CUTTACK (India), Jan 22: England exploited a huge slice of luck to dismiss Sachin Tendulkar as they beat India by 16 runs in their second One-day International Tuesday.
The hosts had looked on course to overhaul England’s 250 for seven and go 2-0 up in the series, with Tendulkar and Dinesh Mongia building an attractive 79-run stand for the second wicket.
But Tendulkar was then run out for 45, backing up too far as a Mongia straight drive clipped the fingertips of bowler Ben Hollioake and hit the stumps at the non-strikers’ end.
That sparked a middle-order collapse as India slumped from 99 for one to 147 for six before being dismissed for 234 with eight balls of their 50 overs remaining.
Pace bowler Darren Gough finished with three for 46, taking his One-day International career tally to 151.
Earlier, Paul Collingwood had struck his third fifty in nine matches as he made 71 and Michael Vaughan, usually seen as a Test specialist, scored 63 for his maiden one-day half-century as England posted a challenging total.
Collingwood hit two fours and two big sixes over mid-wicket in his 78-ball knock, an innings of real character as he steadied England from a middle-order wobble.
Opener Marcus Trescothick, who scored 121 in Kolkata last Saturday, looked in prime form again before he mis-hit an attempted pull off medium-pacer Ajit Agarkar to be dismissed for 13.
Captain Nasser Hussain had a close call soon when television replays showed he had just managed to beat wicket-keeper Ratra’s direct hit at the non-strikers’ end as the batsman went for a sharp single to short point.
Vaughan shared in a 69-run partnership for the third wicket with Hussain, who scored 46 off 54 balls before he was caught by Agarkar while trying to loft a slow seamer from Ganguly.
Collingwood refused to give up the fight, taking quick ones and twos before pulling Agarkar over mid-wicket for his second six.
India started their reply aggressively, but was dismissed for 14, caught by Nick Knight at second slip.
Tendulkar, though, flicked Hoggard to the mid-wicket fence and cut him backward of point as he and left-hander Mongia continued to dominate.
But Tendulkar’s dismissal stopped the innings in its tracks.
Vangipurappu Laxman was run out for three by a direct hit whilst going for a cheeky single to Collingwood and Mongia, on 49, was dismissed trying to sneak a second run from Hoggard at deep square-leg.
Virender Sehwag (5) and Hemang Badani (13) did not last long and Ajay Ratra’s 30 and Agarkar’s 29 proved too little, too late.
ENGLAND:
M.E. Trescothick c Mongia b Agarkar 13
N.V. Knight c Harbhajan b Srinath 14
N. Hussain c Agarkar b Ganguly 46
M.P. Vaughan run out 63
P.D. Collingwood not out 71
A. Flintoff b Harbhajan 5
B.C. Hollioake b Kumble 0
J.N. Snape run out 22
J.S. Foster not out 3
EXTRAS (LB-6, W-1, NB-6) 13
TOTAL (for seven wkts, 50 overs) 250
FALL OF WKTS: 1-24, 2-45, 3-114, 4-176, 5-190, 6-193, 7-244.
DID NOT BAT: D. Gough, M.J. Hoggard.
BOWLING: Srinath 9-0-41-1 (3nb); Agarkar 8-1-46-1 (2nb, 1w); Kumble 10-0-47-1; Harbhajan Singh 10-0-35-1; Ganguly 5-0-29-1; Tendulkar 6-0-35-0 (1nb); Sehwag 2-0-11-0.
INDIA:
S.C. Ganguly c Knight b Hoggard 14
S.R. Tendulkar run out 45
D. Mongia run out 49
V.V.S. Laxman run out 3
V. Sehwag c Knight b Gough 5
H.K. Badani c Flintoff b Hollioake 13
A. Ratra lbw b Flintoff 30
A.B. Agarkar c Foster b Gough 29
Harbhajan Singh lbw b Snape 6
A.R. Kumble c C’wood b Gough 20
J. Srinath not out 7
EXTRAS (LB-3, W-7, NB-3) 13
TOTAL (all out, 48.4 overs) 234
FALL OF WKTS: 1-20, 2-99, 3-110, 4-121, 5-130, 6-147, 7-179, 8-186, 9-224.
BOWLING: Gough 9.4-0-46-3; Hoggard 9-0-53-1 (2nb); Flintoff 10-0-34-1 (3w); Hollioake 7-0-34-1 (1nb, 3w); Snape 8-0-40-1 (1w); Collingwood 5-0-24-0.
NEXT MATCH: Chennai, Friday.—Reuters