September 8, 2007

India 187 all out

Andrew Flintoff returned from injury to take three wickets and a catch for England, which restricted India to 187 all out in the seventh and decisive one-day international on Saturday. A day after having a painkilling injection in his left ankle, Flintoff dismissed Rahul Dravid for a third-ball duck and removed Sachin Tendulkar for 30 in the following over.

Flintoff also removed Mahendra Singh Dhoni for 50 to finish with figures of 3-45. He also took the catch that dismissed Sourav Ganguly.

England paceman Dimitri Mascarenhas also impressed in his seventh one-day match, taking his best ever figures of 3-23 in his 10 overs.

Flintoff missed the fifth and sixth games of this seven-match series with knee and ankle problems. India won both those matches to level the series 3-3.

India won the toss and chose to bat at Lord's, before quickly regretting the decision. Flintoff and James Anderson combined to dismiss India's first four batsmen for 59 runs.

Ganguly made 15 before he hit a delivery from Anderson low to second slip. Anderson took his second wicket when Gautam Gambhir (12) hit a short ball to Luke Wright, who dived forward for a low catch at square leg.

Flintoff went for 10 runs in his opening over, but had Dravid caught behind in his second.

Tendulkar went the same way the next over but, like Dravid, was angry at the decision by umpire Aleem Dar, complaining the ball did not touch his bat.

Robin Uthappa helped to steady the innings, adding 47 runs in a fifth-wicket partnership with Yuvraj Singh. Uthappa (22) slashed a delivery from Mascarenhas to mid-off into the hands of Anderson.

Thirteen runs later, Mascarenhas took his second wicket when Singh steered a shot to England captain Paul Collingwood at third slip. Singh made 28.

Ramesh Powar escaped a run out while on 10 when Monty Panesar diverted a shot from Dhoni onto the nonstriker's stumps. The third umpire ruled that Ramesh just made it back over the line, but he was out next ball.

Dhoni took a risky single and, despite a diving lunge, Powar couldn't reach the crease before Owais Shah's throw from the field was helped onto the stumps by wicketkeeper Matthew Prior.

That left India on 148 for seven. It added one run before Piyush Chawla was stumped by Prior.

Mahendra Dhoni Singh, batting at No. 7, topscored with 50 before he was caught by Anderson in the deep off Flintoff. It was Singh's 14th one-day 50.

Midway through India's innings, the International Cricket Council confirmed that Anderson could replace the injured Ravi Bopara in England's squad for the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa from Sept. 11-24.

       
         

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