2nd Match: England v India at Lord's, 29 Jun 2002 CricInfo Live Report

2nd Match: England v India at Lord's, 29 Jun 2002
Stephen Lamb

India innings: 25 overs,
Pre-game: Toss,
England innings: 25 overs, End of Innings,

ENGLAND FIGHT BACK AFTER SEHWAG FIREWORKS
A characteristically entertaining innings from Virender Sehwag has fuelled India's reply to England's 271 in the second game of the NatWest series at Lord's. Sehwag made 71 and added 109 with Sourav Ganguly for India's first wicket. But a double breakthrough by Ashley Giles and a rare failure by Sachin Tendulkar have given England renewed hope. After 25 overs India were 128 for three.

India took seven off Hoggard's first over, including a square-driven boundary from Ganguly. Sehwag repeated the dose to backward point, adding three to mid-wicket. With Hoggard shorn of rhythm, Ganguly lofted him over square leg for four more and the Yorkshireman had gone for 19 off his first two overs.

Although Kirtley was more economical at the outset, he couldn't contain Sehwag either, as the flamboyant Indian opener followed a mid-wicket four with two backward of point. Hoggard was again dispatched, first over his head and then one bounce into the Tavern.

India's fifty came up off as many balls. more quickly than England's, and Hoggard was taken off after conceding 32 runs in his first four overs. Ganguly had a life on 16, when Thorpe couldn't quite hold on to a fearsome drive at short extra cover, but there was no stopping Sehwag as Flintoff was dismissed with awesome ease through mid-wicket.

With India's grip on the game tightening by the over, Kirtley was dispatched through backward point by Sehwag and long-off, fiercely, by Ganguly. Sehwag completed a magnificent 50 by clattering Flintoff through the covers. When Giles replaced Kirtley at the nursery end, his first ball was dispatched magnificently by Sehwag into the Compton stand for six. Four more off Flintoff raised India's hundred from just 88 balls.

Irani had Sehwag missed on 70 in his first over, a sharp, low but catchable chance to the diving Collingwood at backward point. Fortunately for Collingwood it didn't matter; in the next over Sehwag hit Giles high to deep mid-wicket, where Trescothick did marvellously well to take a running catch close to the rope. Sehwag's 71 had come off just 65 balls, with a six and nine fours, and he and Ganguly had put India on course for victory.

Mongia was bowled for just one, playing crookedly at Giles, bringing in Sachin Tendulkar to the kind of ovation he is used to at home. But the little master was unusually subdued, making just one from nine balls before Irani trapped him lbw hitting across the line. India had lost three wickets for nine runs in 31 balls but Dravid relieved some of the tension, cutting a short ball from Irani to the rope at backward point.

INDIA SET 272 TO WIN AT LORD'S
England reached a respectable, if not impregnable 271 for seven off their 50 overs in the second game of the NatWest triangular series. The hosts were indebted to Marcus Trescothick, who made 86 at less than a run a ball, and Nasser Hussain for a half century, but India fought back well in the closing stages, with Yuvraj Singh taking three wickets.

The introduction of Yuvraj prompted the first six of the day, swung gleefully into the mound stand by Trescothick. But it was the last hurrah for the Somerset left-hander, who got a thin edge to Dravid as he tried to steer Ganguly to third man. Trescothick had made 86 off just 78 balls with nine fours as well as the six.

The in-form Flintoff, promoted to number four, immediately swung his former Lancashire team-mate through mid-wicket. When Harbhajan returned, a reverse sweep to the rope gave Hussain four more, and when Harbhajan over-compensated a wide went for four more to fine leg. Impishly, Hussain reverse-swept to the rope again and another over had gone for 15 runs.

As Ganguly switched ends Flintoff smote him successively to the rope at mid-wicket and deep extra cover. With England still scoring at close to a run a ball, Flintoff's innings ended with the return of Yuvraj Singh driving to short extra for Mongia to take a smart catch.

Hussain and Thorpe exchanged regular singles, one of which completed the captain's 50. After a perfectly-placed chip through mid-wicket, Thorpe was caught by Sehwag at backward point off Yuvraj. As the tempo slowed, Hussain charged down the wicket to play a dreadful swish at Yuvraj and was stumped by the proverbial yard.

With the initiative slipping away from England, Stewart grasped the nettle by hitting Yuvraj back over his head for four. When Zaheer returned Stewart swatted him to the Grand Stand boundary before bring up the 250 with a single to mid-off. Irani sacrificed his wicket in the quest for quick runs, but Collingwood briefly made his presence felt at the eleventh hour, whipping Zaheer delightfully through mid-wicket.

Agarkar and Zaheer both bowled well at the death, with a succession of yorkers, and Collingwood perished caught behind off a skier. In the end England had fewer runs than they had hoped for at the half-way stage of their innings.

INDIA FEEL THE HEAT AS TRESCOTHICK BURNS BRIGHT
England have made an excellent start to the second game of the NatWest triangular series against India at Lord's. After 25 overs they've reached 143 for the loss of Nick Knight, who was run out for 31. Marcus Trescothick (78*) has played another punishing knock, and Nasser Hussain is on 24.

The first over, bowled by the left-armer Zaheer Khan, wasn't short of incident. His second ball was a wide to get England under way, before Trescothick took two behind square leg and four down the hill to the extra cover boundary. He then hit Agarkar's first two balls imperiously for off-side boundaries, before pushing Khan backward of cover point with the same result.

Knight got off the mark with a hesitant dab off Khan which went past Sehwag at slip for two, adding another brace to deep mid-wicket off the same bowler. Running between the wickets was initially exemplary, with both batsmen alert to quick singles, and looking to turn ones into twos.

Knight was a touch fortunate in the seventh over when he swung Khan high but harmlessly to deep mid-wicket for two. After the fifty came up in the tenth over Knight cast off the shackles, lacing Agarkar first through extra cover and then straight for boundaries. Three more to mid-wicket and Agarkar had gone for 15 in the twelfth.

With England relishing the field restrictions to the tune of more than six an over, a double change was inevitable. It came in the form of Harbhajan at the pavilion end, whom Knight immediately swept to the rope backward of square leg. Kumble replaced Agarkar at the nursery end, and this time Trescothick cashed in with four through extra cover.

It took a run-out to part the two openers, when Trescothick played Kumble out to Tendulkar at deep mid-wicket. Knight called for a doubful second run and was narrowly beaten by a fine throw to the bowler's end. England were 86 for one, with Knight gone for 31. At the end of the 15th over England were 90 for one.

After the helmetless Hussain had flirted with disaster with an airborne chip to extra cover off Kumble, Trescothick went through to an excellent 50 off 48 balls. A swept boundary followed off Harbhajan, bisecting the two fielders on the mid-wicket boundary. Another single brought up England's hundred off 103 balls in the 17th. The rampant Trescothick took another midwicket boundary off Harbhajan, following up with a feather-like touch to third man for an all-run four.

Hussain loosened some joints with a trademark cover drive off Kumble, and Ganguly put himself into the attack in the 21st applying a measure of restraint in harness with Kumble.

ENGLAND WIN TOSS AND BAT AT LORD'S
Nasser Hussain made it two out of two when he won the toss and chose to bat in the second NatWest Series one-day international against India.

England stick with the team that beat Sri Lanka by 44 runs at Trent Bridge on Thursday night.

India include both their spinners, Harbhajan singh and Anil Kumble, and as expected Rahul Dravid will keep wicket.

The weather at Lord's is good, with high cloud and fitful sunshine.

England team: ME Trescothick, NV Knight, *N Hussain, GP Thorpe, +AJ Stewart, RC Irani, A Flintoff, PD Collingwood, AF Giles, RJ Kirtley, MJ Hoggard.

India team: *SC Ganguly, V Sehwag, D Mongia, SR Tendulkar, +R Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, M Kaif, Harbhajan Singh, Z Khan, A Kumble, AB Agarkar.