England bowlers set up series win
Sunday, 9 September 2007
England won the deciding match in the NatWest Series at a chilly Lord's by seven wickets with more than 13 overs to spare. After the drama at The Oval Wednesday, the game was an anticlimax as the weight of expectation seemed too much for India, reports Cricinfo.
Their batting, with the exception of MS Dhoni, was uninspiring and they lacked the firepower to trouble England's middle-order.
By the end, Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen, who both made fifties, were scoring almost at will.
England were within sight of wrapping up the series in the decider at an overcast Lord's - despite losing both openers early - easing to 141 for 3 after 30 overs, needing another 47 runs to beat India.
Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood were both batting with assurance, the low asking rate ensuring they did not had to take any chances, although India's bowlers hardly exerted much pressure either.
The only mid-innings flutter came when Pietersen, who ran himself out at The Oval on Wednesday, pushed into the leg side, set off for a single to Sachin Tendulkar at midwicket only to check and turn, leaving the committed Bell stranded.
Briefly, the tempo of India's game picked up after that wicket, but Pietersen broke a stranglehold of sorts with a towering six over long-off off Piyush Chawla, rubbing salt into the wound with a slap past point in the same over.
Collingwood was in no mood to play second fiddle either, twice driving Ramesh Powar through the covers and then hoisting RP Singh into the Mound Stand.
He then flicked Chawla, who had switched ends in the meantime, dismissively to the midwicket boundary off successive deliveries.
36.2 overs England 188 for 3 (Pietersen 71*, Collingwood 64*) beat India 187 (Dhoni 50, Mascarenhas 3-23) by 7 wickets
Their batting, with the exception of MS Dhoni, was uninspiring and they lacked the firepower to trouble England's middle-order.
By the end, Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen, who both made fifties, were scoring almost at will.
England were within sight of wrapping up the series in the decider at an overcast Lord's - despite losing both openers early - easing to 141 for 3 after 30 overs, needing another 47 runs to beat India.
Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood were both batting with assurance, the low asking rate ensuring they did not had to take any chances, although India's bowlers hardly exerted much pressure either.
The only mid-innings flutter came when Pietersen, who ran himself out at The Oval on Wednesday, pushed into the leg side, set off for a single to Sachin Tendulkar at midwicket only to check and turn, leaving the committed Bell stranded.
Briefly, the tempo of India's game picked up after that wicket, but Pietersen broke a stranglehold of sorts with a towering six over long-off off Piyush Chawla, rubbing salt into the wound with a slap past point in the same over.
Collingwood was in no mood to play second fiddle either, twice driving Ramesh Powar through the covers and then hoisting RP Singh into the Mound Stand.
He then flicked Chawla, who had switched ends in the meantime, dismissively to the midwicket boundary off successive deliveries.
36.2 overs England 188 for 3 (Pietersen 71*, Collingwood 64*) beat India 187 (Dhoni 50, Mascarenhas 3-23) by 7 wickets