New Zealand won by 51 runs

England v New Zealand, 5th ODI, Lord's

New Zealand chip away as England chase 267

June 28, 2008

25 overs England 101 for 4 need another 166 runs to beat New Zealand 266 for 5 (Styris 87*, Oram 52)
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How they were out

	Scott Styris picks up the remains of Brendon McCullum's bat, which snapped in half © Getty Images

England's batsmen were under significant pressure at the halfway mark of their chase as they aimed to stop New Zealand winning the series, as Daniel Vettori's men chipped away to leave the hosts at 101 for 4 after 25 overs. They required a further 166 runs to overhaul New Zealand's strong total on a reasonable pitch and a lot was resting on Owais Shah, who had 4, and Luke Wright, who was yet to score.

It looked like a confident Ravi Bopara was preparing to guide the chase as he struck a couple of sweetly timed boundaries straight and through midwicket off Southee . However, when he had reached 30 from 39 deliveries, he was comprehensively beaten by a Vettori arm ball that crashed into his off stump. The heat was already building on the middle order after Kevin Pietersen failed to provide a heroic captain's knock from when he cut Southee straight to Jacob Oram at point on 6.

Pietersen was trying to lift England after the loss of Alastair Cook and Ian Bell, who began well but failed to capitalise on their starts. They added 53 in 11 overs and Bell got things moving in the first over when he drove a slightly wayward Kyle Mills through the on side for a pair of boundaries that raised roars of approval from the England fans.

Cook also showed some encouraging signs in his first ODI of the series, picking off a couple of loose Mills deliveries for boundaries to reach 24 before he edged behind off Southee's second ball. It gave New Zealand two wickets in three overs after Bell walked across his stumps and was trapped in line by Mark Gillespie for 27. They had given England a solid platform but the match was destined to be in the hands of their middle-order colleagues.

50 overs New Zealand 266 for 5 (Styris 87*, Oram 52) v England
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How they were out

A perfectly-paced unbeaten 87 from Scott Styris and an entertaining half-century from Jacob Oram ensured England would face a challenging chase to level the series at Lord's, where New Zealand reached 266 for 5 after 50 overs. At the close Grant Elliott was with Styris on 23 and Kevin Pietersen's decision to send New Zealand in on a reasonable batting pitch was looking questionable.

After laying a solid platform of 170 for 4 from 40 overs, New Zealand added 96 in the final ten as Pietersen failed to work out how to plug the leak. At the 40-over mark New Zealand had managed only eight fours and a six, a subdued compilation for a team featuring strikers like Oram, Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor, but by the end of the innings they had more than doubled the boundary count.

Oram cut loose with a pair of sixes that cleared long on, giving him a 37-ball fifty and leaving Owais Shah with a double-figure economy rate and even though he departed to a catch at long off, the crowd was given further fireworks when Styris suddenly lifted his tempo. When he reached his half-century from 75 deliveries - with a miscued six - Styris had managed only two fours.

But his next 34 came from 16 balls as he powerfully launched Ryan Sidebottom and James Anderson into the crowd for sixes, making England pay after he was given a life on 13. Styris flashed hard at a Graeme Swann delivery outside off stump and the ball flew over the head of the backward point Bopara, who hurled himself in the air only to see the ball bounce off his outstretched hand.

For most of his stay Styris played the risk-free anchor role that Michael Hussey does so effectively in Australia's middle order. He was happy to take ones and twos and initially had impressive support from a confident Daniel Flynn, who was dropped on 21 at cover by Ian Bell. The pair's 53-run stand soon ended when Flynn (35) misread the line and was bowled trying to drive Swann but the partnership was strong enough to steady New Zealand following their early wobbles.

The big blow came when McCullum edged a good-length Anderson delivery to slip for 23, having been tested by some short stuff in the previous few overs. For a man who usually wields his bat like a lethal weapon it was a remarkably harmless innings from McCullum, who occupied the crease for 57 deliveries.

In the early stages as he struggled to pierce the field it was almost as if his bat was broken. Perhaps there was some fault-line lurking in the middle of his willow, because later in his stay the bat unexpectedly snapped in half as he pushed Anderson to midwicket. While Anderson removed the primary danger man to leave New Zealand at 71 for 3, it was Broad who had grabbed the first two wickets. Taylor edged behind for 4 after an overexcited Jamie How (22) drove a catch to Bopara at backward point having just clubbed Broad for a four and a six earlier in the over.

It meant England did not pay too heavily for giving How a life on 4, when he top-edged an attempted pull that flew high over the head of Tim Ambrose, who ran back and grassed what he should have taken. That was hardly the start the stand-in captain Pietersen wanted after sending New Zealand in on a reasonable batting pitch and by the close the first-time skipper's concerns were mounting.

Gambhir and Raina put India on course

Bangladesh v India, Super Four, Asia Cup, Karachi

June 28, 2008

25 overs: India 152 for 2 (Gambhir 74*, Raina 46*) need another 132 runs to beat Bangladesh 283 for 6 (Kapali 115, Tamim 55)
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How they were out

	Gautam Gambhir made his first fifty of the tournament to lead India's confident reply © AFP

Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina profited from the generosity of Bangladesh's fielders as India appeared set to breeze past another stiff target at the National Stadium in Karachi. Two days after making mincemeat of 300 against Pakistan, they were 152 for 2 at the halfway stage, in pursuit of 284 for victory. Shahadat Hossain, all lively pace and whole-hearted grunting, had given Bangladesh hope with two wickets in the first Powerplay, but the partnership between Raina and Gambhir upset Mohammad Ashraful's best-laid plans. Butter fingers didn't help.

Gambhir had made 56 when his attempt to muscle Mashrafe Mortaza over the infield was sliced up in the air towards point. Farhad Reza made a mess of the catch, and Mortaza was left to squat on the pitch and hold his head in his hands. Soon after, still in the final Powerplay, Raina experienced his own adrenaline-rush moment, top-edging a pull. But again, Mortaza's celebrations were aborted as Mahmudullah spilt the chance at fine leg. Raina had made just 16 at that stage.

Bangladesh had started well enough, with Robin Uthappa inside-edging a full delivery on to his stumps. That brought in Rohit Sharma, another whose fortunes have waned in recent times. With Bangladesh especially generous with overthrows, India didn't need to take undue risks, and Rohit soon got going with an imperious pull and a cover drive for fours.

With Gambhir cutting and pulling anything that was slightly off target, the 50 came quickly enough, but soon after Rohit flicked Shahadat straight to midwicket. Raina, in resplendent form this tournament, was content to rotate the strike early on, and Gambhir quickly got to his half-century with a four and six off Mahmudullah.

The catches were dropped soon after, and with it, Bangladesh's chances of a famous upset may just have gone off into the night sky.

50 overs: Bangladesh 283 for 6 (Kapali 115, Tamim 55) against India

	Alok Kapali's whirlwind century transformed the game © AFP

A truly breathtaking 115 from Alok Kapali utterly transformed the opening game of the Asia Cup's Super Four, with Bangladesh suddenly finding an extra gear to race to 283 from their 50 overs. Despite an attractive half-century from Tamim Iqbal at the top of the order, the innings had meandered along for 42 overs before Kapali cut loose with a ferocity that brooked no answer from the Indians. Mahmudullah turned over the strike at the other end, contributing only 24 to the century partnership as Kapali struck the ball with power and precision.

With eight overs remaining, the innings was becalmed. Pragyan Ojha had bowled a tidy spell and taken two wickets on debut, Yusuf Pathan had given little away, and Ishant Sharma had kept things quiet when called upon. But when Yusuf came on to bowl his final over, Kapali, then on 47 from 64 balls, exploded into life. Two big slog-sweeps for six set the tone, and when RP Singh returned, both batsmen scythed him over backward point for fours.

Manpreet Gony, whose second international outing was a great deal more taxing than the first against Hong Kong, then went for four, six and six as Kapali started to swing with genuine confidence. Mahendra Singh Dhoni once again turned to Ishant to apply a tourniquet, but to no avail. Kapali clipped a slow yorker beautifully through midwicket and then carved one past point as 61 came in just five overs. Of that, 50 had come off Kapali's bat.

India were left to rue another poor session in the field. Kapali had made just 25 when Gony misjudged a catch at long-on off the bowling of Yusuf. Gautam Gambhir gave him another reprieve late on, but by then he had roared into three figures, and changed the complexion of the match.

The innings had a much more circumspect start, with Tamim's cover drive for four off RP the only boundary in the first five overs. But when Nazimuddin cut RP straight to third man, it brought Ashraful to the crease, and there was no dawdling after that. He was fortunate that a slap through point off Gony just brushed Suresh Raina's fingers, but Gony didn't help his cause either by straying on to the pads once too often.

A tidy clip for four off one such delivery got Tamim past 1,000 ODI runs, and when Ashraful then took two fours from an RP over, India's early control had all but vanished. Dhoni turned to Ishant to stem the tide, but Tamim, one of the heroes of that famous World Cup win over India, greeted him with a superb straight drive and a fortuitous edge for four.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, Ashraful's profligate streak came to the fore just when his team were on top. Gony had been brought back for a second spell, and a half-hearted drive on the up went to Ojha at mid-off. A first international wicket for Gony, and a first catch for Ojha.

Raqibul and Tamim continued to pick up runs at a fair clip, and Dhoni threw Ojha the ball in the 17th over. He started tidily enough, giving little away, and was unlucky as a thick outside edge that took Tamim past 50 just evaded the man at slip.

Yet again though, a moment's carelessness cost Bangladesh dearly. Having creamed Ishant through the covers for four, Tamim then tried to deflect one fine off the pads. Too fine as it turned out, with Dhoni making good ground to his right to take a splendid catch. The second and third Powerplays had fetched just 42, and Bangladesh had to do it all over again.

Raqibul Hasan expressed the desire to push on with a big heave over long-off against Ojha, but was flummoxed soon after, leaving Bangladesh to focus on consolidation rather than acceleration. Ojha came up with a beautiful delivery that turned past the defensive prod to take off stump, and leave Bangladesh on 120 for 4.

Mushfiqur Rahim and Kapali consolidated with a 49-run partnership, but India's bowlers, with Ojha varying his flight cleverly, were slowly establishing a stranglehold. Ojha's second wicket came courtesy a little extra bounce, with Mushfiqur's attempt at a cut finding only Dhoni's gloves.

At that stage, India might have scented the kill. Instead, with Kapali in free-stroking mood, the hunters became the hunted. The last eight overs fetched 90 runs, as Bangladesh overhauled their previous-highest total against India by 26 runs. On a placid pitch, it might still not be enough, but once again, a pint-sized Bangladeshi batsman had left India with a bloody nose.