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Yuvraj inspires India victory
LONDON: Yuvraj Singh's impressive all-round performance guided India to a six wicket victory over England in their triangular series one-day international here at Lord's on Saturday.
India were struggling at 141 for four when Yuvraj came to the crease. But his 64 not out, together with RahulDravid's unbeaten 73 saw India home with seven balls to spare, the pair sharing an unbroken stand of 131 in
128 balls. Dravid faced 86 balls including seven fours and Yuvraj 65 deliveries also with seven boundaries.
Earlier Yuvraj's occasional left-arm spin spinners, made him the pick of the Indian attack with three for 39 as England were restricted to 271 for seven. the 20-year-old upstaging senior slow men Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.
Only Marcus Trescothick (86) and England captain Nasser Hussain (54) got past the fifty mark, England some 30 runs short of setting India a reasonable target.
For England, left-arm spinner, Ashley Giles, whose first ball was hoisted for six, was his side's best bowler, also with three for 39. Virender Sehwag (71) and India captain Sourav Ganguly (43) looked in good touch but both openers got out when well set.
India were given an ideal platform by Ganguly and Sehwag, the pair sharing a stand of 109 in 108 balls before they lost three wickets for nine runs in 31 balls.
Left-hander Ganguly was given a life on 15 when Graham Thorpe at extra cover failed to hold on to a fierce
head-high drive off Kirtley.
At the other end Sehwag was effortlessly piling up the runs.
He brought up his fifty off 48 balls with a cover-driven four off Flintoff for his eighth boundary. Sehwag then deposited Giles' first ball high over long-on for six. But Sehwag managed just one more run.
Sweeping Giles, he was caught by a diving Trescothick on the midwicket boundary. New batsman Dinesh Mongia
(one) was then bowled between bat and pad by Giles who at that stage had two wickets for no runs in four balls. Mongia's departure brought star batsman Sachin Tendulkar to the crease. But he too went for one when he was lbw to Irani.
That left India in danger at 118 for three in the 23rd over. Their hopes now rested with Ganguly. But, closing the face on an on-drive off Giles, he was out to Kirtley's brilliant sprawling left-handed catch at long on. Earlier Trescothick was caught 14 short of a hundred by keeper Dravid off Ganguly's medium pace as he tried to run the ball down to third man.
He faced 78 balls including one six, off Yuvraj, and eight boundaries. Then came Andrew Flintoff. The all-rounder's blistering unbeaten 50 had helped set up England's win against Sri Lanka in Thursday's opening match of the tournament at Trent Bridge.
However, he only managed 22 in this match before a checked drive off Yuvraj was caught by a diving Mongia at mid-off. England's innings had stalled - they only managed 48 off the last 10 overs - and so too had Hussain, whose 54 took 82 balls.
But trying to up the tempo, against Yuvraj, Hussain was comfortably stumped. In the tournament's next match, India face Sri Lanka at The Oval on Sunday.
June 29, 2002 - 1720 GMT
Yuvraj stars as India restrict England
LONDON: Yuvraj Singh was the unlikely hero of the Indian attack as England were held to 271 for seven in their triangular series one-day international at Lord's here on Saturday.
Singh, who had taken just 12 wickets in his previous 33 one-day internationals, saw his occasional left-arm spin yield a career-best three for 39 in India's first match of the tournament.
Marcus Trescothick top scored for England with 86 and captain Nasser Hussain made 54 for the other major contribution before the innings petered out.
Trescothick got off to a brisk start after Hussain won the toss. At the other end, left-arm quick Zaheer Khan unluckily went past the outside edge off Nick Knight's bat on a couple of occasions. England's other left-handed opener was more assured. Trescothick stroked Khan through extra cover and the modest pace of India's right-arm new ball bowler Ajit Agarkar received the same treatment.
Khan and Agarkar's combined opening 12 overs went for 71 runs, Knight at last breaking free with two fours off the latter. Then the introduction of Kumble saw India take their first wicket all-be-it in unusual fashion. Trescothick played the leg-spinner down to deep square leg and set off.
A single was completed but Knight, coming back for a second, could not beat Sachin Tendulkar's powerful one
bounce throw that went straight into Kumble's hands.
Knight was out for 31 from 42 balls with just two fours and England were 86 for one in the 14th over.
Hussain came in and on 18 edged opposing captain Sourav Ganguly's medium pace through to keeper Rahul Dravid. But Dravid, who only keeps in one-day matches, dropped the catch when stood up to the wicket.
Trescothick meanwhile took a liking to the 20-year-old Yuvraj, depositing him for a huge six over long on while Hussain reverse swept Harbhajan to the boundary.
But in sight of a hundred Trescothick was well caught by the helmet-wearing Dravid as he tried to run Ganguly down to third man. His 86 had come from 78 balls including one six and eight boundaries. Together with Hussain he had put on 67 in 77 balls.
Trescothick's departure brought in Andrew Flintoff. The all-rounder's blistering 50 batting at seven had helped set up England's win against Sri Lanka in Thursday's opening match of the tournament. Now promoted up the order, Flintoff carried on from where he finished at Trent Bridge, getting off the mark with a pulled four off former Lancashire team-mate Ganguly.
But only two more boundaries followed before Flintoff (22) went down the wicket to Yuvraj, checked his stroke, and was well caught by a diving Dinesh Mongia at mid-off. Hussain's 54 off 82 balls failed to up the tempo. Trying to just that against Yurvraj, an ungainly offside heave saw him stumped. England were then 222 for five in the 40th over and when Yuvraj had Graham Thorpe (12) caught at short third man they never looked like topping 300.
June 29, 2002 -
Trescothick hammers India attack
LONDON: Opener Marcus Trescothick gave England a fine start to their tri-nations series one-day international against India on Saturday as they raced to 164 for two after 29 of their 50 overs.
Trescothick led the way with 86 off 78 balls before he was caught behind off a slower ball from Saurav Ganguly, leaving the way for powerful all rounder Andrew Flintoff to join Nasser Hussain (30 not out).
Skipper Hussain won the toss and chose to bat under dappled sun at Lord's, two days after England won the first match in the series against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge.
The left-handed Trescothick took the game to both Indian openers from the outset, hitting a boundary off Zahir Khan in the first over and two off medium pacer Ajit Agarkar in the second.
Nick Knight was run out in the 14th over with the score on 86 when the opening pair embarked on a risky second run after Trescothick hit the ball through backward square off Kumble.
Sachin Tendulkar fielded smartly and returned to Kumble who caught Knight half a metre out of his ground. Trescothick reached his 50 in the 16th over off 48 balls with six fours and continued to keep the scoreboard ticking over with smart singles.
The home side, their team unchanged after the Sri Lanka victory, reached 100 in the 17th over off 103 balls.
June 29, 2002 - 0955 GMT
England decide to bat
LONDON: England won the toss and elected to bat in their triangular series one-day international against India at Lord's here on Saturday.
India included both their leading spinners, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, despite pre-match hints from captain Sourav Ganguly that one of them would be left out for an extra seamer.
This is India's first match of the series. England were unchanged from the team that beat Sri Lanka by 44 runs in the opening match of the tournament at Trent Bridge on Thursday.
England: Marcus Trescothick, Nick Knight, Nasser Hussain (capt), Graham Thorpe, Alec Stewart (wkt), Ronnie Irani, Andrew Flintoff, Paul Collingwood, Ashley Giles, James Kirtley, Matthew Hoggard.
India: Sourav Ganguly (capt), Virender Sehwag, Dinesh Mongia, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid (wkt), Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh,Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan.
Umpires: Steve Bucknor (WI), Neil Mallender (Eng)
TV umpire: Jeremy Lloyds (Eng)
Match referee: Mike Proctor (SA)
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