India spark collapse before Root leads England to 258 in 1st ODI

BIRMINGHAM: Joe Root made India pay for giving him an early reprieve with a run-a-ball 76 not out as England fought back from a top-order collapse to make 258 in the first one-day international at Edgbaston on Tuesday.

England lost three wickets for one run in six balls to be 64-3 after captain Harry Brook won the toss and later slumped to 80-5.

They were still in trouble at 107-6 in the first of this three-match series when Root was joined in the middle by Liam Dawson, best known at international level as a left-arm spinner.

But the Hampshire veteran responded with a maiden ODI fifty, making 68 as he shared a seventh-wicket stand of 121 with key batsman Root.

Former England captain Root was missed on seven, however, when Shivam Dube dropped a caught and bowled chance of a hard-hit drive.

After India’s fast bowlers, including the returning Jasprit Bumrah, had done the initial damage, left-arm spinner Axar Patel followed up with 4-62 as England were bowled out with 13 balls of their innings remaining.

England came into this match after a 4-0 Twenty20 series whitewash of India, world champions in that format, that took them to No 1 in the T20 rankings.

But England are currently eighth in the ODI standings and in danger of not qualifying for next year’s 50-over World Cup in southern Africa.

Jacob Bethell, opening in an ODI for the first time, took 13 balls to get off the mark on his Warwickshire home ground.

But Ben Duckett opened his account by cover-driving Bumrah, returning to India duty after being rested from T20 series losses to both Ireland and England, for four.

Duckett went on the attack with two sixes in three balls off Gurnoor Brar, a scoop over wicket-keeper KL Rahul’s head followed by a top-edged pull.

But it was Brar who sparked England’s collapse when Bethell holed out to Washington Sundar, running in from deep square leg.

Two balls later, fellow left-handed opener Duckett (43) also fell to Brar when a slash to deep third man was caught by Bumrah, who tossed the ball up before stepping over the boundary and regathering a catch.

Bumrah took the lone wicket of a typically miserly nine overs costing just 31 runs when he had Brook caught at slip for just one as the dynamic batsman attempted to steer the ball to third man.

Jos Buttler fresh from a blistering century in the T20 series finale at Southampton, managed just five in his 200th ODI when he skyed Prasidh Krishna and Brar clung on despite colliding with India captain Shubman Gill.   

And England were 107-6 when Will Jacks  was superbly caught one-handed by a diving Rahul off Dube.

Dawson, whose previous highest ODI score was 20, helped repair the early damage with a 65-ball fifty including a slog-swept six off Patel before he holed out off the spinner.

Root also cleared the ropes off Patel with a huge straight six, his innings also featuring six fours.