Tuesday, March 06, 2007

England bowlers demolish Bermuda

World Cup warm-up, St Vincent
England 286-8 beat Bermuda 45 by 241 runs
Here are the Live Scores.

Jon Lewis took three cheap wickets in St Vincent
Jon Lewis took three cheap wickets in the St Vincent warm-up

England were briefly unsettled by a 20-stone policeman before recovering to beat Bermuda by 241 runs in their World Cup warm-up in Arnos Vale, St Vincent.

Two Dwayne Leverock wickets had Michael Vaughan's men 132-5, before Jamie Dalrymple's 76 took them to 286-8.

But the Bermudian batsmen looked well short of international class as they struggled throughout their run chase.

Jon Lewis took 3-7 in four overs as the rank outsiders in this year's World Cup were bowled out for 45 in 22.2 overs.

In the World Cup warm-ups, 13 players can contest a match with 11 of them batting and 11 in the field at any one time.

When Vaughan named his starting line-up, there was no place for Andrew Strauss.

Strauss had played 74 successive ODIs for England, but endured some poor form in Australia and may now be overlooked for England's first group game on 16 March.

Ravi Bopara was the other member of the 15-man squad to miss out, with all four seamers fit to stake their claims.

Jamie Dalrymple reverse sweeping in St Vincent
Jamie Dalrymple gets the reverse sweep out in St Vincent

Instead, Ed Joyce was retained and was promptly bowled by a gentle yorker in the third over.

Vaughan hit some good shots in reaching 18 but, trying a third boundary from as many balls, he picked out Glamorgan's David Hemp at square leg with an attempted pull that went wrong.

Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell put on 71 before both men fell just before reaching their half-century.

Bell was well held at short mid-wicket off an attempted pull.

Leverock, bowling slow left-arm, then had Paul Collingwood caught behind cheaply - though umpire Rudi Koertzen looked to have erred in giving the batsman out.

But there was no doubt when the gentle giant then had Pietersen stumped by a yard - and unbelievably England had to sort out a mini-crisis.

Dalrymple was the man to do so. He made the most of his chance and eventually got on top of the bowling on a sluggish wicket.

After adding 54 with Andrew Flintoff, the Middlesex all-rounder went on to smack consecutive sixes off Deloyne Borden.

The short boundaries allowed a late flurry of scoring to ensure a total that was always going to be well out of range.

The Bermudian batsmen floundered.

Dean Minors and Oliver Pitcher both drove catches to the in-field, before Pietersen dived from short mid-wicket to give James Anderson his second wicket.

D Leverock
Spinner Dwayne Leverock was a thorn in England's middle order

Lewis took just one ball to find his range, trapping Kwame Tucker lbw, and he soon picked up two more middle-order batsmen for ducks.

It was turning into a hopeless mismatch, though Hemp did at least manage double figures before driving Flintoff (2-3) to mid-on.

With a wicket apiece for Sajid Mahmood and Monty Panesar, it was all wrapped up in good time, though Vaughan was unable to stay in the field until the end as he continues to nurse his hamstring problem.

England's second and final warm-up is against Australia on Friday. The Cup holders will surely provide a sterner test.

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