ENGLAND’S SMASH AND GRAB
Bairstow cracks brilliant ton and Woakes pulls off stunning catch to set up crunch Kiwi clash
If England are going to launch a belated challenge for this World Cup they seem determined to do it the hard way. for now, at least, they can breathe again after surviving the most severe examination of their World Cup nerve in a tumultuous victory over India.
This was more like it. This was much more like the England side full of the thrills and spills that made them World Cup favourites before an untimely wobble threatened to ruin all the hard work and investment that went into their preparation for the tournament.
But how they had to work for a 31-run victory that now means a win over new Zealand in durham on Wednesday would seal the semifinal place that was the minimum ambition when they set out on this rollercoaster of a journey.
an action-packed day full of topquality cricket and incident ended in anti-climax as India’s attempt to pull off a World Cup record chase of 338 fizzled out and an Edgbaston crowd made up almost entirely of visiting supporters slipped quietly away.
England will not mind that. The pressure was very much on yesterday in what was, with little exaggeration, one of their most important games in several decades. They answered all questions about their ability to handle the great expectations.
It was certainly England’s biggest 50-over match since the World Cup final of 1992. It could be argued that is was their most important game in any format since the 2005 ashes, such has been the prioritising of this all-important tournament.
Jonny Bairstow had somehow managed to crank up that pressure another notch by unwisely insisting that everyone was against England after successive defeats against Sri lanka and australia left them on the brink of elimination. Well, frankly, Bairstow can blame the media for Brexit, the presidency of donald Trump and even climate change if it inspires him to play as he did yesterday. He made the most important century of his career to take England to the heights of 337 for seven.
Then it was down to England’s attack to cope when Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were launching a cool and calculated attempt at pulling off what would have been previously unbeaten India’s biggest 50-over chase in England.
Take a bow, then, Chris Woakes. He started with three maidens, took the crucial wickets of Kl Rahul and century-maker Sharma and pulled off a stunning catch to see the back of Rishabh Pant.
Huge credit, also, to liam Plunkett, restored at the expense of Moeen ali after missing all three of England’s defeats in this tournament and returning to the role of middle- overs enforcer he has filled so productively.
Most unlikely of all, we should doff our hats to James Vince — dropped in favour of the returning Jason Roy and quite conceivably soon to reach the end of his international career. If Vince never plays for England again he can remember the two catches he grabbed here. first up was the vital wicket of Kohli — caught by Vince as substitute when Roy, perhaps conveniently, suffered a hand injury that stopped him testing his hamstring in the field.
It was a gamble when Roy was thrown back into the fray here after missing three games with that torn hamstring. But when he hit Mohammed Shami for two fours in the first over England had regained something of their lost swagger.
none more so than Bairstow, who had controversially turned a sponsor’s appearance in the week into an opportunity to attack perceived critics in the media, the public and even the london cabbie who had told him he was out of form.
Bairstow started a little nervously, with two inside edges off Shami for four, but dominated a stand of 160 with Roy that showcased all that is good about an England white-ball side we have grown to love.
and how India were made to regret not calling for a review when Roy, on 21, gloved Hardik Pandya through to MS dhoni only for umpire aleem dar to signal wide.
It was only when Roy was brilliantly caught by India’s own super-sub Ravindra Jadeja for 66 that England’s dominance was checked and India clawed their way back into a seismic contest.
When the hosts had reached 180 for one at the halfway point a score close to 400 was possible. But they stalled when Joe Root, in particular, became bogged down and unable to replicate his usual runa-ball 50-over methods.
Root finally fell for 44 off 54 balls and left Jos Buttler only a maximum of six overs to bat. It would have proved costly had Stokes not continued the superb form that has now seen him make four scores of 75-plus in this tournament.
The brilliance of Jasprit Bumrah at the death accounted for Stokes on 79 and pegged England back to a score that gave India a sniff.
The smell of victory would have been strong for India when Rohit, badly dropped by Root on four, was adding 138 with Kohli. But wickets fell at crucial times and Eoin Morgan rotated his attack astutely.
England also fielded brilliantly, bar the blip from Root, and the game finished with dhoni perhaps prematurely throwing in the towel and concentrating on run-rate. England live to fight another day.