Hosts oust holders at Lord's
Ryan Sidebottom took two key wickets early in India's innings
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Sunday, 14, Jun 2009 10:50
The reigning World Twenty20 champions India have been knocked out of this year's tournament after a shock defeat by hosts England, writes inthenews.co.uk's Alistair Potter at Lord's.
Ryan Sidebottom, brought in for youngster Adil Rashid to add an additional pace option, took two wickets with spinner Graeme Swann taking another two as India stuttered to 150-5 while chasing down England's total of 153-7.
Earlier, Kevin Pietersen (46 off 27 balls), Ravi Bopara (37 off 37) and Dimitri Mascarenhas (25 off 27) had given Andy Flower's men a decent total to defend from their 20 overs in a patient and dogged batting display.
For England the early loss of Luke Wright (one), who top-edged an RP Singh delivery to Yusuf Pathan inside the circle, threatened to derail their challenge before it had begun in what was a must-win game.
But new man Pietersen instantly got into his stride with a boundary off his first ball, and alongside Bopara the number three batted well.
The pair had the scoreboard rattling along nicely as they built a half-century partnership at around seven an over.
Even though he was playing a decent innings - picking up singles and runs here and there - Bopara was finding it difficult to score boundaries, despite having smashed a huge six off Sharma off the final ball of the fifth over.
The Essex batsman was getting lucky with his cut shot, playing and missing twice in previous overs and escaping both times after a drop by Dhoni and another Harbajan delivery missed the stumps.
But the pressure on the opener finally told when Ravi Jadeja found a way through to dismiss him for a run-a-ball 37.
With Bopara gone, Pietersen needed to kick on and keep the run-rate up - and he looked like doing just that as he continued to knock the ball around at will.
Having scored a wonderful six off Jadeja, which sailed into the second tier of the grand stand, Pietersen looked to get after the spinner.
But the very next ball saw the injury-troubled batsman miss with an attempted slog sweep and disappointingly for England their danger man was out lbw just short of his 50.
Shah (12) suffered a touch of the Pietersens by playing an expansive shot that got him out, just when he looked capable of scoring well - pulling a shorter Harbahjan delivery into the hands of Jadeja at deep mid on early in the 18th over.
England were moving towards a pretty competitive total, largely thanks to Mascarenhas' presence in the middle.
The IPL veteran was not scoring overly quickly but looked a calming influence in the middle as others lost their wickets around him.
Captain Paul Collingwood (seven) lasted only five balls before he was given lbw attempting a tickle off his legs from a slightly wider one by Zaheer Khan.
And in the final over England did themselves few favours - losing James Foster (six) and Graeme Swann (0) in successive deliveries before Mascarenhas' wild swipe at the final delivery missed the ball completely.
Still, 153-7 looked a decent enough effort to put the reigning champions under some pressure.
England almost had the perfect start when Gautam Gambhir pulled a short James Anderson delivery high into the air but with no one in at point it fell safe.
But the hosts didn't have to wait much longer for the breakthrough as Sidebottom, opening the bowling, saw Rohit Sharma (nine) drag a fuller delivery onto his stumps.
India were only briefly rattled as Gambhir began to open his shoulders opposite new man Suresh Raina - hammering Anderson for successive fours in the third over.
But when Sidebottom returned for his second set of six he tempted number three Raina into a rash pull - taken well on the run by Wright at deep square leg to reduce India to 24-2.
England's bowlers had clearly been told to pitch it short to the Indians, having seen the West Indies' pace attack have success against them in the previous Super Eights clash on Friday.
The tactic was working to the extent that the batsmen rarely looked settled at the crease and after seven overs the run-rate was hovering around the 5.7 mark.
The introduction of Wright, Pietersen and Swann to bowl overs eight, nine and ten saw the rate increase slightly - but a poor decision from Gambhir agains pegged India back.
Mascarenhas' medium pace looked to give Dhoni's side a good chance to continue to claw back lost ground but Gambhir got a paddle sweep all wrong - offering an easy catch to Broad at short fine leg.
The arrival of Yuvraj Singh was greeted by rapturous applause from the large Asian contingent within Lord's.
And their optimism proved well founded almost instantly - a huge heave over the bowlers' head bringing up a six from his first ball.
The in-form number five looked a danger to England's hopes but the home side were restricting him to singles to get him off strike.
The ploy appeared to backfire in the 14th over when, having got Yuvraj to the non-strikers end, Jadeja struck a big six to cow corner off Swann.
But in an identical shot off the next ball he was walking - Broad taking a decent catch in the deep.
India's hopes appeared to rest with Yuvraj - but having enjoyed excellent innings' against Bangladesh and West Indies earlier in the tournament it was not to be against the English.
A shorter Swann delivery had the batsman reaching but when he failed to connect, James Foster had him stumped when his back foot was off the ground for just 17.
At this point, the match - and India's aim of retaining their title - seemed to be getting away from the batting side.
A good partnership was developing between Yusuf Pathan and Dhoni, but runs were coming too slowly and the rate began creeping up above 11 an over.
Good bowling at the death from Broad, who consistently pitched short and outside off-stump, and man-of-the-match Sidebottom saw England home, with Pathan and Dhoni failing to make the most of their chances.
The result means England can secure a place in the last-four if they can beat West Indies at the Oval tomorrow.
But for India their participation in the tournament is over, bar a dead rubber against already-qualified South Africa on Tuesday.