England swat aside world champions India with impressive Tri-Series win

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jan/20/england-india-tri-series-match-report

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England took a giant stride towards the Tri-Series final with this nine-wicket bonus-point victory against one of the World Cup favourites at the Gabba. But it was the strides taken by Steven Finn which could be far more significant after the 25-year-old blew away India with his first five-wicket haul in one-day internationals.

It was here in Brisbane almost a year ago that Finn was sent home by Ashley Giles after the then England limited-overs coach branded the bowler “unselectable”.

Back then there were real fears Finn would be lost to international cricket for good, and just last week in Canberra, Chris Rogers, the Australia Test opener who was Finn’s captain at Middlesex last summer, warned that the fast bowler would need more time to get back to his best. Yet this performance against the world champions – which included the key scalps of Virat Kohli and the captain, MS Dhoni – suggested Finn is closer than was thought.

England will be pleased Finn played a key role in routing India for 153 inside 40 overs. Just as pleasing will be the way the batsman set about the run chase, Ian Bell and James Taylor sharing a 131-run second-wicket stand in 147 balls to ease their team to a nine-wicket win – which will restore confidence after last week’s defeat by Australia in Sydney.

It is the Australians who await England once more in Hobart on Friday. But the Tri-Series final is now a realistic aim for Eoin Morgan’s side, especially as the Australians will be without George Bailey, the captain banned for slow over-rate offences, David Warner, who is rested, and Mitchell Johnson, allowed to skip the trip to Tasmania for personal reasons.

Conditions at the Bellerive Oval will be perfect for Jimmy Anderson. The steadying influence of the Lancashire bowler in Brisbane was also significant as he grabbed four wickets on his return from the knee injury that had kept him out of the pre-Christmas tour of Sri Lanka.

Related: England hammer India by nine wickets in ODI Tri-Series – as it happened

Anderson took his place in England’s one-day attack alongside Stuart Broad for the first time since the 2013 Champions Trophy final, also against India. The 32-year-old set England on their way in the third over with the wicket of Shikhar Dhawan, the opener edging to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.

Finn then struck in the 15th over, having Ajinkya Rahane caught at mid-on. That broke a second-wicket stand of 56 for India and brought Kohli to the crease. Yet India’s most dangerous batsman was gone within two overs, edging Finn behind attempting an uppercut.

Kohli’s departure was the first of three wickets to fall in as many overs as India subsided to 67 for five, Suresh Raina edging behind off the spin of Moeen Ali and Finn removing Ambati Rayudu via the same mode of dismissal to ensure a busy night for Buttler behind the stumps.

Dhoni, who recently quit Tests to concentrate on the one-day game, combined with Stuart Binny, playing only his sixth ODI, to add 70 to his side’s total. But Dhoni, dropped by Anderson on 33, became Finn’s fourth victim in the 37th over when he gloved the fast bowler behind attempting to hook.

India were missing Rohit Sharma, who scored a century against Australia in Melbourne on Sunday, with a hamstring injury. But not even the owner of the highest score in ODI cricket – Rohit hit 264 against Sri Lanka last November – could have rescued them from this situation.

India were simply brushed aside. Axar Patel was bowled by Finn first ball to hand the Middlesex fast bowler his first five-wicket haul in this format and also put him on a hat-trick. Finn did not manage that feat, Bhuvneshwar Kumar coolly leaving the hat-trick ball.

Anderson, though, soon sent the all-rounder on his way with a beautiful delivery which moved off the pitch and rearranged Kumar’s stumps.

At 143 for eight, India were in danger of not even posting 150. They did at least manage that but only just as Anderson removed Binny for 44, caught well by Morgan, and finally Mohammed Shami, dismissed by an even better catch from Moeen.

Such was the brevity of India’s innings, England actually had to bat for six overs before the scheduled innings break. They went into that on 41 for one, having lost Moeen for eight when he was caught by Kohli at mid-off attempting to hit Binny over the top.

However, when play resumed it was a procession for Bell and Taylor, who knocked off the 113 more runs needed in 21.3 overs. It was apt that these were the two batsmen who both fell for ducks to Mitchell Starc’s first over in Sydney last Friday.

This time, though, they both passed 50, Bell backing up the 187 he scored against a Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra last week with an unbeaten 88 here and Taylor reaching his third ODI half-century shortly before victory was sealed with 22.3 overs to spare.