DEFENDING CHAMPIONS England romped to a crucial 23-run victory over India in their World Masters CLOBI Cup Twenty20 match at Kensington Oval yesterday that kept alive their chances of reaching the final.
Captain Dominic Cork led from the front with an aggressive 69, laced with four sixes and two fours off 43 balls in England’s challenging total of 170 for seven.
He then took the first wicket when India replied and also ran out Mannava Prasad for four with a direct throw.
But the most successful English bowlers were 58-year-old off-spinner John Emburey, (2-220 Glen Chapple (2-23) and Martin Bicknell (2-24) as India were restricted to 147 for eight in their 20 overs.
England, cognisant that a commanding victory would keep alive their hopes of a top-two finish and meeting the West Indies in tomorrow’s final, were off to a rousing start.
Cork, who promoted himself to opener, along with Craig White put on 44 for the first wicket in 4.3 overs.
And after White was out for 29 (4×4, 1×6, 18 balls), Philip Defreitas joined Cork and stepped up the tempo, smashing three sixes and a four in 31 off 20 balls.
Defreitas lifted left-arm spinner Rahul Sanghvi for a straight six and in the next over, which yielded 19 runs, greeted Nikhil Chopra with two more sixes and a four.
But his dismissal, at 91 for two in nine overs, led to a middle order slide with Neil Fairbrother (1), Mark Alleyne (0) and Glen Chapple (6) going cheaply.
Bicknell (19 not out) revived the innings with Cork, who swept medium pacer Abey Kuruvilla over midwicket for six enroute to his 50, to leave India with a challenging victory target.
The Indians got a 40-run start from Vikram Rathour and the lucky Sadagoppan Ramesh, who survived chances in successive overs off the bowling of Cork and Dean Headley.
Cork broke the stand when he trapped Rathour leg before wicket while medium pacer Bicknell accounted for Amay Khurasiya (18) and captain Robyn Singh (4).
Ramesh fell one short of 50 when Emburey had him caught by Gladstone Small, coming off the long-off boundary.
India needed 58 runs in the final four overs but Chapple returned to bowl both Abey Kuruvilla (0) and Gagan Khoda (20). There was a late 25-run cameo from Chopra, who hit two fours and a six off 15 balls but it wasn’t enough.
England, who ended with a better net run-rate than India, would’ve been hoping the West Indies defeat Sri Lanka in last night’s final preliminary match to squeeze into the final.
Summarised scores:
England 170-7 in 20 overs (Dominic Cork 69, P. Defreitas 31, C. White 29, M. Bicknell 19 n.o.; R. Sanghvi 2-32). India 147-8 in 20 overs (S.
Ramesh 49, N. Chpra 25, G. Khoda 20, A. Khurasiya 18, V. Rathour 14; J. Emburey 2-22, G. Chapple 2-23, M. Bicknell 2-24). England won by 23 runs.