Cricket World Cup - England beat the West Indies and keep their hopes alive in Chennai

Cricket World Cup 2011 - England beat the West Indies and keep their hopes alive in Chennai

Cricket World Cup - England beat the West Indies

Let's face it – you have to be an optimist to support England in the World Cup!

The pessimists were having their bags packed and booking a flight back to Heathrow in Chennai when they were, once again, within an ace of losing to the West Indies and going out of the competition.

But England don't do winning – nor losing- simply. Andrew Strauss and his team, reduced through injuries and shattered after their ridiculous schedule, would have been entitled to shrug their shoulders, phoned their wives and told them they were on their way back.

Having scrambled to a below par total of 243 they , once more, stood on the brink of defeat with the Windies 222 for 6 with lots of overs to spare and judging by the grins on the Caribbean faces there was only going to be one winner and they weren't England .

But four wickets for three runs turned the game on its head and the joy of the English players showed that they not only cared but were not going to give away their place in the quarter finals easily – even after those narrow defeats by the Irish and one of the three hosts, Bangladesh.

The win means England are through to the quarter-finals unless Bangladesh beat South Africa and the West Indies get at least a point against India. Both results would have to go against England.

For the sixth match in succession, England were involved in a rollercoaster of a contest, which swung back and forth right through to the end.

Having reduced the Windies to 150-6, they were favourites to win the match, only for Ramnaresh Sarwan and Andre Russell to take the game away from them in a partnership of 72.

Nothing was going right as Trott was adjudged to have brushed the boundary rope with his sleeve as he took a magnificent catch on the boundary even though television replays could never quite catch the moment when he touched.

Then an umpiring decision went against them and an appeal revealed that the ball would have just taken the bails off the middle stump.

But did heads drop? No they did not, even though some at home might have decided to take the dog for a walk after those two west backs.

But after Russell fell leg before wicket for 49 to give man-of-the-match James Tredwell his fourth wicket, the Caribbean side crumbled in calamitous and, sadly, typical fashion.

Two overs later, Graeme Swann (3-36) had Sarwan caught at short leg by Ian Bell and Kemar Roach holed out to a staggering Chris Tremlett catch in the deep.

A breathless passage of play was complete when the Windies' final pair attempted a risky second run and Sulieman Benn was run out after a fine throw from Trott to spark riotous celebrations in the England camp.

Captain Andrew Strauss and his men now face a nervous weekend, with Bangladesh facing the Proteas in Dhaka on Saturday and the Windies rounding off the group stage against India in Chennai.

But assuming at least one of those games goes the way of India or South Africa; England will be two victories away from the World Cup final.

England's batting performance was a patchy affair, featuring an aggressive knock of 47 from Trott, a middle order collapse, and a cameo from Luke Wright who, like Tremlett, was playing his first game as James Anderson and Paul Collingwood were rested and
Ajmal Shahzad was ruled out through injury for the rest of the tournament.

It was Wright who gave England the lift they needed with a measured 44 off 57 balls, only for a momentary rush of blood to the head rush costing him his wicket as he was caught on the boundary trying to heave new boy Bishoo for six.

As ever, the Windies looked to Gayle to kick-start their innings and the tall left-hander did not disappoint, as he smashed 36 runs off two overs from Tim Bresnan and Tremlett to catapult his team to 50-0 off five overs.

The onslaught prompted a rethink from Strauss, who threw the ball to off-spinner Tredwell to join Swann in the attack. The plan came off as Tredwell trapped Gayle in front of his stumps with his fifth ball.

Tredwell picked up the wicket of Smith in the next over but Windies skipper Darren Sammy, who promoted himself to number three, picked up where Gayle left off to fire the Windies to 78-2 after 10 overs.

Sammy brought up the hundred with his third six over long-on but his innings came to an end with the first ball after the drinks break as he chopped a regulation delivery from Bopara on to his stumps.

Devon Thomas fell in similar fashion to bring danger man Kieron Pollard to the crease.

After a watchful start, the stocky Trinidadian smashed Bresnan over mid-on for four and Swann for six over midwicket. But just when he was looking dangerous, Swann fizzed through a quicker delivery that accounted for Pollard lbw for 24.

With the Windies' long and inexperienced tail exposed, England looked odds-on for victory but Russell's fearless hitting and Sarwan's cool head turned things around.

However, Tredwell and Swann ensured there was one final twist in England's latest drama. Can the heart stand many more? Of course, we can if England can keep the ship afloat.

---------

Information Promoted by SEO Services Ahmedabad