England v http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 World Twenty20 2012 (10th match - Group A) – Match Recap – India down England by 90 runs
Exploiting the England batsmen’s susceptibility to spin, Harbhajan Singh fashioned an emphatic comeback after a little more than a year out of the international side, claiming a 4-wicket haul to propel India to a comprehensive 90-run win over England in
their ICC World Twenty20 Group A match, played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on September 23.
Despite the fact that the match was a dead rubber, with both teams having made it to the Super Eights stage of the tournament, the outcome of the match is sure to have had a significant impact on the confidence levels on both sides.
While the victory (India’s largest in T20Is) will have lent a massive boost to MS Dhoni’s men, serving as a resounding statement of their ability to take on any team in the ongoing World T20, England is sure to be keen to put the humiliating defeat (their
worst in T20Is) behind them.
Player of the Match http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Harbhajan-Singh-c61453 registered the best bowling figures by an Indian bowler in the T20I format of the game – a 4 for 12 – to assert his importance to the team, after nearly a year-long exile owing to injury and poor form.
The veteran off-spinner teamed up with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 in 2011.
England won the toss and chose to field first, but despite the early assaults of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SCJ-Broad-c2465 made a significant
error in interpreting the spin-friendly pitch, and dropped slow left-arm bowler http://www.senore.com/Cricket/TT-Bresnan-c2711.
With veteran batsman http://www.senore.com/Cricket/G-Gambhir-c1447, but was ineffective, dismissed by Finn on 8 in the 3rd over. Gambhir, however, managed to apply himself at the crease and contributed
an individual score of 45 off 38, in addition to joining http://www.senore.com/Cricket/V-Kohli-c2737 (40 off 32) for a 57-run partnership for the second wicket.
The 11th over saw Kohli caught out by Jonny Bairstow at deep midwicket off Swann, but the next man up was Sharma, who top-scored for the side with an unbeaten 55 off 33. He set up a 38-run partnership with Gambhir, and after the latter was caught
out by wicketkeeper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/C-Kieswetter-c1206 off Finn in the 16th over, Sharma went on to team up with skipper Dhoni (9) for a 47-run stand.
Dhoni fell prey to Jade Dernbach (4-0-45-1) in the final over, and Sharma, accompanied by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SK-Raina-c2539 (1*) got the team up to a final total of 170 by the end of 20 overs, at the expense of 4 wickets.
171 didn’t appear a particularly daunting target for England, but what followed was a complete batting order collapse, as the Poms succumbed to the force of Harbhajan (4-2-12-4), supported by Chawla (4-1-13-2) and Pathan (3-0-17-2). Kieswetter top-scored
for the team with 35, and excepting him, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Jos-Buttler-c1733 (11) and Jade Dernbach (12) remained the only other batsmen who managed double-digit scores.
England lost two quick wickets as Pathan picked up both http://www.senore.com/Cricket/LJ-Wright-c1841 (6) in the early overs, reducing the Poms to 18 for 2 by the 3rd over. However, India’s attack intensified with Dhoni’s decision to introduce Harbhajan during
the Powerplay, and the right-armer brought http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c749’s batting order down in complete disarray.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Eoin-Joseph-Gerard-Morgan-c56032 was the first of four victims to fall, bowled in the 6th over at 2, and he was followed swiftly by Bairstow (1) and Kieswetter, both of whom were dismissed by Chawla. Harbhajan struck again in the 10th over to send Bresnan
(1) packing, and followed it up with the wickets of both Buttler (11) and Swann (0) in the 12th over. By this point, England had been reduced to 60 for 8.
The debacle continued as Broad was caught out by Gambhir off http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ashok-Dinda-c1098 on 3 in the 13th over, and with the dismissal of Dernbach (12) via run out, England were cut off, all out, at a shocking 80 by the 15th over, granting India a
90-run victory.
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