Swann and Bell leave India with mountain to climb

India 103 for 5 (Dravid 57*, Dhoni 5*) trail England 591 for 6 dec (Bell 235, Pietersen 175) by 488 runs

	Graeme Swann played a major role on a wearing pitch as he worked through India's brittle line up © Getty Images

The whitewash is well and truly on. Despite another session being lost to rain, and the best efforts of Rahul Dravid, England surged at The Oval as India were left in tatters on 103 for 5 in reply to the hosts' massive 591 for 6. Ian Bell carried his serene maiden Test double to 235 then, after a four-over delay, Virender Sehwag was removed in the first over of India's reply and a of succession team-mates, including Sachin Tendulkar, followed him withGraeme Swann making a major impression with three wickets.

England would probably and carried on their run-glut towards 650 - or even consecutive scores of 700, something that has never been done - had the weather not closed in at lunch and, despite a damp outfield, it was a fairly straightforward decision for Andrew Strauss to let his bowlers lose during a long final session. After a quiet time this is looking like Swann's match with substantial turn already on offer out of the footmarks. If he is the matchwinner it really will be the complete series for England.

Having seen Swann's first ball turn from RP Singh's follow through Tendulkar tried to counter the threat by sweeping. It took Swann a little time to settle, but the sweep proved Tendulkar's downfall when he gloved a chance over the wicketkeeper's head and James Anderson jogged round to hold the catch.

Suresh Raina was given a torrid time by pace and spin and couldn't open his account before being brilliantly stumped by Matt Prior for a 29-ball duck - the joint longest by an India batsman - as Swann spun one sharply past a lunging prod. The foot was probably on the line, but it was a brave decision from the third umpire Steve Davis. To cap Swann's best day of the series he had nightwatchman Ishant Sharma caught at short leg two overs before the close.

India's problems were compounded by Gautam Gambhir suffering concussion following the blow he took to the head while dropping Kevin Pietersen on Friday which meant India had to shuffle their line-up again. However, even if Dravid had remained at No. 3 he wouldn't have had a long wait. There he was at the close, defiant on 57, with another mountain to climb.

Sehwag at least avoided a third golden duck after his king pair at Edgbaston but didn't go much further. After two sighters outside off stump he played a pair of trademark back-foot drives off Anderson who responded with a delivery that nipped back to trap Sehwag lbw in front of middle and leg. It meant the sum total of his series was eight balls, eight runs and three dismissals while, for the fourth time in the series, India had lost a wicket in the opening over.

When it comes to changing India's batting line-up Tendulkar never shifts so it was VVS Laxman at No. 3 where he hasn't been comfortable during this series. He received an excellent delivery from Stuart Broad that seamed away to take the outside edge as England's quicks extracted far more life from the surface than India's bowlers managed. And so, for the seventh innings in a row, there was a standing ovation as a batsman walked to the middle.

Tendulkar didn't settle during his innings, seemingly always distracted by problems with the sightscreen and troubled by the pace bowlers. He ducked into a bouncer from Broad (although responded with a flowing on-drive), offered a return chance to Tim Bresnan who couldn't hold on with his left hand and was very late on another delivery from Bresnan that wasn't far from being lbw. For once, though, it was spin not pace that ended the latest attempt at 100 hundreds.

Amid all this Dravid held firm. If anything, he started his innings with more positive intent than is often the case. That meant positive in defence, too, which sends an equally important message to bowlers not that boundaries were in short supply as he hit nine in a fifty that came from 93 deliveries.

Dravid apart, none of India's batsmen have shined whereas each of the opposition have played their part and here it was Bell's turn to join the double-hundred club, the first time England had made three in a series since 1938. His 20th boundary took him to his milestone and celebrated with a dismissive pull through midwicket. He continued to have few problems as he eased along against defensive fields until missing an aggressive sweep against Raina.

Although the game had already been taken well away from India, Sreesanth at least bowled with a bit more verve during the morning session and showed the passion that has been lacking from India's performances. When Anderson jabbed to second slip he was given a long stare by Sreesanth and he also accounted for Eoin Morgan who edged behind for 1, playing away from his body which is still an area of concern with Morgan's game at Test level.

At least Morgan's failure meant Ravi Bopara didn't have to spend another day watching his team-mates pile on the runs even if 487 for 5 didn't exactly represent a pressure situation. As at Edgbaston he looked jittery, but the nerves were settled a little as he clipped a boundary to fine leg and cut the medium-pace of RP Singh through point.

However, he should have been run out on 38 when there was confusion with Prior over a single to backward point but the throw from Sehwag to Amit Mishra was poor. Mishra, meanwhile, continued to struggle with figures of none for 170. A poor piece of fielding and a set of horror bowling figures were two apt ways to sum up India's series. It will take a huge effort to avoid 4-0 from here. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Dhoni rages against the machine

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit out at the controversial Umpire Decision Review System (URDS) after a key decision went against his side in their dramatic World Cup tie with England.

In pic: MS Dhoni calls for a referral when Ian Bell was struck on the pads by Yuvraj Singh © Getty Images

England, replying to India's 338 all out after Sachin Tendulkar's record-breaking fifth hundred in World Cup cricket, finished on 338 for eight following a magnificent career-best 158 from captain Andrew Strauss.

Left-handed opener Strauss shared a vital third-wicket partnership of 170 with Ian Bell (69).

But their stand was worth just 52 when left-arm spinner Yuvraj Singh thought he had Bell lbw on review for 17, with replays showing the ball would have hit the stumps.

Bell had started to walk off but because New Zealand umpire Billy Bowden's verdict was not out, the decision was returned to him by Australian replay official Rod Tucker and the Kiwi deemed Bell to be too far down the pitch.

However, a capacity crowd of mainly passionate India fans were left bemused having seen Bell 'dismissed' on the Chinnaswamy Stadium's giant replay screens.

Bell himself clearly thought he was out, walking off the pitch before his clearly unexpected reprieve and Dhoni too couldn't understand why he was allowed to continue his innings.

India have stood alone amongst major nations in refusing to use UDRS in Tests after getting on the wrong side of the system during a series away to Sri Lanka in 2008 where several reviews went against them.

"The adulteration of technology with human thinking meant we didn't get that (Bell) wicket," said Dhoni.

He was unhappy with the instruction to umpires at this World Cup that says if a batsman is more than 2.5 metres down the pitch he should be given not out, unless the ball would have hit middle stump.

It was not certain if Bell's middle stump would have been knocked over but Dhoni said: "If Hawkeye says it's good and going to hit middle stump, I see no reason why the distance matters.

"Simon (Taufel) once gave me out (like that) in the Champions Trophy. If I can be given out, why not any other batsman? It is pretty difficult for me, what I saw was ball hitting the stumps."

Dhoni praised left-arm quick Zaheer Khan for a burst of three wickets for one run in six balls, including two in two to get rid of Bell and Strauss, that swung the match back India's way when England were on course for victory.

"Well you know the way they were going, I think they got off to a very good start, I think Andrew (Strauss) batted really well. There was a time I think where it seemed they were going to chase the score in 48, 49 overs," he said.

He added: "We could not win the match, but England too could not finish the game, both teams were facing defeat or victory at some point."

England needed 14 off the last over, from seamer Munaf Patel, but managed just 13 despite a third ball six from tailender Ajmal Shahzad.

But Dhoni said it was India's fielding, long their Achilles heel, that had cost them a second victory of this tournament to set alongside their 87-run opening win over fellow co-hosts Bangladesh.

"We could have fielded better. With this tie, everyone in the team will realise that even one run is important," said the captain. -AFP

Epic encounter ends in thrilling tie

India 338 (Tendulkar 120, Bresnan 5-48) tied with England 338 for 8 (Strauss 158, Bell 69, Zaheer 3-64)

	Andrew Strauss led from the front with a brilliant captain's innings © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Tim Bresnan | Stuart Broad | Virender Sehwag | Andrew Strauss | Sachin Tendulkar | Michael Yardy Matches: India v England at Bangalore Series/Tournaments: ICC Cricket World Cup Teams: England | India

On an evening that simply beggared belief, England tied with India in an incredible finale in Bangalore. Andrew Strauss was England's inspiration, producing an extraordinary 158 from 145 balls, the highest score by an English batsman in World Cup history, as England threatened the unthinkable, and set off in full pursuit of India's seemingly unobtainable total of 338 - a score that had been made possible by a brilliant 120 from Sachin Tendulkar.

Such was the clarity of Strauss's strokeplay and the passivity of India's attack, at 280 for 2 in the 43rd over, England were cruising towards an extraordinary triumph. However a late intervention, sparked by a reverse-swinging Zaheer Khan, left them clawing for breath as a silenced Chinnaswamy stadium rediscovered its roar, and when the requirement shot up to two runs a ball, there seemed no way back into the contest. However, a ballsy volley of sixes from England's lower order hauled them back from the brink, and with two runs needed from the final delivery of the match, Graeme Swann drilled Munaf Patel to cover to salvage a share of the spoils.

The breathless finale was entirely in keeping with a contest that twisted and turned like an insomniac in a mosquito-pit. From the first over of the match, in which Virender Sehwag might have been dismissed three times in five balls, through the sumptuous strokeplay of first Tendulkar and later Strauss, and on through a pair of batting collapses - one apiece for the lower order of both teams - there was scarcely a moment in which normal service was permitted. Tim Bresnan, with 5 for 48 in ten unrelentingly composed overs, was the unsung star of a day that deserves to be remembered as the finest World Cup contest sincethat semi-final in 1999.

For the first 39 overs of the match, and again for the last seven, the Bangalore crowd stadium was as raucous as a monsoon wedding, as Tendulkar ignited India's first home fixture of the World Cup with his 47th ODI century, before Zaheer Khan hauled them back from the brink of ignominy with 2 for 11 in his final three-over spell. But in between whiles, the game belonged to England, as India shipped their last seven wickets in 25 balls to let their opponents regain a toe-hold in the contest, before turning the stage over to Strauss and his magnum opus.

A positive start was a pre-requisite as England embarked on their second daunting chase in as many matches, and just as Strauss had soothed his team's anxieties with 88 from 83 balls after their flirtation with humiliation against the Dutch, he was once again in the thick of things right from the start of the innings. Zaheer, who was as poor with the new ball as he was devastating with the old, bowled both sides of the wicket to gift two boundaries in six balls, and Strauss was up and running. He barely dipped below a run a ball at any subsequent stage of his innings.

He required some moments of luck, particularly on 17 when TV replays suggested he had nicked a drive against Zaheer that the Indian fielders were unable to hear against the din of the crowd, but for the most part he was rewarded for his intent and aggression, and a common-sense approach to the three key partnerships that propelled England's challenge. By the end of the batting Powerplay, England were 19 runs to the good, on 77 for 1 compared to India's 10-over total of 58 for 1, and with a stream of easy singles to offset the intermittent boundary balls, they never looked like blinking until the summit was within sight.

At the top of the order, Kevin Pietersen's stay was short, sharp and effective. He pounded four fours in eight Zaheer deliveries to rush along to 31 from 22 balls, before dumping Munaf on his backside by a brutally struck drive, only for the ball he had parried from in front of his face to plop into his right hand as he glanced up to regain his bearings. Trott proved an able ally in a 43-run stand for the second wicket before Chawla hurried one through to strike his back pad, whereupon Bell arrived to embark on what should have been the game's decisive stand - a 170-run partnership that spanned 27 overs.

Bell, England's best player of spin, was beaten twice in his first two balls as Chawla ripped first his googly then his legspinner to perfection, but his hairiest moment came on 17, when Yuvraj Singh referred an appeal for lbw that Hawkeye suggested met all the criteria for an overturned decision. However, umpire Billy Bowden, applying the letter of the law even if it meant contravening the evidence on a billion TV screens, reprieved Bell on the grounds that he had advanced more than 2.5 metres down the pitch, and that the technology's prediction could not be deemed conclusive.

The despondency of the crowd was reflected in India's subsequent bowling, as Strauss motored through to his sixth ODI century, from 99 balls, and on towards his third in excess of 150. Liberated by the match situation, he launched Yuvraj for one of the biggest sixes of his career, straight down the ground, to bring up the hundred partnership, and Bell did likewise to Chawla to rush through to his fifty from 45 balls.

It was England's decision to take the batting Powerplay, at 280 for 2 in the 43rd over, that triggered the devastating late reversal of momentum. India's last chance appeared to have gone begging when Bell, on 68, was dropped by Virat Kohli at slip off Chawla, but Kohli made amends 10 balls later, when Bell miscued a tired slog off Zaheer to extra cover. With the crowd alive to the contest once again, Zaheer then put himself on a hat-trick with an unplayable late-swinging yorker that crushed Strauss's toe in front of leg stump.

With the pressure proving smothering and Chawla's variations now illegible to the new batsmen, Paul Collingwood missed a wipe across the line to be bowled for 1 from five balls, before Prior gave up all hope of threading the gaps and took a huge top-edged heave at Harbhajan to be caught for 4 from 8. Michael Yardy chipped and chivvied before dinking an attempted boundary shot straight to Sehwag at short backward square, but it was Swann's flat six off Chawla, with 29 needed from two overs, that reawakened England's challenge. Three balls later, Bresnan also put Chawla into the stands, and though he was bowled having a mow in the same over, Ajmal Shahzad sent his first ball, from Patel, in the same direction, to set up the grandstand finish. -ESPNcricinfo

Cook and Bell build commanding lead

England 7 for 488 (Cook 189, Bell 115, Johnson 3-97) lead Australia 280 by 208 runs
Scorecard

Ian Bell played wonderfully for his first hundred against Australia but it was tinged with controversy © Getty Images Enlarge

England are well placed to earn their first series victory in Australia for 24 years, having already retained the Ashes, after a day of dominant batting at the SCG as they built a lead of 208. The record-breaking Alastair Cook led the way with 189, his third hundred of the series, and Ian Bell scored his first century against Australia with an elegant, albeit controversial, 115.

Cook and Bell added 154 for the sixth wicket in the match-defining partnership and England's command was cemented when Matt Prior joined to add 107 for the seventh with Bell. It was another chastening day for Australia, who couldn't stem the flow of runs, and for Michael Clarke who now really knows the challenge ahead if he is the long-term captain.

As he did at Brisbane, Cook went through a host of records and by the time he fell had 766 series runs, leaving him second behind Wally Hammond's 905 in the 1928-29 Ashes for England batsmen. Incredibly, in an era when there are few tour matches, he also passed 1000 first-class runs for the trip and has now also spent longer at the crease in a series than any other England player.

For Bell this was the innings he'd been waiting his career to play, converting his pristine form into that cherished hundred. He has never played better than on this trip and again he oozed class. His cover drives continually bisected the field with timing to beat the deep sweepers but it wasn't an innings without controversy. On 67 he was given caught behind off an inside edge only for the decision to be overturned on review, even though there didn't appear to be conclusive evidence, and Snicko later proved Bell had edged the ball.

He was also dropped on 84, a firmly-struck return catch to Steve Smith, but was rarely troubled and reached his hundred with a back-foot push through the covers. While Bell didn't sweat much in the 90s, Cook had a nervous wait on 99 when he flicked a delivery from Michael Beer towards short leg where Phil Hughes claimed the catch and the Australians began celebrating. Cook, though, stood his ground and TV replays showed the ball clearly bounced and Hughes was unsure before joining in late with the appeal.

Smart Stats Alastair Cook's aggregate of 766 runs is the second highest by an England batsman in an Ashes series. The highest is Wally Hammond's 905 runs in 1928-29. Cook's century was his third of the series, making it the 23rd occasion that a batsman has scored three or morehundreds in an Ashes series. The previous occasion that an England batsman achieved this was when Michael Vaughan scored three centuries in 2002-03. The 154 run stand between Cook and Ian Bell is the fifth highest for the sixth wicket for a visiting team in Australia. England have passed 400 in four of the five Tests so far, which is the second time that a visiting team has achieved the feat. The last time England scored more than 400 on at least four occasions in a Test series in Australia was in 1928-29. Bell scored his first Ashes century in his 18th Test. He has now scored 11 half-centuries and one century at an average of 32.36.

It was the second time Beer had been denied Cook's wicket after yesterday's no-ball and in the spinner's next over, Cook worked a single into the leg side to reach his hundred. He'd had a few other tricky moments, when he edged Shane Watson short of second slip on 87 then after passing his hundred nearly chipped Beer to midwicket, but it was a commanding display as he worked his way through the record books once again.

England really put their foot on Australia's throat when the second new ball was taken shortly before lunch as Cook and Bell both took advantage of the extra hardness. Clarke couldn't find a combination that worked as he made seven bowling changes in 14 overs. Ben Hilfenhaus's first over back went for eight then Bell played two perfect straight drives off Peter Siddle having taken time to play himself in. Bell knew this was the chance to make his good form count when it could make a real difference.

He had so much time to play against the quicks and toyed with Beer's length as he waited for anything short. Cook was also positive against the left-armer despite having a few more issues from the footmarks and drove impressively through the covers. Bell reached his fifty by using his feet against Smith - finally given a bowl in the 101st over - and launching him straight down the ground. By tea even Mike Hussey was having a bowl.

Cook looked set to join Hammond as the only England batsman with two double hundreds in a series but finally edged a drive to Hussey in the gully. However, his dismissal barely hampered England's progress as Prior played the perfect role to build England's lead at a swift pace. He lofted Smith for six and peppered the off side in a 54-ball half-century and, after passing his hundred, Bell joined in with ever more expressive strokeplay until edging Mitchell Johnson to slip.

The only sour note on England's day was another failure for Paul Collingwood who can only dream of the form shown by Cook and Bell. He found the middle of his bat largely elusive during a 41-ball stay and Johnson's first delivery of the day had reared to take the glove but looped fine of short leg. Collingwood wanted to be positive, which brought his downfall when he advanced at Beer and miscued his lofted drive towards mid-on where Hilfenhaus took a back-peddling catch.

It was a huge moment of relief for Beer who gave the umpire a quick look, just to make sure, and this time was able to celebrate his first Test wicket. At that point the match was fascinatingly poised but it was the last time Australia had any grip on proceedings. Now they face a mighty task to escape with a draw.