Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Ireland creates record chase to upset England, Kevin O'Brien powers record ton

Kevin O Brien record century powers Ireland to win and upset England in a world cup record chase.
Indians be aware Ireland on fire...

Ireland 329/7 (49.1 ov) Kevin 113, AR Cusack 47 , Swann 3-47

What a match! What a player! Kevin O'Brien has ensured that Bengaluru becomes testimony to yet another humdinger of a match

Incredible ...incredible and just incredible - this is how you can describe the O'Brien's innings.

Ireland's Kevin O'Brien has become the fastest centurion in history of Cricket World Cup. Take a bow! Historic scenes here in Bengaluru as the image of Kevin O'Brien's feat is being flashed around the globe.

Ireland batted superly in the power play to score 62 runs with out losing a wicket and the timing of power play was perfect.

History is on cards in Bengaluru as Ireland are in sniffing distance of a historic run-chases in their cricketing history.

Kevin O' Brien's smashing innings has ensured that England bowlers are sent for leather hunt and made to sweat in their second match on trot

After a spirited start to their huge run chase Ireland began to fall away as Graeme Swann three wickets during a teasing spell to put England on track for a comfortable victory. James Anderson gained a confidence-boosting wicket with the first ball of the innings, but Paul Stirling play some meaty shots in an entertaining innings until Tim Bresnan struck then Swann made his mark as the asking rate climbed.

After two poor matches Anderson made the perfect start when William Porterfield, the Ireland captain, dragged the opening delivery into his stumps. However, the batsmen knew there was no point prodding around and Stirling hooked his fifth ball from Stuart Broad for six. Broad was taken for three more boundaries by Stirling, as his open three-over spell cost 24, and he also talked Andrew Strauss into wasting a review when an lbw shout against Ed Joyce clear pitched outside leg stump.

Strauss rung the changes in the first 10 overs, including an early over for Michael Yardy, but it was the reliable Bresnan who broke a threatening stand of 62 when Stirling tried to launch another shot over the leg side and picked out Kevin Pietersen. Bresnan should have had a second when Joyce, on 21, top edged a pull but Matt Prior spilled a simple chance one ball after another chance had brushed Anderson's finger tips as he dived forward at midwicket.

Bresnan's first four overs cost 15 but he strayed in his fifth as Niall O'Brien collected two boundaries to keep Ireland in touch with the run rate. However, at the other end they were finding it tougher to score off Swann and the pressure could have told with a wicket but Anderson allowed O'Brien's lofted drive to burst through his hands for six.

Paul Collingwood was introduced as England's other pace-off option and his cutters were tricky to force away with O'Brien resorting to a variety of sweeps and paddles to try and score. He was clearly conscious of the rising run rate and heaved across the line at Swann without making contact. Collingwood grassed a tough return chance offered by Gary Wilson, but it wasn't long before the next wicket as Swann spun a beauty past the advancing Joyce to end Ireland's slim chance and Wilson became Swann's third when he missed a sweep.

England Innings

50 overs England 327 for 8 (Trott 92, Bell 81, Pietersen 59, Mooney 4-63) v Ireland

Jonathan Trott top-scored, and claimed a notable place in cricket history too, as England piled up 327 for eight in ICC Cricket World Cup Group B match against Ireland.

Trott (92) joined his team-mate Kevin Pietersen and West Indies great Viv Richards as one of three batsmen to reach 1,000 one-day international runs quicker than anyone else.

In his 21st innings, Trott - whose style of earnest accumulation is an obvious contrast to Pietersen and Richards' thrilling strokeplay - nonetheless once again served his team well with an exact run-a-ball tempo. He shared a third-wicket stand of 167 with Ian Bell (81), after Pietersen (59) and Andrew Strauss had predictably got England off to a blistering start.

Strauss, who won the toss, and Pietersen immediately set about the opposition's new-ball pair Boyd Rankin and Trent Johnston.

The captain, fresh from his career-best 158 in Sunday's tie against India at this same venue, was in a hurry again.

But he was first to go, after a stand of 91 in less than 14 overs, when he tried to paddle-pull slow left-armer George Dockrell off his stumps and was bowled round his legs.

It was an odd shot, and Pietersen also went tamely - soon after reaching his first half-century as an ODI opener, from only 41 balls - when he attempted to reverse-sweep off-spinner Paul Stirling but gloved a simple catch to wicketkeeper Niall O'Brien.

Trott and Bell therefore had to start again, yet lost little noticeable momentum doing so.

Bell diced with long-off, hitting a six off Dockrell, and then wide long-on for another boundary off the same bowler.

But he did not give a chance, and neither did Trott - in an innings which began with two crunching off-side boundaries off John Mooney when Pietersen was still in attendance but soon reverted to type via characteristic deflections and placement mainly for ones and twos.

Trott is still without a six in his Test or ODI career but was largely risk-free as he helped to keep England above six an over almost throughout.

He survived Bell, who chipped a full toss low to a tumbling Stirling at straight midwicket off Mooney having hit six fours and a six from 86 balls.

There were still 45 runs still in the powerplay. But after Trott also went short of his hundred, bowled aiming a big hit at Mooney (four for 63), England faltered and could manage only a below-par 70 in the last 10 overs.

Former Ireland captain Johnston kept tight lines to bowl Matt Prior and Mike Yardy and become the first bowler to take 50 ODI wickets for his country.

Ireland were forced into a late change when all-rounder Andre Botha suffered a groin strain.

He was replaced by batsman Gary Wilson, joining Alex Cusack as an addition to the team which lost to Bangladesh.

Medium-pacer Cusack came in to strengthen the bowling at the expense of middle-order batsman Andrew White.

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