Off-spinners James Tredwell and Graeme Swann took seven wickets between them as England kept their World Cup quarter-final hopes alive with an 18-run win over the West Indies.
West Indies, chasing 244 for victory, were 222 for six after a stand of 72 between Ramnaresh Sarwan (31) and all-rounder Andre Russell (49) rescued them from the depths of 150 for six.
But they lost their final four wickets for three runs to be all out for 225, with Sulieman Benn the last man dismissed when he was run out by Jonathan Trott’s throw to wicket-keeper Matt Prior with more than five overs left.
For England to qualify
England now need Bangladesh to lose to South Africa on Saturday. If Bangladesh win, England can still go through if India beat West Indies on Sunday in the final match of Group B. However, a West Indies win would see them into the last-eight.
Strauss relieved after tough fight
“It’s been pretty hard work all the way through the group stages. Today was obviously a tough game, a must-win game,” said England captain Andrew Strauss.
“We probably should have got 260, 270 at least but we had to fight hard with the ball. I thought we did that brilliantly.”
West Indies captain Darren Sammy said his batsmen should have kicked on for victory.
“I think one of our guys who got starts had to take us through,” he said.
“We have a few positives we can take from this game but at the end of the day we missed the killer instinct.”
Russell, caught on 39 at long-on by Trott only to be awarded a six after the diving fielder just glanced the boundary marker, saw his 46-ball innings end when he was lbw to World Cup debutant Tredwell.
The spinner was named man-of-the-match for his four for 48 to spark the climatic slump.
England then saw Sarwan turn Swann (three for 36) straight to Ian Bell at short leg. Two balls later Kemar Roach was caught by a diving Chris Tremlett off Swann to leave West Indies 223 for nine.
West Indies had seen fit-again opener Chris Gayle (43) make a typically rapid start as their fifty came up inside five overs.
But Tredwell took his first One-Day International (ODI) wicket when, fifth ball, he had Gayle, pushing half-forward, lbw to end a 21-ball innings featuring a six and eight fours.
Earlier, Luke Wright saved England after making 44 after they had slumped to 134 for five.
Trott (47) was the only other England batsman who made more than Strauss’s 31 in an innings where debutant leg-spinner Davendra Bishoo took three wickets and Russell claimed four.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 18th, 2011.
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