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Best shots from Salt’s 70 against India
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Best shots from Salt’s 70 against India
Third T20 international, Trent Bridge
England 201-7 (20 overs): Salt 70 (44), Curran 41* (24), Buttler 36 (21); Prince 2-30
India 76 (11.4 overs): Tongue 4-28, Archer 3-29
England won by 125 runs, lead five-match series 2-0
Scorecard
England inflicted a record defeat on India in the third T20 at Trent Bridge to give the home side a 2-0 lead with two matches in the series remaining.
Pace bowlers Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue were sensational to ensure the world champions – including 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi – never got to grips with a chase of 202.
Sooryavanshi was bounced out for 13 as part of Archer’s 3-29, India reduced to 52-5 after five overs to effectively end the contest.
Tongue, on his home ground, claimed 4-28. India were bowled out in only 11.4 overs for 76, their second-lowest all-out total in T20 cricket, while the margin of 125 runs is India’s largest defeat in a T20 international.
Phil Salt’s 70 from 44 deliveries underpinned England’s 201-7, Sam Curran providing late impetus with an unbeaten 41 off 24 balls.
On a true pitch surrounded with short boundaries, the target looked around par, before Archer and Tongue ensured India would not get close.
England cannot lose the series and will win it with victory in the fourth match in Bristol on Thursday.
Archer and Tongue rout India
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‘India are rocked again’ – Archer removes Sooryavanshi
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‘India are rocked again’ – Archer removes Sooryavanshi
It was thrilling stuff from England’s new-ball bowlers, who both went over 90mph to produce the kind of hostility the hosts believed would bring success in Test cricket.
The high-speed, short-pitched attack also leaves questions for the vaunted India top-order, who folded in the face of the sustained barrage.
Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were all caught in the deep, square of the wicket, but the crucial moment was the fall of Sooryavanshi.
In his second international, the left-hander sliced the second ball he faced, off Archer, for six over third man.
With the noisy crowd falling silent every time he faced, Sooryavanshi clipped his next delivery, off Tongue, over mid-wicket for another six.
But England had a plan to test him with the short ball. In Archer’s next over, he served up a 90mph bouncer that Sooryavanshi gloved to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.
Before the powerplay was over, Archer also had Tilak Varma edge behind, the first time India have lost five wickets in the powerplay of a men’s T20 international.
The rest was a procession. Adil Rashid took two wickets, fellow spinner Will Jacks one, while Tongue came back to record his best figures in any T20 in his second international appearance.
There was a comedy moment when Arshdeep Singh skied Tongue for what seemed a simple catch, only for the ball to by left to each other by Curran and Buttler.
It was the only thing England did wrong all evening. It took 70 deliveries for India to be dismissed, their shortest all-out innings in a T20.
Salt digs in to lift England
On a hot night in Nottingham, at a ground with a reputation for high scoring, England were asked to bat but struggled to find their rhythm.
Buttler hinted at a return to form with 36 from 21 balls before he was yorked by Prince Yadav, the seamer replacing leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi.
Prince also accounted for England skipper Harry Brook and, when Harshit Rana dismissed Jacob Bethell and Tom Banton in successive deliveries, the hosts were wobbling at 111-4 in the 11th.
Salt, usually ultra-aggressive from the outset, had been frustrated by his inability to time the ball early in his innings. On one occasion, when he played missed, he yelled to the heavens in frustration, then celebrated when he toe-ended to third man for four.
The opener had 17 from the first 19 balls he faced, then got going by pulling the leg-spin of Varun Chakravarthy for six. As England hit the accelerator, India became ragged – Shivam Dube had an awful time in the field.
Salt and Curran added 47 off 26 balls for the fifth wicket until Salt sliced the left-arm spin of Axar Patel to backward point.
Curran, a contender to replace the retired Ben Stokes in England’s Test side, continued his fine series by adding another 35 off 17 balls with Will Jacks.
Batting was all Curran was required to do. Such was England’s dominance, the all-rounder’s bowling was not needed.
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