Tag: England

BANGALORE - Kevin O'Brien smashed the fastest ever World Cup century to propel Ireland to a stunning three-wicket win over England in a Group B match on Wednesday. An astonishing knock by O'Brien, who clobbered 13 fours and six sixes to reach three figures in only 50 balls, helped the Irish to live up to their reputation as giant-killers as they overhauled England's total of 327-8 with five balls to spare.
It was the highest successful run chase in the tournament. Four years

BANGALORE - Ireland captain William Porterfield has urged his side to be "cricket-smart" when they face England in a World Cup clash here Wednesday. The Irish, who knocked Pakistan out of the 2007 World Cup, were on course for another victory over a Test nation when they held Bangladesh to 205 runs in their opening match of this tournament.
But a batting collapse saw a side featuring several players with English county sides, of whom opener Porterfield is one, lose by 27 runs.

BANGALORE - India and England tied a thrilling World Cup clash here on Sunday in a match which yielded 676 runs and was adorned by blistering centuries from Sachin Tendulkar and Andrew Strauss. England, chasing a World Cup record 339 to win, finished on 338 for eight having scored 13 off the last over when 14 were needed for victory.
Zaheer Khan's dramatic three-wicket burst turned the match back in India's favour after England captain Strauss's man-of-the-match winning innings

BANGALORE - India look set to beef up their spin options for their blockbuster clash against England on Sunday as both sides face the first major Test of their World Cup credentials. India, strongly fancied to add a second World Cup trophy to their 1983 success, are expected to go into the day-night match with a second specialist spinner in addition to their clutch of part-timers.
Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla looks likely to join off-spinner Harbhajan Singh at the expense of paceman

THE REALITY CHECK - The Broader Perspective India coasted to an easy win against Bangladesh while England notched an uneasy win over the Netherlands. Ryan ten Doeschate put England bowlers to sword in their first game and if James Anderson and Stuart Broad do not get their act together, they are in for a real tough time against the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. England looked off colour against the Dutch and will need to improve their game big time if they are to do

BANGALORE - England need to be "positive" and "fearless" in their high-profile World Cup clash against crowd favourites India, fast bowler Stuart Board said on Friday. "The thing about batting in the sub-continent is that you have to have a positive mindset at all times. That is the way we have tried to play our one-day cricket over the last 18 months," said Broad. "We have been very fearless and if you think a shot is on you take it on. Our batsmen are excited about facing the Indian

BANGALORE - Ashes-winning England have spinners who can cause a headache for India if Sunday's World Cup match is played on a turning track, batsman Ravi Bopara said on Thursday.
"If it is a spinning deck we have got our own spinners who can cause problems. A pitch that spins is going to cause trouble for any team. It is going to cause problems for India as well," said Bopara. "A lot is going to depend on the conditions. If the conditions don't suit spin we don't have to worry

NAGPUR - Graeme Swann wants to silence the passionate home crowd when England face World Cup co-hosts India in Bangalore on Sunday. The Ashes-winning off-spinner returned to international action for the first time since the birth of his son with an impressive two for 35 during England's tournament-opening six-wicket win over the Netherlands on Tuesday.
But the 31-year-old's bowling was one of the few highlights in a lacklustre display in the field littered with dropped catches

FATULLAH - England's Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood finally found some much-needed form as Pakistan were brushed aside by 67 runs in the final warm-up before the Cricket World Cup starts on Saturday. Pietersen, in an unaccustomed role as opener, hit 66 from 78 balls and Collingwood chipped in with 65 as England were all out for 273 on Friday.
Pakistan struggled early in response with Stuart Broad again England's spearhead with the ball, taking care of the top four batsmen

LONDON - Injured batsman Eoin Morgan has said he will be back to fitness sooner than expected, boosting his chances of playing some part in England's World Cup campaign.
The England and Wales Cricket Board last week replaced Morgan with Ravi Bopara in their 15-man squad when the finger injury suffered by the Irishman during the one-day series in Australia was confirmed as a break.
But an upbeat Morgan tweeted that he was confident of making a quicker than expected return to

LONDON - England's Test cricketers may be re-interviewed by police as the Crown Prosecution Services prepares its case against the three Pakistan players banned for spot-fixing by the ICC early this month. They could even be asked to appear as witnesses to events on the field, and in particular the three no-balls at the center of the scandal, during the fourth Test at Lord's in August last year, 'Daily Mail' reported.
England captain Andrew Strauss and other players who faced

PERTH - Australia wrapped up an emphatic 6-1 series win over a weary England with a comprehensive 57-run win in the seventh and final one-day international at the WACA Ground in Perth on Sunday. The home side made 279-7 after winning the toss, and in reply England managed just 222 in their final match of a marathon Ashes tour, despite a lusty unbeaten 60 by Michael Yardy.
England, who now return home for a few days' rest before departing for the World Cup next weekend, were never

BIRMINGHAM - Simon Jones, a fast bowler whose England test career was halted in its prime by one debilitating injury after another, wakes to a daily routine of strengthening exercises and icing his battle-weary limbs. He is the virtually forgotten spearhead of his country's glorious 2005 Ashes triumph over a previously dominant Australian team but at 32 refuses to believe his days representing England are over.
True, Jones has accepted that the rigours of five-day test cricket

LAHORE - The much awaited ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 is just a couple of away and Team Pakistan will open its campaign with a warm-up match on February 15 at the Mirpur ground against Bangladesh. Pakistan will also play England on February 18.
Fourteen nations including 10 test playing countries will clash in the event which will be played from February 19 to April 2. All the teams have been divided into two groups. Before the official beginning of the World Cup, the ICC has

LONDON - England handed wicketkeeper Matt Prior a surprise call up as they announced on Wednesday the 15-man squad for next month's ICC Cricket World Cup in India.
Steve Davies makes way for Prior, who earns a recall after 10 months out of the team, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said in a statement on its website. "Matt Prior returns to the England ODI squad after a brief absence and given his recent form and his batting style, which is very well suited to the

LONDON - England will go on from their Ashes 'annihilation' of Australia to overtake India and South Africa and become the world's top-ranked test nation within 18 months, according to former captain Alec Stewart.
The 47-year-old, who played in a record 133 tests and led his country 15 times, said third-ranked England would carry on improving after the recent 3-1 Ashes victory in Australia. "England are on the right road because the players are going to stay together for a

MELBOURNE - Fresh from humiliating Australia's Test side in the recent Ashes series, a buoyant England have the chance to do similar damage to the struggling limited overs team ahead of next month's World Cup. The seven-match Commonwealth Bank one-day series, which starts at the MCG on Sunday, will give both nations an opportunity to prepare for the World Cup, which starts in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on February 20.
Australia might have slipped to fifth in the Test