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Rediff.com  » Cricket » Images: Anderson bowls England to victory
This article was first published 12 years ago

Images: Anderson bowls England to victory

Last updated on: July 25, 2011 23:24 IST

Image: England players celebrate after winning the first Test against India at Lord's
Photographs: Getty Images

Suresh Raina's fighting 78 went in vain as England delivered the knockout punch at the fag end of an engrossing fifth day to script a resounding 196-run victory over India and take a 1-0 lead in the four-match Test series at Lord's on Monday.

- Scorecard Match Report

Set a daunting target of 458, India's batting order failed to bat out the final day as they folded up for 261 in 96.3 overs at Lord's.

The left-handed Raina stood bravely amid the ruins with a gritty knock during which he faced 136 balls and hit 10 boundaries, while VVS Laxman (54) and Dravid (36) were the other notable scorers in a rather disappointing batting show by the number one Test team.

India's Lord's jinx continues

Image: Stuart Broad reacts after his appeal was turned down

The Indians needed to play out the fifth day but a combination of poor shot selection and some horrendous strokes allowed the hosts to run away with the match at a packed Lord's, a record as far as turnout is concerned at the hallowed venue.

The English dressing room broke into celebration as Stuart Broad trapped last man Ishant Sharma to signal the victory in the centenary Test between the two sides.

The two teams will now travel to Nottingham for the second Test beginning July 29.

James Anderson was the pick of the English bowlers, finishing with impressive figures of five for 65, while Broad took three for 57 to break the back of a team, which will lose its numero uno status if the hosts win the series by two or more Tests.

Five wickets for 36 runs

Image: James Anderson celebrates after picking up a five-wicket haul

India, who began the day at 80 for one, lost three wickets in the first session, senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar in the middle, and the remaining five in the final session.

The visitors lost their last five wickets for 36 runs within a space of 68 balls.

The two overnight batsmen, Dravid and Laxman, were guilty of losing their wickets to poor shot selection, while Gautam Gambhir (22) played the wrong line to off-spinner Graeme Swann in the first session.

Tendulkar appeared exhausted due to the viral infection and could only make 12 runs from 85 minutes of batting and even though Raina and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (16) saw through the final hour of the middle session, the second new ball was always going to be the telling factor.

Raina waged a lone battle

Image: Suresh Raina walks back to the pavillion after being dismissed

England claimed the second new ball when it was due.

Dhoni unnecessarily played at a Chris Tremlett delivery and was easily caught behind, Harbhajan Singh fell to Anderson, and the rest of the batting did not appear to have the heart to deny England.

Anderson was England's hero of the day and his fiver included the trinity of Indian batting -- Dravid, Laxman and Tendulkar -- besides top scorer Raina and Harbhajan.

Raina, who battled hard for his runs, was the ninth batsman out, edging one off Anderson.

The slide started when Dravid edged to wicketkeeper Matt Prior after poking at a delivery, with India at 94 for two.

The second-wicket partnership between Dravid and Laxman yielded 75 runs and came off 153 balls but more importantly, it consumed 26 overs.

Dravid did not make most of a reprieve he got when Ian Bell couldn't hold on to a catch at forward short leg off a Tremlett delivery.

Dravid's departure brought Gambhir on to the crease, the left-hander having recovered from the blow he received while fielding at forward short leg.

Laxman and Gambhir added 37 runs from 14 overs before both were dismissed in a space of eight balls, the introduction of Anderson doing the trick for England.

Anderson claimed the trinity

Image: James Anderson celebrates after picking up Sachin Tendulkar's wicket

Anderson's first delivery was a loosener, and Laxman rightly went for the pull shot, but to his disbelief it failed to clear Bell at midwicket.

Laxman batted for nearly three hours, faced 113 balls and struck eight boundaries. Gambhir took the long walk back to the pavilion in the next over when Swann had him trapped in front of the wicket.

The left-hander was at the crease for 71 minutes and hit two fours while facing 56 balls.

Tendulkar, coming back after suffering a bout of viral infection, then fell leg before to Anderson. He batted for 85 minutes and hit one four during his painstaking stay at the crease.

The senior batsman made only five runs from an hour's batting in the afternoon, an innings he would like to forget in a hurry, having survived an lbw shout that would have gone on to hit the stumps, a dropped chance in the slips while trying to leave an Andersen delivery and finally his dismissal, which closed his account at Lord's.