CRICKET TWENTY20 WORLD CUP: STUART BROAD claimed the perfect revenge for his World Twenty20 finals mauling two years ago with another disciplined display to knock India out of this year's competition.
The Nottinghamshire seamer’s main contribution to the inaugural tournament in South Africa was being hit for six sixes in an over by explosive India batsman Yuvraj Singh.
But confronted by the same player and the same opponents, Broad delivered a highly-disciplined display to concede only 21 runs in his four overs and took two catches as England completed a nail-biting, three-run victory.
It leaves England facing a straight shoot-out with West Indies, who have not beaten them this summer, at the Oval today with the winner progressing into the semi-finals.
England set a competitive target of 153 for seven after being put into bat on a worn wicket, but a policy of short-pitched bowling, which was successful for West Indies in their opening Super Eights victory over India, restricted India to 150 for five in reply.
The triumph follows just three days after England’s humiliation against South Africa at Trent Bridge and keeps alive their hopes of lifting their first major one-day trophy.
Man of the match Ryan Sidebottom, restored to England’s line-up at the expense of leg-spinner Adil Rashid, provided an early impetus by claiming two wickets in his new-ball spell.
He followed that by bowling the all-important final over – when India needed 19 for victory – and despite being hit for a six and a four by Yusuf Pathan he did enough to clinch victory.
The focus before the match had been on Broad and how he would react to another confrontation with Yuvraj.
His first contribution, though, was to end the determined innings of opener Gautam Gambhir, holding on to a catch off Dimitri Mascarenhas in the deep, which signalled the arrival of Yuvraj with just over half of the overs remaining.
Broad was re-introduced into the attack just two overs later and delivered a masterful over costing only four runs to build the pressure and set the stage for Yuvraj’s dismissal in the next over when off-spinner Graeme Swann encouraged him out of the crease and he was stumped by wicketkeeper James Foster.
His demise left India on 87 for five and followed just three balls after Broad took another impressive catch, this time at long on, to end Ravindra Jadeja’s scrappy innings of 25 off 35 balls.
Earlier Harbhajan Singh had claimed three for 30 for India, including two in the final over off successive balls.
Just as his contribution seemed to have swung the match firmly in India’s direction, however, what should have been the final ball of the innings flew down the leg-side and span past short fine leg for five wides which ultimately proved decisive in England’s unexpected march towards a possible semi-final place.
