England start it with win
Thursday, 23 August 2007
SOUTHAMPTON, Aug 22 (AFP): Ian Bell and Alastair Cook both scored their maiden one-day international (ODI) hundreds as England beat India by 104 runs at the Rose Bowl here Tuesday in the first match of a seven-game series.
Bell made 126 not out and Cook 102 in England's total of 288 for two after India captain Rahul Dravid won the toss and elected to field.
They were the first England batsmen to score a century at this level since Kevin Pietersen made 100 against the West Indies in Barbados in April in the team's final match of the World Cup.
India then collapsed to 34 for four inside 12 overs, with James Anderson taking two wickets in five balls, and there was no way back from that position.
They eventually finished on 184 with Dravid top-scoring with 46. RP Singh was bowled by Monty Panesar for nought off the last ball of the innings.
Dinesh Karthik was 44 not out. India gifted England an early wicket when Sourav Ganguly, turning blind, was run out by a throw from Panesar, much mocked for his fielding, at mid-off to wicket-keeper Matt Prior for two.
Then 15 for one became 19 for two when Gautam Gambhir was caught behind off pace bowler Anderson, who finished with a career-best four for 23 in 10 overs.
Sachin Tendulkar, out for 17, also fell to Anderson after a clip off the star batsman's legs went straight to Ravinder Bopara at short mid-wicket.
And four balls later Yuvraj Singh was dismissed by Anderson for nought following Cook's brilliant diving one-handed catch to his right in the gully.
Anderson took three for 19 in his first eight overs. Andrew Flintoff, making his first England appearance since the World Cup after renewed ankle trouble, dismissed Mahendra Singh Dhoni, whom he'd previously seen caught off a no- ball, when the batsman gloved a hook on 19 made off 60 balls to opposing wicket-keeper Prior.
Dravid fell soon afterwards, well caught down the legside by Prior, standing up, off Dimitri Mascarenhas on the medium-pacer's Hampshire home ground.
Bell, in his 48th ODI, faced 118 balls with one six and 10 fours. Cook's innings also featured his first fifty in what was his sixth one-day international.
Not since 2005, when Andrew Strauss and current captain Paul Collingwood both made hundreds against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge, had two England batsmen both scored centuries in the same one-day international innings.
Cook and Bell shared a second-wicket stand of 178. Essex left-handed opener Cook and Prior made a steady start after England were inserted in overcast conditions.
But a stand of 43 ended in the 11th over when Prior, who had lofted Zaheer Khan for a straight six, skied the left-arm quick to Dravid at mid-on.
Teenage leg-spinner Piyush Chawla was hoisted over mid-wicket by Cook before Bell lofted the 18-year-old for a straight six.
Chawla's seven overs went for an expensive 42 runs, with Dravid using seven bowlers in all as he searched for a breakthrough. New ball bowler Ajit Agarkar was also costly, with 65 runs taken off his 10 overs.
India's fielders didn't help their cause with some slothful out-fielding that allowed England runs.
Cook swotted away Rudra Pratap Singh for four through mid-wicket to go to 99 before a single saw him to his hundred in 122 balls with eight fours.
However, going for another legside shot four balls later, he played on to the left-arm swing bowler.
The series continues with another day/night match, at Bristol Friday.
Bell made 126 not out and Cook 102 in England's total of 288 for two after India captain Rahul Dravid won the toss and elected to field.
They were the first England batsmen to score a century at this level since Kevin Pietersen made 100 against the West Indies in Barbados in April in the team's final match of the World Cup.
India then collapsed to 34 for four inside 12 overs, with James Anderson taking two wickets in five balls, and there was no way back from that position.
They eventually finished on 184 with Dravid top-scoring with 46. RP Singh was bowled by Monty Panesar for nought off the last ball of the innings.
Dinesh Karthik was 44 not out. India gifted England an early wicket when Sourav Ganguly, turning blind, was run out by a throw from Panesar, much mocked for his fielding, at mid-off to wicket-keeper Matt Prior for two.
Then 15 for one became 19 for two when Gautam Gambhir was caught behind off pace bowler Anderson, who finished with a career-best four for 23 in 10 overs.
Sachin Tendulkar, out for 17, also fell to Anderson after a clip off the star batsman's legs went straight to Ravinder Bopara at short mid-wicket.
And four balls later Yuvraj Singh was dismissed by Anderson for nought following Cook's brilliant diving one-handed catch to his right in the gully.
Anderson took three for 19 in his first eight overs. Andrew Flintoff, making his first England appearance since the World Cup after renewed ankle trouble, dismissed Mahendra Singh Dhoni, whom he'd previously seen caught off a no- ball, when the batsman gloved a hook on 19 made off 60 balls to opposing wicket-keeper Prior.
Dravid fell soon afterwards, well caught down the legside by Prior, standing up, off Dimitri Mascarenhas on the medium-pacer's Hampshire home ground.
Bell, in his 48th ODI, faced 118 balls with one six and 10 fours. Cook's innings also featured his first fifty in what was his sixth one-day international.
Not since 2005, when Andrew Strauss and current captain Paul Collingwood both made hundreds against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge, had two England batsmen both scored centuries in the same one-day international innings.
Cook and Bell shared a second-wicket stand of 178. Essex left-handed opener Cook and Prior made a steady start after England were inserted in overcast conditions.
But a stand of 43 ended in the 11th over when Prior, who had lofted Zaheer Khan for a straight six, skied the left-arm quick to Dravid at mid-on.
Teenage leg-spinner Piyush Chawla was hoisted over mid-wicket by Cook before Bell lofted the 18-year-old for a straight six.
Chawla's seven overs went for an expensive 42 runs, with Dravid using seven bowlers in all as he searched for a breakthrough. New ball bowler Ajit Agarkar was also costly, with 65 runs taken off his 10 overs.
India's fielders didn't help their cause with some slothful out-fielding that allowed England runs.
Cook swotted away Rudra Pratap Singh for four through mid-wicket to go to 99 before a single saw him to his hundred in 122 balls with eight fours.
However, going for another legside shot four balls later, he played on to the left-arm swing bowler.
The series continues with another day/night match, at Bristol Friday.