England vs. India, 3rd Tri-Series ODI: Highlights, Scorecard and Report
England revived their Carlton Mid One-Day International Tri-Series hopes with a crushing nine-wicket win over India in Brisbane.
Eoin Morgan’s men opened their campaign with a mauling at the hands of host nation Australia, but he bounced back in some style.
England did not look back after being asked to bowl first, with Steven Finn and the returning James Anderson ripping the life out of the India batting line-up.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
The seamers took nine wickets between them to bowl India out for 153 in 39.3 overs, and the batsmen chased down their victory target with little alarm.
It was a welcome return to form for Finn, who had a torrid tour of Australia in 2013/14 and left the series early, and he spoke of his delight at going some way to exorcising his demons in an interview with broadcaster Channel 9.
Finn said: “There are a few bad memories knocking around in the places we are going to, but this will help realign me, and I am just glad to take wickets.”
Anderson was not deemed fit enough to take his place in the opening game, but he took a mere seven balls to make his mark on the series.
A full, swinging ball took the edge of Shikhar Dhawan’s bat and Jos Buttler took the catch.
Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad provided solid support to Anderson, but it was Finn's introduction that tipped the game firmly in England’s favour.
Ajinkya Rahane looked confident at the top of the order, but he was prised out by Finn.
Finn struck a further two telling blows to leave India rocking. Star man Virat Kohli edged behind to Buttler, and Ambati Rayudu did exactly the same to leave India at 67 for 5.
Captain MS Dhoni strode out in all probability wondering about his decision to bat first. It did not seem to affect him, as he and Stuart Binny set about repairing the innings.
They put on a much-needed 70 runs, before Dhoni fell victim to the Finn-Buttler combination.
The India tail offered scant support to Binny, and it was left to Anderson to wrap up the innings—with the aid of two superb catches from Morgan and Moeen Ali. Brett Lee was clearly impressed by the catches (via cricket.com.au):
".@BrettLee_58 called it one of the best catches he's ever seen! Thoughts? WATCH: http://t.co/PI6mXlRcbj #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/dudvoUwoYL
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 20, 2015"
| Batsman | How Out | Runs | Minutes | Balls |
| AM Rahane | c Taylor b Finn | 33 | 59 | 40 |
| S Dhawan | c †Buttler b Anderson | 1 | 8 | 5 |
| AT Rayudu | c †Buttler b Finn | 23 | 74 | 53 |
| V Kohli | c †Buttler b Finn | 4 | 13 | 8 |
| SK Raina | st †Buttler b Ali | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| MS Dhoni*† | c †Buttler b Finn | 34 | 69 | 61 |
| STR Binny | c Morgan b Anderson | 44 | 84 | 55 |
| AR Patel | b Finn | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| B Kumar | b Anderson | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Mohammed Shami | c Ali b Anderson | 1 | 12 | 7 |
| UT Yadav | not out | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Extras | (lb 3, w 3, nb 1) | 7 | ||
| Total | (all out; 39.3 overs) | 153 | ||
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
| JM Anderson | 8.3 | 2 | 18 | 4 |
| CR Woakes | 7 | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| SCJ Broad | 7 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| ST Finn | 8 | 0 | 33 | 5 |
| MM Ali | 9 | 0 | 31 | 1 |
With India being bowled out in quick time, England were sent out to bat for six overs before tea.
Ali fell early, as he miscued a lofted drive off Binny, but Ian Bell looked in excellent shape to take England to tea at 41 for 1.
Bell continued his momentum after tea and stroked his way to an unbeaten 88. Aided by James Taylor, England cruised to victory and a vital bonus point.
| Batsman | How Out | Runs | Minutes | Balls |
| IR Bell | Not Out | 88 | 105 | 91 |
| MM Ali | c Kohli b Binny | 8 | 13 | 12 |
| JWA Taylor | Not Out | 56 | 91 | 63 |
| Extras | (w 3, nb 1) | 4 | ||
| Total | (1 wicket; 27.3 overs) | 156 | ||
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
| STR Binny | 7 | 0 | 34 | 1 |
| B Kumar | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| UT Yadav | 6 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| Mohammed Shami | 4 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| AR Patel | 7.3 | 0 | 32 | 0 |
| SK Raina | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
The win leaves England in decent shape to qualify for the final. Australia have one foot in the final with two wins from their opening pair of games. It is highly likely that one more win will be good enough for England, with the bonus point gained against India a huge help to their cause.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
