September 20, 2007	Thursday	Ramazan 07, 1428

DURBAN, Sept 19: Yuvraj Singh smashed fast bowler Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over as India piled up 218-4 in a must-win match against England in the Twenty20 World Championship on Wednesday.

The left-hander’s feat in the 19th over gave him the fastest 50 in the tournament off just 12 balls, eight deliveries less than what Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful achieved against the West Indies.

Yuvraj finished with 58 off 16 balls with seven sixes and three boundaries as India set England a formidable target of 11 runs an over at the Kingsmead Stadium overflowing with joyous Indian fans.

India, who lost their first match to New Zealand, must beat England and South Africa on Thursday to stay in contention for the semi-finals from Group E.

New Zealand and South Africa top the group with two wins each, while England have already been knocked out of the semi-final race after losing their first two matches.

Yuvraj’s blistering knock came after openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir set the platform with a 136-run stand by the 15th over.

Sehwag made 68 off 52 balls with three sixes and four boundaries. His Delhi team-mate Gambhir hit 58 off 41 balls with seven fours and a six.

Gambhir began the run glut in the fifth over by smashing Broad over the mid-wicket fence for the first six of the innings.

Sehwag welcomed Dimitri Mascarenhas into the attack by slicing a six over point and cut Chris Tremlett over third man for his second big shot.

Sehwag’s third six was over point against England captain Paul Collingwood in the 10th over, two balls after Mascarenhas floored a skier at third man.

Tremlett broke the partnership in the 15th over when he bowled Sehwag as the batsman went for a wild heave.

Two more wickets fell in the next two overs as Darren Maddy had Gambhir caught at short third man and Tremlett bowled Robin Uthappa in his fourth and final over.

Scoreboard

INDIA:

G. Gambhir c Broad b Maddy 58

V. Sehwag b Tremlett 68

R.V. Uthappa b Tremlett 6

M.S. Dhoni not out 10

Yuvraj Singh c Collingwood b Flintoff 58

Irfan Pathan not out 0

EXTRAS (LB-7, W-10, NB-1) 18

TOTAL (for four wkts, 20 overs) 218

FALL OF WKTS: 1-136, 2-144, 3-155, 4-216.

DID NOT BAT: R.P. Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Joginder Sharma, R.P. Singh, S. Sreesanth.

BOWLING: Anderson 4-0-25-0 (4w); Broad 4-0-60-0 (2w); Flintoff 4-0-33-1 (1w); Mascarenhas 1-0-15-0; Tremlett 4-0-45-2 (1nb, 2w); Collingwood 1-0-13-0; Maddy 2-0-20-1.

ENGLAND: D.L. Maddy, V.S. Solanki, K.P. Pietersen, P.D. Collingwood, O.A. Shah, A. Flintoff, L.J. Wright, A.D. Mascarenhas, S.C.J. Broad, C.T. Tremlett, J.M. Anderson.

UMPIRES: B.R. Doctrove (West Indies) and S.J.A. Taufel (Australia).

TV UMPIRE: S.J. Davis (Australia).

MATCH REFEREE: R.S. Madugalle (Sri Lanka).—Agencies