England and India share thrilling tie.

England shared a tie with India in a quite thrilling World Cup Group B encounter in Bangalore as Andrew Strauss inspired his side to level their opponent's 338 in a pulsating clash.

A dramatic finale saw England take 12 runs off the final over to tie the match after an imperious 158 from Strauss gave his side the opportunity of clinching a stunning run-chase.

It would have been an incredible effort from England after Sachin Tendulkar's 120 looked to have given India a dominant position as they posted their opponents a target of 339 to win.

India appeared to have set a daunting winning target in the Group B match but England kept cool and were coasting towards victory as they eased to 281-2, thanks largely to Strauss.

However, when England opted to play their powerplay from the 42nd over, Zaheer Khan produced a superb bowling spell to take three wickets in six balls to revive the home team's fortunes.

Needing 14 to win off pace bowler Munaf Patel's last over, Ajmal Shahzad brought England right back into contention after blasting a huge six that had Strauss leaping off his seat in the pavilion.

The electrifying match went down to the last ball with England two runs short of their victory target.

Graeme Swann nudged the ball to mid-off to secure the tie - a result that was loudly cheered by all those lucky enough to witness one of the best ever ODIs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

"In some ways we're happy and in some ways we're distraught. A great game of cricket," man-of-the-match Strauss said during the presentation ceremony.

"You back yourself to play better than that (in the powerplay). We lost (Ian) Bell and myself which is the last thing you want and that put pressure on the batsmen coming in.

"In some ways we're disappointed but in some ways we're privileged to play in a game like that.

"Some good performances, some less so."

His India counterpart Mahendra Singh Dhoni added: "At the end of the day, I'm happy with a tie.

"With just two wickets down (after 42 overs) ... it was getting pretty difficult for the bowlers and Zak (Khan) came in and bowled a really good spell and brought us back into the game. Otherwise it would have been done by 48 overs."

Earlier India's total revolved largely around Tendulkar's 47th one-day international century and a record fifth in World Cups.

In reply, England's run-chase was set well on its way helped by Strauss's sweetly-timed knock, the first century by an English captain in a World Cup.

Ultimately, though, it was one point each for the Group B front-runners via the fourth tie in the history of the competition after Swann could scramble only a single from Patel's final ball with eight wickets down under lights.

England relishing India challenge.

England are hoping their big-game temperament can help spoil the “party” India have planned at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore tomorrow.

Captain Andrew Strauss is well aware of his team’s ominously poor record against the World Cup favourites - they have not beaten India in any form of cricket for almost four years - but is confident the big stage will bring out England’s best.

India, he senses, may by contrast fall prey to the huge weight of expectation from the one billion-strong population of their cricket-obsessed country.

Strauss cites England’s world-beating exploits at last year’s ICC World Twenty20 in the Caribbean - where they won their first global trophy, under Paul Collingwood - as evidence that they can rise to the occasion again not just in this second Group B match but throughout their sub-continental campaign.

“In some ways, perhaps there’s more pressure on India than us in this game,” he said.

“We’ve played a lot of good cricket in big games in the last 24 months or so. That’s something we’re very proud of, that in high-pressure games we’ve performed well. This is one of those games, and we’re very confident of doing well again.

“I think there’s a real vibe and excitement and enthusiasm about our guys. If you can get a couple of breakthroughs early and put the Indian batting order under pressure they’re obviously carrying a lot of expectation on their shoulders.

“Playing against India is always a big challenge. But we’re up for it and think we can do well. It’s not something we’re overawed about; it’s something we’re very excited about.”

A victory for England, against opponents they may end up playing 19 times this year, would identify them as big-hitters in this tournament.

Strauss, however, is careful not to get ahead of himself on that score - in the knowledge England are up against the might of Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, among a sheet full of other superstar names in India’s ranks.

“It would be potentially a huge lift for us and would send out a pretty strong marker to other sides,” he added.


“We’ve got to do it first ... but we’d love to spoil an India party here in Bangalore.

“There’s a huge sense of anticipation. This is a huge occasion. It’s going to be a great atmosphere, and I think it’s one of those games that everyone dreams of playing - against India, in the World Cup on their home turf.”

If England are to prevail, a return to his best for Kevin Pietersen would clearly not go amiss.

He has not made a one-day international hundred since he did so against India in the final match of a curtailed series which England lost 5-0 on their last tour of this country in 2008.

But Strauss, optimistic after Pietersen’s surprise move up the order to open, said: “I think this is the sort of match that brings out the best in him.

“In the big matches and big tournaments, generally we see the best of Kevin Pietersen. I don’t think it’s time to take the pressure off (him). It’s a World Cup - we all need to stand up and perform. He knows that as well as anyone else.

“We know what he can bring to our side when he does perform, because he’s a match-winning player and one other sides will fear.”

Pietersen and his fellow batsmen will face a trial by spin at some point tomorrow - if they stay in long enough - with Harbhajan Singh their chief adversary.

“If it is a challenge on a turning wicket then we are fully up for it,” said Strauss. “If it’s going to turn then it will challenge all batsmen. We’ve got to be good enough to counteract that, and I think we will be.”

Irrespective of how they play Harbhajan, though, one thing England must improve drastically from their scrambled opening win over the Netherlands is their fielding.

“What they have had is a pretty stark wake-up call, that we can’t be that bad again,” the captain said of his players.

“I think we all know that. They don’t need me to ram it down their necks. But it has happened very infrequently to us, and I don’t expect it to happen again in a hurry.

“We take a lot of pride in our fielding. In this game, I think our fielding could be an advantage. The most important thing is we’re switched on, and all 11 of us recognise our responsibilities to put in a flawless fielding performance.”

Should pace bowler Stuart Broad overcome a stomach upset in time as expected, after having to miss nets today, the only selection question facing Strauss and team director Andy Flower is whether to bring in Michael Yardy as an extra spinner.

Shafiul secures Bangladesh vital victory.

Bangladesh's bowlers held their nerve to atone for the failures of their batsman, as the pluck of the Irish proved insufficient to overcome the most fervent atmosphere of the World Cup so far. In a gripping, low-scoring encounter at Mirpur, Bangladesh flirted with disaster as they squandered a flying start from Tamim Iqbal to crash to 205 all out, and when Ireland reached 93 for 3 at the halfway mark of their reply, they were well on course for a hugely deserved victory. However, six wickets for the Bangladeshi spin quartet set the stage for a flying finish from Shafiul Islam, who claimed 4 for 21 in eight hostile and reverse-swinging overs, to seal a wildly acclaimed victory by 27 runs with five overs to spare.

The result was tough on the Irish who, like the Netherlands earlier in the week, gave the match their all and deserved a Test-playing scalp as their reward. But the belief and unity of the Bangladeshis had to be seen to be believed, as they dusted themselves down after a chastising performance with the bat, and set about defending their meagre total with skill, tenacity and some sublime commitment in the field. Mohammad Ashraful, whose mercurial batting once again let him down when the heat was on, proved a revelation with the ball, as his spin-bowling all-sorts picked up two vital wickets inside the first 19 overs, and whose subsequent celebrations imbued both his team-mates - and perhaps more crucially, a rammed and expectant Mirpur crowd - with belief.

There will be many higher-profile fixtures than this in the coming weeks, but few could prove as pivotal to the fortunes of two teams who exceeded expectations four years ago in reaching the Super Eights in the Caribbean. Ireland's hopes of playing in the 2015 tournament hinge on their ability to produce this sort of performance in each of their next five matches, to convince the ICC that they deserve their place at the top table. But more immediately, Bangladesh's victory gives them a real chance of pushing for a quarter-final place that their form in home internationals suggests could be attainable.

After winning the toss and choosing to bat, Bangladesh started the match with the same aplomb with which they finished, bringing their fans to their feet in a thrilling first four overs, in which Tamim's blistering volley of strokeplay lifted the score to an imposing 41 for 0. However, Ireland are a more resourceful side than meets the eye, and the early decision to reduce the pace on the ball slowly but surely changed the tide of the contest. Trent Johnston and John Mooney drew the sting of the innings with their unrelenting line and length, but it was left to the teenaged spinner George Dockrell to inflict the telling blows.

Dockrell twirled straight through his ten overs, claiming 2 for 23 with a performance brimful of guile. His agonisingly slow pace through the air left all the batsmen groping in their defences, scared of taking on the long straight boundary for fear of being beaten in flight, and his two dismissals were carbon-copies of one another - a crease-bound Mushfiqur Rahim paddle-swept to Andrew White at short backward leg to end a doughty innings of 36, before Ashraful followed suit for 1 in the very next over.

Ireland's commitment in the field was unstinting. Ed Joyce and White pulled off a direct-hit run-out apiece, the first to remove Junaid Siddique for 3 - a dismissal which undermined Bangladesh's early momentum following the loss of the opener Imrul Kayes to an expert leg-side stumping from Niall O'Brien - and the latter to extract Raqibul Hasan for 38, at precisely the moment he looked set to guide the tail to a comfortable 200-plus total. But the one telling shortcoming was the performance of their quickest bowler, Boyd Rankin. His nine overs went for 62 - the most expensive analysis of the day - including a poor final over that went for 11.

Pace off the ball was the secret on this deck, at least until such time as the Irish tail was exposed to Shafiul's old-ball wiles. He was given just the one over with the new ball in Ireland's innings, before Shakib turned to the spin pairing of Abdur Razzak and Naeem Islam. The tactic paid dividends in the sixth over of the innings, when Paul Stirling yorked himself while advancing to Razzak, and was stumped by Mushfiqur as the ball dribbled off the pads and past his off stump.

With the pressure intense in spite of the small target, Ireland's captain, Will Porterfield, set himself to make the most of every scoring opportunity. He had launched the innings in confident style with a second-ball drive off Shafiul through point, and he added a second four when Naeem dropped short at the end of his third over. But Shakib, Bangladesh's captain and senior spinner, struck with his first delivery, as Porterfield attempted a flick off the back foot, and instead popped a simple catch to Raqibul at short midwicket.

O'Brien, however, was the right man to enter the fray. He was the hero of a tense run-chase in Jamaica four years ago, when Ireland stunned Pakistan in the 2007 World Cup, and two fours in the same Shakib over were the perfect tonic for his team's frayed nerves. In partnership with the England veteran, Joyce, he picked off the singles and gnawed away at the target, before Joyce, on 16, attempted to drive against the spin, and popped a simple chance to Ashraful.

Ashraful celebrated as if the match was already won, which it self-evidently was not at 75 for 3 in the 19th over. However, the belief in the Bangladesh team was picked up on by the crowd, and the roof was raised six overs later, when White, on 10, played a lazy pushed drive from deep in the crease to be bowled through the gate.

It was a dismissal that increased the Irish jitters ten-fold, but it was nothing compared to the dismissal of O'Brien three overs later. With a rock-solid 38 from 52 balls to his name, he was tempted to put too much bat through a lofted clip into the leg side, and Tamim at deep square leg hurtled in to snaffle a brilliant low catch inches from the turf. At 110 for 5, Bangladesh were right back in the contest and O'Brien's self-recriminations were revealing. With an asking-rate of four an over, there was simply no need for such risks.

His brother Kevin, however, chose his big shots more judiciously - at least at first. An up-and-under six over long-on was the first and only maximum of the match, and he added two more kitchen-sink clumps in Ashraful's ninth and final over, which went for 14. But at 151 for 5 in the 37th over, when all that was required was a cool head and an exchange of singles, O'Brien was suckered by Shafiul's short ball, and launched a pull straight to the substitute, Suhrawadi Shuvo, at square leg.

From that moment on, Ireland's hopes began to evaporate. Naeem nailed Mooney for an eight-ball duck, as he tried a flat-footed cut but edged into his stumps, and three balls later, the obdurate Andre Botha played all round a full-length delivery that crashed into his leg stump. With Shafiul on a roll, surfing the crowd's delirium and zipping the ball at pace from a full length, the tail were unable to resist. Bangladesh's World Cup campaign is up and running. Ireland's, despite their best endeavours, must start all over again against England next week.

PCB punishes Yasir Hameed for tabloid interview.

LAHORE: Test batsman Yasir Hameed has been punished by the Pakistan Cricket Board for giving a controversial interview to a British tabloid, DawnNews reported on Thursday.

PCB slammed a Rs.300,000 fine on the opening batsman and barred him from participating in the current domestic season, after he gave an interview to British tabloid News of the World last summer.

In the secretly recorded interview, Hameed appeared to have agreed with the undercover reporter’s claims about Pakistani cricketers’ involvement in spot-fixing and match-fixing scandals.

Hameed expressed disappointment at the board’s action and said he had already apologised to the authorities for his actions.

The 33-year-old batsman last played for Pakistan during the Lord’s Test against England in August 2010.