Stuart Broad returned career best figures with both bat and ball as England beat India by three wickets in the fourth one-day international at Old Trafford on Thursday.
When Broad, who’d earlier taken 4-51 as India were dismissed for 212, came to the crease England were in dire straits at 114-7. But they still needed fewer than a run-a-ball to win.
And man-of-the-match Broad helped get them with an assured 45 not out off 73 balls with three boundaries.
Together with Ravi Bopara (43 not out) he put on an unbroken 99, an England record for the eighth wicket, beating the 76 shared by Paul Nixon and Liam Plunkett against New Zealand at Perth in January.
Recalled India seamer Ajit Agarkar removed four of England’s top six on his way to figures of 4-60 but couldn’t inspire his team to victory.
Fast bowler Broad, who began his career as a batsman, stylishly forced Zaheer Khan off the back foot for an all-run four — something unthinkable as far as the India batsmen were concerned.
The tall Broad then played a shot worthy of his father, Chris, the former England opening batsman, when he drove Khan down the ground for four off the back foot. But, on 25, he was fortunate to survive an lbw appeal from teenage leg-spinner Piyush Chawla with English umpire Ian Gould ruling in his favour.
Bopara played some fine shots but it was Broad who caught the eye with another superb back foot drive as he went past his previous best of 29 not out during India’s nine-run win at Bristol last Friday.
England had collapsed to 35-3, mainly as a result of Agarkar, who made up in accuracy what he lacked in pace.
His figures were all the more impressive as his two previous matches this series had left him with a combined return of none for 132 off 19 overs.
Paul Collingwood, the England captain, made 47 before he was run out in a rare fielding triumph for an India side that again leaked runs.
Earlier, Broad’s haul surpassed the 21-year-old’s previous best of 3-20 against the West Indies at Lord’s in July.
India were indebted to Yuvraj Singh (71) and Sachin Tendulkar (55), who shared a fourth-wicket stand of 71.
England, who’d seen India collapse to 32-3, slumped in reply. They hadn’t scored a run when Alastair Cook was bowled middle stump for a fifth-ball nought by Khan.
Matt Prior exited for four when his uppercut off Agarkar, recalled in place of the dropped Munaf Patel, went straight to Ramesh Powar at third man.
Ian Bell had been a thorn in India’s side this series with a hundred and two fifties. But England’s top-scorer in the previous three games could only manage 24 before he was bowled, shouldering arms, by an Agarkar delivery that held its line to clip off-stump.
Agarkar had his third wicket when Kevin Pietersen, on 18, skied to Chawla at square leg.
Andrew Flintoff, returning after missing England’s 42-run win at Edgbaston on Monday with a knee injury, fell for five on his Lancashire home ground when he became another Agarkar victim with the all-rounder’s loose square-drive going straight to Yuvraj at backward point.
The last thing England needed, after Owais Shah went cheaply, was a run out, but that was what they got.
Bopara pushed off-spinner Powar behind square and hesitated. But it was Collingwood who was run out by Rudra Pratap Singh’s throw to wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Flintoff had earlier removed India skipper Rahul Dravid, caught behind for one, with his sixth ball, and finished with typically economical figures of 1-31.
Tendulkar and Yuvraj kept England at bay until the Little Master fell to off-spinner Kevin Pietersen’s third ball, when a top-edged pull was well caught by Flintoff, running round on the deep square leg boundary.
Yuvraj, though, pulled Broad for a huge six to complete a 90-ball fifty.
But Broad bowled Yuvraj round his legs with a full length delivery.
The series continues at Headingley on Sunday. — AFP
