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Fifth one-day international, Delhi: England 271-5 (50 overs) beat India 269-8 (50 overs) by two runs

Warwickshire teammates Ashley Giles and Nick Knight shared the limelight as England pulled off a thrilling victory.

Giles became only the third England spinner to take five wickets in a one-day international after Knight had made 105 to steer them to their highest total of the six-match series.

India needed nine to win off the final over but Darren Gough, playing his 100th one-day game, used his experience to restrict them to six and enable England to reduce India's lead
to 3-2.

Fielding lapses had threatened to cost England dear as Sourav Ganguly and Mohammad Kaif shared a fourth wicket stand of 111.

But Giles removed both in the same over and followed with the wickets of Hemang Badani, Ajay Ratra and Anil Kumble to finish with figures off five for 57 - a tremendous effort after conceding 32 from his first four.

Ajit Agarkar kept India in with a chance by making a rapid 36, but he was unable to hit the six needed off the last ball as Gough maintained a full length.

Caddick's recall

England went into the game with a side showing three changes from that beaten by eight wickets in Kanpur on Monday.

Fast bowler Andy Caddick returned, along with Giles and Foster, but they were not needed at the start as Ganguly opted to put the tourists in after winning the toss.

Knight last made a one-day century for England in 1998
Knight followed his 74 in Kanpur with a hundred

Marcus Trescothick made 35 before lofting Agarkar to debutant Sarandeep Singh at mid-off, but Knight and Hussain build a solid foundation by adding 117 for the second wicket.

It was a workmanlike, rather than a fluent effort by Knight, who had not made a one-day century since 1998 and he needed a slice of luck when a
mis-timed stroke fell just out of Kumble's reach running back from mid-on.

Hussain was caught behind off Tendulkar for 49, but Andrew Flintoff justified the decision to send him in at number four by providing the innings with real impetus.

He hit successive balls from Tendulkar for four and six as he sped to 52 off only 39 balls.

Knight's innings came to an end when he was run out in the 46th over and Flintoff followed six runs later, but they had done enough to ensure India would face a difficult task.

Boundary burst

Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar made light of the challenge as they continued where they left off in Kanpur with a flurry of early boundaries.

Caddick looked rusty in his first one-day appearance since last summer, but produced a good one to have Tendulkar caught behind for 18 with the score on 39.

Andy Caddick strikes
Joy for Caddick as Tendulkar goes

Knight floored a diving slip chance offered by Sehwag but made no mistake when Gough found the edge with a wide delivery after he had made 42.

Dinesh Mongia fell to Flintoff for 20, leaving Ganguly and Kaif to try and rebuild the Indian innings.

Ganguly should have been stumped off Michael Vaughan on 13 but James Foster fumbled the opportunity and the Indian skipper responded by hitting three sixes off Giles into the crowd at mid-wicket.

A brief interruption after missiles were thrown onto the outfield failed to disturb the two batsmen and the score had reached 211 before Ganguly went for one big shot too many, holing out to substitute fielder Owais Shah at long-off after making 74.

Kaif followed for 46 and Giles raced through the middle order to tilt the game in England's favour.

Only off-spinners Vic Marks (twice) and Graeme Hick had previously taken five wickets in a one-day innings for England.

India: S Ganguly (capt), S Tendulkar, V Sehwag, D Mongia, M Kaif, H Badani, A Ratra (wkt), A Agarkar, S Singh, A Kumble, J Srinath.

England N Hussain (Essex, capt), N Knight (Warwickshire), M Trescothick (Somerset), M Vaughan (Yorkshire), G Thorpe (Surrey), A Flintoff (Lancashire), P Collingwood (Durham), A Giles (Warwickshire), J Foster (Essex, wkt), D Gough (Yorkshire), A Caddick (Somerset).

Umpires: S Porel & A Bhattacharjee
3rd Umpire: B Sadshiv
Match referee: D Lindsay (SA).


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