CHENNAI, (Reuters) – England could not overcome their taste for cliffhangers but at least they survived another one against West Indies yesterday to give themselves a chance of making it to the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
Andrew Strauss and his men may not play another game in this World Cup — they require the outcome of the remaining Group B matches to go their way to reach the quarter-finals — but their thrilling 18-run victory over West Indies once again underscored the entertainment they have provided in the tournament.
On a belter of a track at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, 243 was not an intimidating total and England’s premature exit from the tournament seemed a matter of time when Chris Gayle (43 off 21 balls) and Darren Sammy (41 off 29) were sending ball after ball into the stands.
This English team under Strauss have been anything but predictable, however, or easily daunted and once again they added a twist in the tale.
Accordingly, unheralded Kent off-spinner James Tredwell (4-48) wrecked the West Indies top order, Ravi Bopara (2-22) relished taking inside edges that crashed on to the stumps and the wily Graeme Swann (3-36) polished off the tail to skittle out West Indies in 44.4 overs.
“More than anything, the togetherness in the team got us through,” a relieved Strauss said.
“We desperately did not want to leave the World Cup at this stage … (Even when West Indies dominated), we still thought there will be a twist in the tale … it was easy for heads to possibly drop but the guys were remarkably buoyant.”
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A spate of injuries and poor form in the English camp had prompted Strauss to tinker with the line-up and neither Luke Wright, who scored a gritty 44 down the order, or Tredwell let him down.
Strauss did not forget to thank the newcomers for keeping England afloat.
“It’s so tough for them, sitting outside, looking at matches and waiting for their turn … Wright played exceptionally well when wickets were falling around him and Tredwell was outstanding, getting us those early wickets.”
At the end of their spectacularly inconsistent campaign that included a tied match against India and defeats by Ireland and Bangladesh, England are at the third place with seven points.
But if Bangladesh pull off an upset against South Africa on Saturday and West Indies recover to beat India the next day, that would end England’s campaign in the tournament.
The odds, however, are against both of those results but this group has been nothing but unpredictable.
In a match where not a single batsman from either side could reach even a half-century, England’s lion-hearted bowlers scripted a nail-biting win to prolong the suspense in Group B.
For England fast bowler Ajmal Shahzad, however, the drama is over. He has joined batsman Kevin Pietersen and fast bowler Stuart Broad as England victims of a World Cup injury curse with a hamstring problem and will play no further role in the event.