August 23, 2007	Thursday	Sha’aban 9, 1428

SOUTHAMPTON (England), Aug 22: England produced a rare all-round display of high quality one-day cricket to emphatically beat India by 104 runs at the Rose Bowl on Tuesday in the first of seven games between the two countries (also partly reported in Wednesday’s edition).

Maiden one-day centuries for Alistair Cook and Ian Bell helped England to reach 288 for two first in overcast conditions in the day/night match.

India then collapsed to 34 for four inside of 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 skipper Rahul Dravid top-scoring with 46. R.P. 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 Saurav 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 also fell to Anderson for 17 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 had 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 leg-side by Prior, standing up, off Dimitri Mascarenhas on the medium-pacer's Hampshire home ground.

Bell, in his 48th One-day International 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.

The series continues with another day/night match, at Bristol on Friday.

Scoreboard

ENGLAND:

A.N. Cook b R.P. Singh 102

M.J. Prior c Dravid b Zaheer 19

I.R. Bell not out 126

K.P. Pietersen not out 33

EXTRAS (LB-4, W-4) 8

TOTAL (for two wkts, 50 overs) 288

FALL OF WKTS: 1-43, 2-221.

DID NOT BAT: P.D. Collingwood, A. Flintoff, R.S. Bopara, A.D. Mascarenhas,

S.C.J. Broad, J.M. Anderson, M.S. Panesar.

BOWLING: Zaheer Khan 10-1-49-1 (1w); Agarkar 10-1-65-0; RP Singh 10-0-49-1 (1w); Ganguly 4-0-21-0; Chawla 7-0-42-0; Tendulkar 4-0-29-0 (1w); Yuvraj Singh 5-0-29-0.

INDIA:

S.C. Ganguly run out 2

S.R. Tendulkar c Bopara b Anderson 17

G. Gambhir c Prior b Anderson 3

R. Dravid c Prior b Mascarenhas 46

Yuvraj Singh c Cook b Anderson 0

M.S. Dhoni c Prior b Flintoff 19

K.D. Karthik not out 44

A.B. Agarkar run out 11

Piyush Chawla run out 2

Zaheer Khan b Anderson 20

R.P. Singh b Panesar 0

EXTRAS (LB-10, W-5, NB-5) 20

TOTAL (all out, 50 overs) 184

FALL OF WKTS: 1-15, 2-19, 3-34, 4-34, 5-102, 6-105, 7-129, 8-145, 9-183.

BOWLING: Broad 8-1-27-0 (1w); Anderson 10-2-23-4 (2w); Flintoff 7-0-12-1 (5nb); Mascarenhas 10-1-28-1 (1w); Panesar 10-0-47-1; Collingwood 5-0-37-0 (1w).

RESULT: England won by 104 runs.

UMPIRES: M.R. Benson (England) and B.R. Doctrove (West Indies).

TV UMPIRE: N.J. Llong (England).

MATCH REFEREE: R.S. Mahanama (Sri Lanka).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Ian Bell.

SECOND MATCH: Bristol (D/N), Aug 24.

THIRD MATCH: Edgbaston, Aug 27.

FOURTH MATCH: Old Trafford (D/N), Aug 30.

FIFTH MATCH: Headingley, Sept 2.

SIXTH MATCH: The Oval, Sept 5.

SEVENTH MATCH: Lord’s, Sept 8.

—Agencies