West Indies v England – Live Blogging

That was an absolute cracker of a game. England deserved the win and West Indies well they only have themselves to blame. They should have comfortably won the game but after Andre Russell was out, Sarwan failed to take control and that is where thy failed. Also they looked a batsman short and that should bring Shiv Chanderpaul right in to contention for the next game given his record against India. But England deserve to go through after the way they played all their six games. Chennai was treated with a regal contest and hope we can see more of that come Sunday. Interestingly England have won against all the strong teams in their group and lost to the minnows. Very Interesting.. See you all on Sunday.

After a plethora of wickets including that of Pollard, West Indies are six down for 182 runs in 33 overs with Ramnaresh Sarwan and Andre Russell mounting a minor come back with a crucial partnership of 32 runs. However England are fighting it out hard to live and see another day. All their three new recruits Ravi Bopara, James Tredwell and Luke Wright had a field day with both the bat and the ball, With all the recognized West Indian batters out there is only a glimmer of hope for the West Indies although they are well ahead of the run rate at this time with the batting power play left. However the likes of Roach, Bishoo and Benn are not known for their batting prowess and West Indies are just hoping that Sarwan with his vast experience can yet pull this out of the bag.

Chasing 244 for victory, a place in the quarters and elimination for England, WestIndies started off like a run away train. Chris Gayle blasted a whirlwind 43 of just 21 balls with eight fours and one massive six. However the introduction of the obscure James Tredwell bought England much needed success, he dismissed Gayle lbw and followed that up by getting Devon Smith for 10 runs stumped by Matt Prior. Darren Bravo played a delectable pull shot just like Brian Lara, but he too was out thought by Tredwell who claimed him. However in a surprise move the captain Darren Sammy promoted himself up to number three and blasted a quick-fire 41 of 29 balls with two fours and three sixes, one of them landing almost outside the ground. West Indies are 114/4 at the end of 18 overs and this games is just on the edge. One more wicket and England could pull this off.Bangladeshis must be praying hard though..

End of Innings update:

Helped by Luke Wright’s 44 England reached a reasonably healthy score of 243 all out in 48.4 overs. Probably a par score on the wicket that certainly has something for the bowlers. It would be interesting to see how West Indies can pull this chase off. I would not rule out West Indies winning them game, however England might have just done enough. Dew should not be a factor here and Swann should have no difficulty to grip the ball and I’m sure Chris Tremlett will be a handful on this wicket. I love to see these kind of games and not a run orgy. The crowd has gone up a notch and would be happy if they see a good game. West Indies are a little short on batting with Shiv Chanderpaul dropped so it’s up to the young guns to step up to the plate. Looking forward to the second half. One thing is sure though there will be thousands of people in the streets of Dhaka and Chittagong rooting for the West Indies.. Let’s see if their prayers are answered.

Update at the end of 37th over

In an intriguing passage of play at the end of the 37th over England have sunk to 177-6 with West Indian spinner Devendra Bishoo , Kemar Roach and Andre Russell taking one wicket each. The pitch has something in it for the bowlers and should pose an interesting chase under lights. 250 would be a winning total however that would be a minor miracle if England can get there. Having defended a meager 171 against South Africa in the very same venue not so long ago England should feel confident if they can get to 220 or so. Andre Russell has bowled absolute trip, however in between that tripe he has bowled three unplayable balls. The crowd has build up nicely and the stand next to me is almost full. It should make for an interesting chase.

Hello Folks here is an update at the end of the drinks break

England have reached 99/2 in 17 overs at the first drink break. The West Indian bowlers were at best inconsistent although they bowled some superb balls in between. Andre Russell’s beauty to get rid of Prior and Chris Gayle’s superb catch to dismiss the England captain Andrew Strauss were the only two bright moments for West Indies in a session otherwise dominated by England. The pitch looks a belter and WestIndies should back themselves to chase 275 or so. Anything over 275 would be a tough one I reckon. Devendra Bishoo the young Guyanese leggie impressed in one over he bowled. Meanwhile the Wifi in the press box has been sporadic, Twitter and FB are behaving weird and as i type this England have just reached three figures.

Hi Folks! Where ever you are this is Ganesh Venkat giving you live updates from the M.A.Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. England have won the toss and elected to bat. There is a sparse crowd and lot of cops.

The big news is Shiv Chanderpaul has been dropped by the West Indies and Devendra Bishoo makes his ODI debut. I’m not sure if dropping Shiv was a good idea. The ground looks absolutely magnificent. For England the spinner James Tredwell and Luke Wright are in. We will have updates during the drinks breaks, innings break and the end of the match.

‪Here we go! The West Indians have made it to the middle and the English openers are on their way out.