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Yuvraj stars with bat and ball as India tonk England

India’s Yuvraj Singh, left, rides pillion as his captain, Mahendra Dhoni, drives a motorcycle that Yuvraj won as an award for being man of the match after the second one-day international against England in Indore, India, yesterday. PHOTO: AP

Yuvraj Singh scored a second successive century and claimed four wickets as India thrashed England by 54 runs in the second one-day international yesterday.

The left-hander, who defied a back injury to hit a match-winning 138 not out in the first game in Rajkot last week, smashed 118 off 122 balls as India piled up 292-9 after a shaky start.

Yuvraj then broke England’s back with his left-arm spin as the tourists folded for 238 in 47 overs to concede a 2-0 lead in the seven-match series.

Owais Shah (58) and Matt Prior put on 96 for the second wicket after Ian Bell was run out in the first over, before Yuvraj removed both batsmen in consecutive overs.

England skipper Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff hit 74 off 69 balls for the fourth wicket to revive the tourists’ hopes, but Yuvraj stepped in to dismiss the pair in his final over.

Yuvraj trapped Flintoff leg before wicket for 43 and then bowled Pietersen for 33 four balls later to finish with four for 28 from 10 overs.

England bowler Stuart Broad watches the ball during his follow-through during the second one-day international against India in Indore, India, yesterday. PHOTO: AP

Yuvraj, who turns 27 next month, dominated the match from the start after being declared fit to play just before Indian captain Mahendra Dhoni won the toss.

Opener Gautam Gambhir (70) helped him put on 134 for the fourth wicket after a deadly triple strike by 20-year-old fast bowler Stuart Broad had reduced India to 29-3 by the eighth over.

Yusuf Pathan celebrated his 26th birthday with an unbeaten half-century off 29 balls, taking 17 runs off the last four deliveries of the innings bowled by Steve Harmison.

Yuvraj hit 15 boundaries and two sixes in his 10th one-day century before he was caught behind off Broad in the 44th over.

Broad, who finished with four wickets, bowled the in-form Virender Sehwag with his second delivery and had Suresh Raina chipping a catch to mid-wicket in his next over.

The Nottinghamshire fast bowler struck again in his fourth over when Rohit Sharma top-edged an attempted hook shot to Shah at square-leg.

All-rounder Flintoff lifted the pressure off India by conceding 11 runs off one legitimate delivery in the ninth over.

A no-ball was flicked by Yuvraj for a boundary, giving India five runs, and the subsequent free hit was carted by the left-hander over mid-wicket for six.
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