The Hindu : Sport : England succumbs to Yuvraj

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Friday, Sep 21, 2007
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Sport

England succumbs to Yuvraj

RISING TO THE OCCASION: Yuvraj Singh's blistering knock took India to a position of strength in the crucial tie against England at the Kingsmead Cricket Stadium. - PHOTO: AFP

Durban: It was fitting that England needed 36 from the last over for an improbable win over India in their super-eight match of the ICC World Twenty20 on Wednesday.

Six sixes in an over should ideally (if not necessarily) be matched for a win. England did a good job of chasing India’s total, but still found itself 18 runs short at the end.

Darren Maddy and Vikram Solanki’s first-wicket partnership had both the cuts and the comedy. R.P. Singh and Sreesanth offered too much width and were repeatedly cut by the openers.

Joginder Sharma created a chance in the fifth over, when a Solanki top-edge was heading R.P. Singh’s way at third man, only for the latter to trip and unsuccessfully grope around in a last-ditch reflex effort.

Fortunately for the Indians, Gautam Gambhir had no problems holding on to Maddy’s offering at mid-on off Irfan Pathan.

Kevin Pietersen walked in to loud boos, but none of that ever fazes the man, who began with authority. Joginder was a victim of another reprieve for Solanki, after Yuvraj Singh failed to latch on to one at gully. It was Pathan again who benefited, and got Solanki to find mid-off and depart for 43.

England captain Paul Collingwood and Pietersen prospered briefly, in the 13th over. Joginder got his length wrong, bowling either too short or too full. Pietersen was cruel to both, swatting a short one over mid-wicket and banging one straight the next ball.

Another straight hit proved fatal for Pietersen, who offered Harbhajan a brilliant reflex catch. Owais Shah, prone to manufacturing shots of exotic beauty, sometimes at the expense of precious time, was part of a mini rebuilding process with Collingwood. Both scored at will, aware that the asking rate was climbing.

Misjudgement

It did look like England might pull off a miracle after the 17th over, but Shah and Collingwood perished to misjudgement. Shah, after earlier pulling brilliantly for a six, found the mid-wicket fielder this time. Collingwood failed to make contact two balls later, and was bowled. R.P. Singh had struck twice.

Andrew Flintoff and Luke Wright carted the ball around, but six sixes in an over, twice in a match was too much to expect.

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