Fourth Test ends in draw, England clinch the series 2-1

This day was a destined for England to go into the record books, as Alastair Cook’s energetic team registered their nations first series win on Indian soil since 28 years, The fourth Test here ended in a  draw on the final day and England have won the series 2-1.

For hosts, this is their 1st Test series loss at home after eight years since Australia won 2-1 in 2004, and also for MS Dhoni as captain in India. Going into the final Test, there was a lot of hope from India to win the match and square the series, but it could not happen. Leave aside the pressure on Dhoni continuing as captain, there were controversy concerning about the pitch and rifts in the team as well as the poor form of Sachin Tendulkar. 

In the fourth Test there was a marked improvement, but England were powered by Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell's centuries to guarantee a draw. The session after tea went as expected with Bell getting his 17th Test century; Joe Root also remained unbeaten on 20 when England declared at of 352 for 4 with a lead of 356 runs.

Earlier, as expected nothing significant happened in the second session, as England played for a draw and went into tea at 310 for 4. Just prior to the tea break, R Ashwin dismissed Jonathan Trott for 143 off 310 balls and thus ended an immovable partnership of 208 runs. Trott had carried from where he left on Sunday and made his eighth Test century in the 1st  session of day five..
India started the day with a hope of some wonder and getting the remaining  wickets quickly  to give them a chance for a win. But with the pitch having totally eased out, Trott and Bell had different plans and grinded out India in the 1st session.

Man of the Match – James Anderson, Man of the Series – Alastair Cook

Bell tolls for South Africa as England win 4th ODI

Ian Bell made 88 as England beat South Africa by six wickets in the fourth one-day international at Lord's on Sunday to go 2-1 up with one match to play in the series.

Man-of-the-match Bell's innings was the cornerstone of England's 224 for four as they won with 20 balls to spare after good work by their bowlers restricted South Africa to 220 for eight.

Together with Warwickshire colleague Jonathan Trott (48), Bell shared a second-wicket stand of 141 after England lost captain Alastair Cook in the first over of their innings when he was lbw to a superb late inswinger from fast bowler Dale Steyn.

However, the Proteas -- without rested paceman Morne Morkel -- couldn't make further early inroads despite Steyn hitting Trott, a former South Africa youth international, on the finger.

As the floodlights took full effect on a gloomy day where the overcast conditions had prompted Cook to field first, Bell cover-drove left-arm seamer Wayne Parnell for four and advanced down the pitch to flat bat him over cover-point for another boundary.

Bell later drove left-arm spinner Robin Peterson high over long-off for six.

He was reprieved though on 65 when dropped by Peterson at mid-on off Lonwabo Tsotsobe. Next ball Bell pulled the left-arm seamer for four.

"I've been working at Warwickshire at hitting over the top, that's what you need to do opening the batting in one-day internationals," explained Bell.

Trott's patient innings ended when he was lbw on the sweep to slow left-armer Dean Elgar after South Africa reviewed Australian umpire Simon Taufel's original not out decision.

After Ravi Bopara fell cheaply following a brief rain break, Bell tried to slap a short ball from Steyn on the offside and was caught behind one-handed by leaping South Africa captain and wicket-keeper AB de Villiers to end a 137-ball innings featuring a six and eight fours.

England still needed a further 35 runs for victory but the innings ended in a blizzard of boundaries, with left-hander Eoin Morgan a run-a-ball 36 not out and Craig Kieswetter, who ended the match with a superb off-driven six off Steyn, unbeaten on 21.

Earlier, James Tredwell atoned for dropping two catches with three wickets as England restricted South Africa to 220 for eight.

The off-spinner took three for 35 in eight overs, with all his wickets stumpings completed by Kieswetter -- the first England wicket-keeper to have three stumpings in a one-day international.

"We've got a lot to look at now; our middle order failed again," said a disappointed de Villiers.

"We keep getting in and fail to go on to big runs. We just didn't have enough runs on the board today."

Cook added: "We made the most of the early conditions. Finny (Steven Finn) and Jimmy (Anderson) up front asked plenty of questions."

But the new-ball duo were denied an early wicket.

Tredwell, who took two for 49 in England's four-wicket series-levelling win across London at The Oval on Friday, got his chance this campaign when England rested number one spinner Graeme Swann because of a longstanding elbow injury.

And it seemed England might miss Swann as much for his slip catching as his bowling on Sunday when Tredwell dropped openers Hashim Amla, on four, and Graeme Smith, on 26, both off fast bowler Finn.

Dropped catches had helped Amla become the first South African to a Test triple century, at The Oval last month, and make 150 in an 80-run win in the second one-dayer in Southampton.

As it was, missing Amla on Sunday 'only' cost England 41 runs when he was bowled by medium-pacer Bopara for an innings top score of 45.

Amla's exit was the start of a South Africa collapse from 100 for one to 115 for four with JP Duminy stumped off a well-flighted Tredwell delivery.

De Villiers (29) and Parnell (five) were also both stumped by Kieswetter as Tredwell took two wickets for no runs in five balls.

The series concludes at Nottingham's Trent Bridge ground on Wednesday.

Wickets tumble on Day 1 of Pakistan-England Test

Dubai: England batsmen ruined the terrific job by seamers Stuart Broad and James Anderson to end up at 104-6 against Pakistan on a bowler-dominated opening day of the third Test on Friday.

Broad bulldozed the top order with 4-36 and Anderson captured 3-35 to shoot out Pakistan for 99 but left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman grabbed 3-23 before the top-ranked team overhauled Pakistan's sixth lowest ever total against England.

Captain Andrew Strauss scored a fighting unbeaten 41 on an eventful on Friday when three rulings by one of the best umpires in the world, Simon Taufel, were overturned.

Strauss was also lucky on 35 when he swept to Rehman and was hit on the back leg. However, Rehman did not go for the referral as TV replays showed it could have overruled Taufel's decision a fourth time.

England paid the price for keeping the faith in its struggling batting lineup that was humiliated in the first two Tests.

Kevin Pietersen (32) briefly showed some of his batting prowess in a 57-run stand with Strauss before Rehman had him lbw. It was the 34th lbw decision of the series, surpassing the previous high of 33 recorded in the series between Pakistan and West Indies in 1993.

Rehman went on to claim the wickets of Eoin Morgan (10) and Matt Prior (6) as England batsmen just managed to get past Pakistan's total.

Earlier, skipper Misbah-ul-Haq's decision to bat first after winning the toss backfired and Pakistan could never recover after Broad and Anderson reduced Pakistan to 21-5. Asad Shafiq fought a lone battle with 45 off 78 balls before he became one of Monty Panesar's two scalps.

England's reply also had a rocky start. Jonathan Trott could have survived had he used video review but the batsman chose to walk after scoring 2 as replays suggested fast bowler Umar Gul's delivery would have missed the leg stump.

Gul had England in early trouble when Alastair Cook, on 1, offered a thick outside edge in only the second over as England took tea at 19-2.

Anderson, who had struck in his very first over in the morning, ensured Pakistan did not reach 100 when he closed the innings by clean-bowling Gul midway into the second session.

The 34-run eighth-wicket stand between Shafiq and Saeed Ajmal (12) ensured Pakistan passed its lowest ever score of 53 made against Australia in 2002 at Sharjah.

Shafiq pulled Broad to the midwicket boundary to also take Pakistan past its lowest score of 72 against England at Birmingham two years ago.

Pakistan had a disastrous start at the same venue where it defeated England by 10 wickets last month.

Anderson had opener Taufeeq Umar lbw for a duck off his sixth delivery and Broad was unlucky not to get rid of Mohammad Hafeez in the next over when Strauss at first slip dropped a two-handed head-high catch.

But Broad did not have to wait long for his reward, striking three times in the space of 16 balls as Pakistan crumbled inside the first hour.

He succeeded on both of his TV referrals after the Australian Taufel had adjudged Azhar Ali (1) and Hafeez (13) not out.

Hafeez could face disciplinary action from match referee Jeff Crowe after he sarcastically clapped with his bat while walking back to the dressing room after his lbw decision by TV umpire Shahvir Tarapore.

In between those successful challenges, Broad snared Younis Khan, who flashed at a wide delivery on 4 and edged through to wicketkeeper Prior.

Anderson reduced Pakistan to 5-21 when he had Misbah trapped lbw for 1 as he missed while trying to play across the line.

Strauss, who saw his batsmen fall well short of a modest victory chase of 145 runs in the second Test at Abu Dhabi last week, kept the pressure on Pakistan and Broad took his fourth wicket by having Adnan Akmal lbw for 6.

Graeme Swann was also amongst the wickets in his only over bowled, with Pietersen at mid-off neatly holding onto a skier from Rehman.

Top-ranked England needs to win the last Test to ensure it pockets the ICC's $175,000 prize money awarded to the No. 1 Test team every April 1.

4th Test: India reeling at 103/5 at end of Day 3

London: Ian Bell brought up his maiden double hundred in Tests and Graeme Swann took 3/27 as England took a firm grip on day three of the fourth and final match agasinst India at the Oval on Saturday.

At stumps India were 103/5, and still trail England by 488 runs after the hosts declared their innings at 591/6.

Swann ended a 55 run partnership between Rahul Dravid and Tendulkar by having the little master caught by James Anderson for 23.

India lost their second wicket when VVS Laxman (2) was caught behind by England wicketkeeper Matt Prior off the bowling of Stuart Broad.

Earlier, Virender Sehwag's horror run on the tour continued when he was trapped leg before wicket by Anderson for just eight.

Tea was taken after a heavy downpour after lunch wiped out the entire second session.

Ian Bell struck his maiden Test double hundred as England played themselves into a commanding position.

The hosts were 591/6 at lunch with Ravi Bopara unbeaten on 44 and wicketkeeper Matt Prior giving him company on 18.

Bell's marathon innings finally came to an end when he was dismissed by part time spinner Suresh Raina for 235.

Bell was given out leg before wicket by umpire Simon Taufel after he failed to connect with an attempted sweep shot.

S Sreesanth got the wickets of nightwatchman James Anderson (13) and Eoin Morgan (1) early on to leave the hosts five down.

While Anderson was caught by VVS Laxman at second slip, Morgan offered a simple catch to Indian skipper MS Dhoni behind the stumps.

Like many similar instances in the series, India lost the plot once again when their bowlers let the England batsmen off the hook on the second day of the fourth Test on Friday.

After keeping things under control in the first session of the second day, the Indian bowlers erred in their line and lengths after lunch and gave Bell and Kevin Pietersen a chance to cut loose, which they accepted gleefully.

Before being dismissed at the fag end of the day, Pietersen had already smashed 175 while Bell was still batting on 181 with night-watchman Anderson on three.

Bell, Pietersen put England on top

Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen both scored hundreds to leave England in a position of utter dominance against India on the second day of the fourth and final Test at The Oval on Friday.

England were 3-457 at stumps, with Bell 181 not out after Pietersen fell for 175.

It left England, whose run-fest delighted the bulk of a 23,500 capacity crowd, well-placed to complete a 4-0 series whitewash after replacing India as the world's best Test side with a crushing innings and 242 run victory at Edgbaston last week.

Bell and Pietersen put on exactly 350, surpassing England's previous best partnership against India, also for the third wicket, of 308 shared by Graham Gooch, the team's current batting coach, and Allan Lamb at Lord's in 1990.

It was also England's seventh largest stand for any wicket in all Tests.

But they were eventually separated when Pietersen, dropped on 102, fell to a fine return chance by part-time spinner Suresh Raina.

Pietersen's nearly four hour innings featured 27 fours.

England, with the score on 3-447, then bizarrely sent in nightwatchman James Anderson, three not out at stumps.

Bell had batted for nearly seven hours, striking two sixes and 17 fours.

After stumps, a delighted Pietersen told Sky Sports: "It's nice to be able to strike the ball like that today, really good, what a good day for us."

And the South Africa-born batsman said he felt no disappointment at missing out on a double century.

"That's probably being greedy, if somebody had said to me this morning I could have 175, I would have said 'thank you'," said Pietersen.

Both Bell and Pietersen scored their second century of the series Friday, with Bell having made 159 in a 319-run second Test win at Trent Bridge and Pietersen 202 not out in a 196-run first Test victory at Lord's.

Bell's hundred was his fifth in 11 Test innings and 16th in all.

Pietersen's 19th Test century took him level with team-mates Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook and left him just three shy of the England record of 22 shared by Walter Hammond, Colin Cowdrey and Geoffrey Boycott.

With Bell batting in classic fashion and Pietersen's innings featuring several unorthodox shots, the pair made the most of ideal, sunny batting conditions on a typically good Oval pitch.

India's attack were unable to sustain the improvement that saw openers Cook and England captain Strauss dismissed in Friday's morning session.

Ishant Sharma needed just five balls to make it 1-75 when he had Cook caught at first slip by Virender Sehwag off a good length ball as England failed to add to their overnight score following a rain-marred first day.

Cook, who made a career-best 294 at Edgbaston, was out for 34.

Strauss managed just two runs in an hour Friday against disciplined bowling before, chasing a wide half-volley from seamer Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, he was caught behind by India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for 40.

But England really took a toll of India's attack after lunch.

Bell struck four boundaries in five balls, including two cover-driven fours off successive deliveries from seamer Sreesanth - who embarrassingly tried to verbally intimidate Pietersen.

And in what is now a trademark stroke, Bell then late cut left-arm quick Rudra Pratap Singh, a replacement for injured medium-pacer Praveen Kumar - one of India's few successes this tour.

India took the new ball but it made no difference and Pietersen, 98 not out at tea, went to his hundred off the first ball after the break when he pulled a Sharma long-hop for four

But next ball, trying to repeat the stroke, he got a top-edge only for Gautam Gambhir, running back at mid-on, to drop the two-handed chance.

It was tough on Sharma, who had decent figures of one for 81 in 27 overs at the close.

Bell straight-drove two sixes in as many balls from Amit Mishra and the leg-spinner's 29 wicketless overs thus far had cost 129 runs.

Bell puts England in control amid controversy

NOTTINGHAM, England, July 31  - Ian Bell scored an immaculate if controversial 159 that helped put England in command against India at the close of the third day of the second test at Trent Bridge on Sunday.

England, who were 24 for one overnight, closed on 441 for six in their second innings, an overall lead of 374. India already need to complete the highest run chase to win a Nottingham test, England's 284 for six against New Zealand in 2004.

The day featured a dramatic U-turn after England trailed India's first innings by 43 runs at the start of the day, when Bell was on nine. Eoin Morgan chipped in with 70, Kevin Pietersen made 63, while Matt Prior was 64 not out with Tim Bresnan on 47 at the close.

Bell was at his stylish best in registering his 15th test hundred, as he guided England from adversity into a position of strength. But a freak run out the stroke of tea dominated was the day's talking point.

Morgan clipped Ishant Sharma to square leg and the batsmen completed three runs and then asumed the ball had crossed the boundary as fielder Praveen Kumar gave the impression it was in fact four runs, although he never signalled.

As umpire Asad Rauf waited for confirmation whether it was a four or a three, Kumar casually returned the ball and Abhinav Mukund eventually took off the bails while Bell was out of his crease, walking back to the pavilion for tea.

After some discussion, while the batsmen by now standing on the edge of the field, Bell was given out to widespread disapproval of the crowd and the England team, who are 1-0 up in the four-match series.

When the umpires and the Indians returned after tea to a chorus of boos from the 15,000 crowd, Bell then appeared to the everyone's surprise.

It later transpired that during the tea interval the England captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower approached their Indian counterparts and asked if they wished to reverse their appeal against Bell.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni told Strauss he would consult his team before returning with an agreement to allow Bell to return.

SPORTING GESTURE

Technically Law 27.8 states that such a decision has to involve the umpires and must happen on the field of play. The fact it was on the last ball before tea may have meant there was room for some discretion.

When the news was announced to spectators during a drinks break of the evening session, the India team received a standing ovation from the appreciative Nottingham crowd.

It was a sporting gesture though may not go down well with every Indian as Bell and Morgan went on to add a further 69 runs, of which Bell's share was 22.

That incident will be remembered as one of the more bizarre moments in test history but for the present, it could have a serious bearing on the result of the match as England led by just 187 runs at the time of Bell's incident.

The controversy should not overshadow the quality of Bell's 206-ball innings which included 24 boundaries.

India struggled to contain his array of elegant and perfectly timed strokes to anything that was slightly off-line, especially several delicate late cuts through a vacant gully region. He has now struck four centuries in his last nine test innings.

The runs after Bell's innings ended were painful ones for India. Morgan faced just 88 balls for his 70, bringing his 50 up with a six, while Prior also accelerated mercilessly, managing his runs from 55 deliveries. Prior has added 102 with Bresnan so far.

Earlier, Strauss's poor run of form continued as he was caught behind for 16 and has now failed to score more than 32 in his last eight innings.