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NEWS UPDATE : Asian Cricket Third Sri Lanka-Pakistan ODI abandoned due to rain COLOMBO: The third One-day International between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was abandoned due to rain here at the R Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday. The umpires made this decision after consulting ... Australia want to master all forms of game: Clarke SYDNEY: Australia's limited-overs tour of England and Ireland represents the start of a two-year campaign to make them the top nation in all three forms of the game, captain Michael Clarke said ... Bopara glad to be back for England SOUTHAMPTON, England: Ravi Bopara is eager to make up for lost times as he tries to revive his ... South Africa name unchanged squad for England series JOHANNESBURG: South Africa have kept faith with a winning formula by naming an unchanged squad for the three-Test series in England starting next month, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on ...


Thursday, October 13, 2011

Bairstow sizzles as England warn India

International novice Jonny Bairstow smashed an unbeaten 104 off 53 balls on Tuesday as England flaunted their all-round prowess ahead of the one-day series against world champions India.England piled up 367-4 in their 50 overs in a practice match against a Hyderabad XI and bowled the home team out for 114 in just 35.3 overs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.The massive 253-run win was a timely boost for the tourists with the first one-dayer against Mahendra Singh Dhoni's India at the same venue on Friday.Skipper Alastair Cook hit 85 off 74 balls and Craig Kieswetter made 71 during a rollicking opening stand of 151. Jonathan Trott chipped in with a quickfire 74, but it was the 22-year-old Bairstow who stole the show by pounding eight sixes and six boundaries.Bairstow, who has played a solitary one-day international, reached his century with a six off the last ball of the innings. Kevin Pietersen missed out in the run-hunt, falling for 10 Scott Borthwick, a 21-year-old leg-spinner from Durham, enhanced his claims for a full England debut with remarkable figures of 5-31 from his 10 overs in Hyderabad's innings.The tourists won the first practice match against the same opposition on Saturday by 56 runs with fast bowler Steven Finn grabbing a hat-trick in his 4-28.England took the field in the second game without frontline batsman Ian Bell, down with a stomach bug, and leading spinner Graeme Swann, who is recovering from a minor ankle injury.Fast bowlers Finn and Jade Dernbach, and batsman Ravi Bopara, were also rested. The other matches against India will be played in New Delhi (October 17), Mohali (Oct 20), Mumbai (Oct 23) and Kolkata (Oct 25), before England round off the tour with a lone Twenty20 game in Kolkata on Oct 29.