England Knock Champions Out of Tournaments

England celebrate their three-run win which knocked India out of the ICC World Twenty20

London: Defending champions India bowed out of the World Twenty20 after losing to hosts England by three runs in a key Super Eights match at a packed Lord's on Sunday.

India restricted England to 153-7 after electing to field in good batting conditions, but then fumbled their reply to be stopped at 150-5 despite scoring 56 runs in the last five overs.

Needing 15 off the last three deliveries, Yusuf Pathan smashed Ryan Sidebottom straight for six off the first, but managed only a single of the next before skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit the last ball for four.

Dhoni (30 not out) and Yusuf (33 not out) added 63 for the unbroken sixth wicket after half the side was back in the pavilion by the 14th over with only 87 on the board.

India paid dearly for conceding 16 extras in England's innings, including 14 wides as two deliveries from off-spinner Harbhajan Singh went for boundaries behind the wicketkeeper.

India needed to win to stay in the tournament after losing their opening Super Eights match against the West Indies at Lord's on Friday.

England, who also lost their first match to South Africa, now face the West Indies at the Oval on Monday in a match that will almost certainly take the winner into the semi-finals along with the Proteas.

India slipped to 24-2 by the fourth over as Sidebottom, who replaced leg-spinner Adil Rashid in the England team, removed Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina.

Gautam Gambhir and Ravindra Jadeja took the total to 62-2 in the 11th over when Dmitri Mascarenhas broke through by having Gambhir caught at fine-leg by Stuart Broad.

Off-spinner Graeme Swann grabbed two wickets in four balls to reduce India to 87-5 by the 14th over.

Swann had Jadeja caught in the deep after the batsman, playing his first match in the tournament, plodded for 35 balls to make 25.

Yuvraj Singh, who hit the first ball he faced for a six, was stumped by James Foster in the same over after making 17 off nine balls.

Earlier, Kevin Pietersen top-scored for England with 46 off 27 balls, with three fours and a six, after sharing a second-wicket stand of 71 with opener Ravi Bopara (37).

Harbhajan picked up three wickets, but England's lower order retrieved the situation by adding 53 runs in the last five overs.

Pietersen and Bopara took charge after Luke Wright had fallen in the second over, top-edging a pull off Rudra Pratap Singh.

The duo brought up their 50 partnership off 35 balls before left-arm spinner Jadeja broke the stand in his first over by bowling Bopara.

Jadeja then claimed Pietersen leg-before as the batsman attempted to sweep.

Harbhajan lured Owais Shah (12) to hole out to Jadeja on the mid-wicket fence before removing James Foster and Swann off successive deliveries.

Breif Score: England 153 for 7 (Pietersen 46, Harbhajan 3-30, Jadeja 2-26) beat India 150 for 5 (Pathan 33*, Sidebottom 2-31, Swann 2-28) by three runs.