournament.

Expected to progress comfortably past the Dutch, who only have 5,000 players in their country, the hosts instead slumped to a four-wicket defeat in steady rain under the lights at Lord's.

It is one of their most shocking defeats since losing by nine runs to Zimbabwe, who were then still an Associate nation, at Albury during the 1992 World Cup, although England had already qualified for the semi-finals by then.

Today's defeat, which was sealed off the last ball when Edgar Schiferli scrambled a two off the last ball after Stuart Broad's throw missed the stumps at the non-striker's end, means England must beat Pakistan at the Oval on Sunday to prevent being knocked out of the tournament just three days into the event.

The tournament had threatened to get off to a damp start with steady rain forcing the organisers to cancel the opening ceremony and delay the start by 20 minutes.

Even England's innings rarely threatened to provide the thrills and spills promised in the brochure after they failed to hit a single six in their innings and added only 22 runs in the final three overs.

But after recording a respectable 162 for six despite their late stutter, England quickly realised the scale of their task and the tournament sprang to life with Holland's stunning triumph.

They celebrated by running to the corner of Lord's where their fans were most populated and slid on the turf in a football-style celebration while England's shattered players made their way to the Lord's dressing rooms.

There was no hint of the drama to come when England, put into bat, began their innings and Ravi Bopara and Luke Wright once again laid the foundations for a far bigger total with a 102-run stand off 73 balls.

It was England's highest ever opening stand in a Twenty20 international from the 12th pair they have tried in just 16 matches and seemed to hint at a comfortable victory for the hosts.

Instead of build on that foundation, though, England stuttered and struggled to overcome the absence of Kevin Pietersen with a recurrence of his Achilles problems.

Having forged a stunning 119-run stand in the warm-up match against West Indies, England's openers took that form into this match and at the halfway stage they were looking at a massive total on 89 without loss.

But Bopara holed out to long on to begin a collapse of five wickets for 51 runs in 7.3 overs including Wright in identical fashion for a superb 71 off 49 balls in the 18th over, prompting a sluggish finale when England were only able to score one four in the final three overs and were unable to hit a boundary off the final 17 balls.

It was a scrappy finish which backfired badly on England later in the evening when the Dutch completed one of the greatest shocks in recent years to leave the hosts scrambling to maintain an interest in their own tournament.

Straight away, Holland made their mark with opener and part-time debt collector Darron Reekers achieving what no England player had done by launching two sixes in the first three overs of the innings.

England had begun brightly with James Anderson striking with the fifth ball of the innings to remove Alexei Kervezee and Broad having Reekers caught in the deep in the fourth over.

But it was the innings of middle order batsman Tom de Grooth which gave Holland the self-belief that they could spring a surprise in the opening match, who particularly took a liking to young leg spinner Adil Rashid after he was surprisingly preferred to Graeme Swann.

He lashed 49 off 30 balls, adding 50 off just 30 balls with Bas Zuiderent, to leave Holland needing an achievable 47 from the final seven overs after driving Paul Collingwood to mid off.

Peter Borren picked up the mantle and hammered 30 off 25 balls, including a slog sweep for six off Collingwood, to take Holland even closer to their dramatic victory when he was also caught in the deep to become the second of three victims for Anderson.

Perhaps the moment which turned the match in Holland's favour, though, was in the penultimate over when Essex all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate was dropped by Anderson at full stretch on the cover boundary and allowed the ball to trickle for four.

It left Holland needing 12 runs off nine balls to finish and when Broad began the final over, the target was seven to complete a stunning triumph.

England thought the game had turned back in their favour when Schiferli seemed to have been run out attempting a quick single when Broad collected and threw down the stumps, but television evidence proved he had broken them with his hand before the ball.

It was the reprieve which Holland wanted and, needing two for victory, Schiferli pushed the final ball back down the pitch and Broad collected again but his throw missed the stumps and allowed Holland to seal victory from an overthrow.

ENGLAND BEAT WEST INDIES IN THE DECIDER

England beat West Indies by 26 runs to win the fifth and final one-day international here on Friday and clinch the series 3-2.
Andrew Flintoff grabbed a hat-trick as West Indies, , were bowled out for 146, with an over to spare, chasing 173 to win in a game reduced to 29 overs a side after rain had delayed the start at the Beausejour stadium.
It was England's first limited overs series win in the Caribbean. 

England reached 172 for five in 29 overs in the rain-reduced match before Flintoff picked up five for 19 as the West Indies were bowled out 146 in reply with England bowling and fielding superbly.

Kevin Pietersen (48) and Ravi Bopara (44) top scored while an unbroken half-century partnership between Paul Collingwood and Matthew Prior, including 23 runs from two batting Power Play overs, helped the tourists put a competitive total on the board.

Rain prevented the match starting on time and after England were put into bat, they lost captain Andrew Strauss early when he was caught at square leg by Dwayne Bravo trying to pull Ravi Rampaul for three.

Fortunately for England, Bopara and Pietersen were not about to throw their wickets away and they added 80 with some sumptuous strokes, Bopara hitting two sixes and Pietersen one. Pietersen was dismissed when he cut Sulieman Benn to Darren Sammy, who at first glance appeared to have taken a sharp catch but replays suggested that he dived over the ball as it bounced, surfacing, so to speak, with it in his hands.

Bopara was then caught by Denesh Ramdin when he tried to slog Kieron Pollard and his departure was the catalyst for a mini-collapse as Owais Shah (6) and Andrew Flintoff (3) fell in quick succession as with pace taken off the ball, England lost four wickets for 24 runs.

Collingwood, unbeaten on 35 and Prior, not out on 25, rescued them with some hard hitting at the death, Collingwood clubbing two fours and a six.

Pollard closed with two for 31, Benn with two for 23, also picking up his 50th wicket in One Day cricket when he had Shah caught by Lendl Simmons at long-on.

England started their quest for an elusive series victory in perfect fashion when James Anderson had Chris Gayle caught at second slip by Andrew Flintoff as he followed up a wide with a ball that Gayle had to play at just outside off stump.
Ramnaresh Sarwan played some delightful strokes, driving and pulling Stuart Broad for boundaries and flicking Anderson for another four, effectively hiting both out of the attack before he tried to cut Flintoff and only succeeded in edging to wicket-keeper Prior for 23 in 28 balls.

Lendl Simmons (17) followed soon after when he also tried to take Flintoff on, spooning the ball up to Broad at mid-on.
Just as West Indies' slower bowlers had brought them back into the contest, so England's medium pacers Dimitri Mascarenhas and Collingwood stemmed the flow of runs and although Shivnarine Chanderpaul (13) connected with a pull stroke off the former that raced to the fence, the same shot off the latter brought a top edge and simple catch for substitute fielder Ian Bell at square leg.

Bravo had earlier smashed Mascarenhas over long-off for a maximum in brutal fashion and after Chanderpaul's dismissal, Pollard put Collingwood over long-on for six as the West Indies showed signs of fighting back.

This attack continued during their two overs of batting Power Play when Bravo smashed Flintoff for four and Pollard hammered Broad for another six, this one over cover, but the bowler came back strongly to have Bravo (33) caught at cover point by Flintoff. Pollard's six had brought up the half-century partnership, but England ended the Power Play back in the driving seat.

It left them five down and needing 49 to win in 30 balls and that became six down with 29 balls when Pollard (30) tried a straight hit off of James Anderson. Instead of clearing the ropes for a third time, he was well taken by Collignwood running in from long-on and in two balls, the danger men were both gone.
With no time to play themselves in, it was down to Ramdin (12) and Sammy to pull off something special. Ramdin pulled Broad for four to leave the home side needing 38 to win from 18 balls. A flying edge from Ramdin to third man off of Flintoff gave the crowd hope but it was the England fans shouting one ball later when Ramdin played on trying to flick to fine leg.

Ravi Rampaul strode to the crease with a big smile on his face but left almost immediately when Flintoff had him trapped in front with a full toss for a golden duck, and that was the cue for both the locals to start pouring out of the ground and for Flintoff to york Benn to complete the hat-trick.

He almost emulated Lasith Malinga's four in four but Fidel Edwards was able to dig out another searing yorker and Flintoff had to be content with career-best figures and joining team-mates Anderson and Steve Harmison in taking ODI hat-tricks for England.
The match ended in high farce when Sammy decided to try and run two to long-off, was run out by yards and England celebrated a first ever ODI series victory in the Caribbean

 
Brief scores:
England 172-5 off 29 overs (Kevin Pietersen 48, Ravi Bopara 44, Paul Collingwood 35 not out, Matt Prior 25 not out; Sulieman Benn 2-23, Kieron Pollard 2-31)
West Indies 146 all out off 28 overs (Dwayne Bravo 33, Kieron Pollard 30, Ramnaresh Sarwan 23; Andrew Flintoff 5-19, James Anderson 2-34)

Strauss helps England to win fourth ODI

     

Andrew Strauss gathered 79 from 61 balls to lead England to a nine-wicket victory under the Duckworth-Lewis Method over West Indies in the rain-affected fourth One-day International at Kensington Oval on Sunday.

Fortune and the D/L Method again smiled on England, following a two-hour long delay for rain which left the tourists with a victory target of 135 from 20 overs.

They got over the line with nine balls to spare, when Strauss guided Dwayne Bravo to third man for his ninth four.

The result means the series is now tied 2-2 and sets up a thrilling conclusion on Friday at the Beausejour Cricket Ground in St. Lucia, if the West Indies players back down from their threat to strike in protest to outstanding issues with the West Indies Cricket Board.

The rain started during the interval between innings, after England sent West Indies in to bat and the home team made 239 for nine from 50 overs.

When play resumed, England were given a solid base of 108 off 87 balls from their captain Strauss and fellow opener Ravi Bopara.

Strauss reached his 50 from 41 balls, when he chipped Kieron Pollard into square leg for a single.

Once he and Bopara set things up with a volley of handsome strokes and nimble running between the wickets, the rest was academic, although they lost Bopara for 35 skying a catch to deep fine leg off Pollard, when 27 were needed from 33 balls.

Earlier, England had been upstaged when Bravo gathered 69 from 72 balls to give a late boost to the West Indies total.
England had recovered from another hammering from Chris Gayle and looked in control when West Indies slumped to 145 for six in the 35th over.

But the tourists were again put on the defensive, when Bravo boosted the West Indies total with an innings that included seven fours and two sixes.

Had Andrew Flintoff held a sharp return chance, when Bravo was on 32 in the 42nd over the script could have been slightly different.

England paid for Flintoff's miss in the late over, when Bravo smote James Anderson over mid-wicket for four to reach his 50 from 61 balls and then struck the next ball in the same direction for a six before Stuart Broad skied Stuart Broad to deep mid-wicket in the 48th over.

England's bowlers had again been savaged early, when Gayle raced to 46 from 39 balls in an opening stand of 72 before Broad made the breakthrough in the 13th over, having caught by ?keeper Matt Prior.

England then reduced West Indies slipped to 83 for three in 16th over, and then Dimitri Mascarenhas claimed Denesh Ramdin for 26, Shivnarine Chanderpaul for 27, and Kieron Pollard for a duck to leave the innings in tatters.

But England failed to get on top of Bravo, and the runs flowed towards the end for the West Indies innings, but fortunately for England, so too did the rain.

Mascarenhas was England's most successful bowler with three for 26 from 10 overs, and Stuart Broad took three for 62 from 10 overs.

Scoreboard      

West Indies      

C. Gayle    c Prior b Broad    46          
L. Simmons    run out    29          
R. Sarwan    b Flintoff    6          
S. Chanderpaul    c Prior b Mascarenhas    27          
D. Ramdin    c Flintoff b Mascarenhas    26          
D. Bravo    c (sub) Bell b Broad    69          
K. Pollard    c Flintoff b Mascarenhas    0          
D. Sammy    b Broad    6          
N. Miller    not out    10          
F. Edwards    c Collingwood b Anderson    0          
L. Baker    not out    11          
Extras    w7, nb2    9          
Total    for 9 wkts    239          

Fall of wkts    1-72, 2-76, 3-83, 4-126, 5-143, 6-145, 7-173, 8-224, 9-225      

Bowling      

Anderson 10-1-41-1 (w2), Broad 10-0-62-3 (nb1), Flintoff 9-0-58-1 (nb1, w5), Harmison 8-0-42-0, Mascarenhas 10-1-26-3, Pietersen 0.5-0-0-0, Shah 1.1-0-6-0, Collingwood 1-0-4-0      

England      

A. Strauss    not out    79          
R. Bopara    c Miller b Pollard    35          
M. Prior    not out    14          
Extras    lb3, w5    8          
Total    for one wicket    136          

Fall of wkt    1-108      

Bowling      

Baker 2-0-24-0, Edwards 3-0-24-0 (2w), Bravo 3.3-0-22-0 (1w), Sammy 4-0-31-0, Pollard 4-0-20-1, Miller 2-0-12-0      

Result    England won by 9 wickets (D/L method)