Pietersen’s blazing knock ruins Lara’s epic farewell
In the all interesting match between West Indies and England the English won the breathtaking match with one wicket and a ball to spare. The stands of Kensington Oval saw a full house as this was the final match of West Indies skipper Brian Lara.
The hosts got off to a solid start as Gayle and Smith’s opening partnership put up 131 on the board. Both the openers were sent back by Andrew Flintoff first he trapped former for 71 and then latter for 69. After the departure of the openers fireworks started as Chris Gayle came out to bat.
Chris Gayle's 58-ball 79 gave the hosts a solid platform to set up a big total but unfortunately West Indies' lower order collapsed as they could not sustain the English attack.
The last six wickets fell for just 42 runs in the final 10 overs which allowed England to re-enter the match which had slipped from their hands. England's impressive fielding and high standards of bowling helped them to regain their grip on the match.
In reply the English team lost their opener at the score of just 11 runs. With Bopara, skipper Vaughan added another 90 for the second wicket till both were run out by Bravo for 26 and 79 respectively. After skipper’s departure the ground ignited as Pietersen came out to bat.
On one end where Kevin Pietersen made his second World Cup century the other end saw wickets falling at regular intervals. When Pietersen was joined by Nixon, England needed to score a mammoth total of 112 in just 14 overs but the pair added 80 in 63 balls which re-ignited the English hopes of a victory.
Pietersen fourth ODI ton helped England to stabilize their innings after they were faltering at 189 for 6. The ace batsman’s crucial knock helped his team to gain victory in this face saving match.
In the match skipper Lara was honoured by standing ovation and handshakes from his team-mates. This match saw Lara’s departure from one-day internationals.
Brief Score: England 301-9 (Pietersen 100, Vaughan 79) vs. West Indies 300 (Gayle 79, Smith 61)
Result: England won the match by one wicket
To know more about Cricket World Cup 2007, check the following links:
Points Table
Highlights
Match Scorecards
| 
