England stay in the hunt with win

England needed to win the Group B match against the West Indies here on Thursday to keep their hopes alive to in this World Cup. The odds were not in favour of the Englishmen going into the match but they tilted the scales in their favour through sheer grit, eking out an 18-run win at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Defending a score of 243, England veered from the brilliant to listless but they held their nerve when it mattered the most. Picking two off-spinners, of similar style, against a left-hander laden West Indies line-up paid off as World Cup debutante James Tredwell (4 for 48) and Graeme Swann (3 for 36) kept the Windies in check and kept Group Bopen.

Had they lost, the West Indies, India and Bangladesh would have qualified for the quarterfinals.

But with this win, England are on seven points and now it’s up to Bangladesh, by beating South Africa, and India, by defeating the West Indies, to rock their boat.

West Indies began the chase in top gear. Chris Gayle seemed in a hurry, smashing 43 off 21 balls. He, however, fell leg before to World Cup debutante James Tredwell after adding 50 for the opening stand with Devon Smith in less than five overs.

Smith followed suit, falling over and getting stumped by a fumbling Matt Prior. Tredwell had his third victim of the night in the form of Darren Bravo, who edged him to skipper Andrew Strauss at slips.

West Indies captain Darren Sammy had been under some pressure to fire with the bat and he attempted to blast his way to form. That strategy didn’t last long as he lost his stumps to the part-time medium-pacers of Ravi Bopara for 41, off 29 deliveries .

Inexperienced keeper batsman Devon Thomas too fell to Bopara’s irritating medium pacers, inside edging one as the scorecards read 118 for five.

Pollard batted the way he is expected to, clearing the ground twice. But he failed to make the most of a dropped chance by Ravi Bopara and Swann finally had his man, trapping him leg before.

Andre Russell (49 off 46) smashed a few at the end as the game seemed out of grasp for the Englishmen but Tredwell trapped him leg before from round the wicket to revive his team’s hopes with 22 runs still to get. Swann then removed Ramnaresh Sarwan and Kemar Roach one spiteful over as the wheels began to fall off.

Jonathan Trott was earlier denied a catch off a rampant Russell, with 40 runs needed and four wickets remaining, as he caught the batsmen at long on but the third umpire gave it as a six with his shirt, seemingly, touching the boundary.

It seemed only fair that it was Trott who swooped in at third man and threw the ball back to keeper Prior who ran Sulieman Benn out for the final blow.

Earlier, fast bowler Russell took four wickets and debutante leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo picked three as England were restricted to 243 in 48.4 overs.

Jonathan Trott hit 47 off 38 balls and Luke Wright ended the innings in a flourish with 44 as the Englishmen posted a competitive score.

Openers Andrew Strauss and Prior took their time to assess the wicket and added 48 runs in the first nine overs before West Indies got their first success.

Prior played all around an Andre Russell delivery and the pacer knocked out the England wicketkeeper’s middle stump.

Russell pegged them back further in his next over, getting rival skipper Strauss to miscue a pull and Gayle took a tumbling catch running back at midwicket.