| Second Royal London One Day International, Lord’s: |
| England 246 all out (49 overs): Moeen 47, Willey 41; Chahal 4-47 |
| India 146 all out (38.5 overs): Hardik 29, Jadeia 29; Topley 6-24 |
| England win by 100 runs; Series level at 1:1 |
| scorecard |
Reece Topley played on the ball as England leveled their day-long international streak against India with a 100-run victory in game two at Lord’s.
Topley went 6-24 – the best numbers for England in a men’s ODI – while the hosts ably defended 246.
He removed openers Rohit Sharma for a duck and Shikhar Dhawan for a nine before Rishabh Pant chipped a Brydon Carse full toss mid-on to zero.
When Virat Kohli’s poor form continued – he edged out David Willey by 16 points – India was 31-4.
Suryakumar Yadav stopped England’s attack on 27 and Hardik Pandya threatened on 29, but Topley returned to bowl Suryakumar over the inside edge and Moeen Ali caught Hardik at depth to effectively crush India’s hopes.
Topley added the wickets of Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal and last man Prasidh Krishna to eclipse Paul Collingwood’s 6-31, England’s best ODI numbers to date. India was knocked out of the tournament for 146.
Despite slipping to 102-5, England were eliminated to 246 in 49 overs, thanks largely to Moeen’s 49.
David Willey, thrown back on a crucial one, also made 41 after leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal knocked over England’s strong top order 4-47.
The result ensures England, who have been Lord’s again three years to the day since winning the World Cup, are beaten back by their crushing defeat in the first ODI.
The decision will take place on Sunday at Emirates Old Trafford from 11am BST.
Topley breaks record as bowlers impress
Only two bowlers – Collingwood and Chris Woakes, who has done so twice – had won six wickets in an ODI for England.
Topley, a player whose career nearly ended with injury, joined them with a good performance on the new ball and later in the innings to cap an impressive performance in English bowling.
Moeen pulled England to a result but it still looked underperforming.
Topley took the new ball with Willey and they began India’s one-girl chase. In the second round, the 28-year-old Surrey quickly put Rohit forward for a duck.
Willey was rewarded with the crucial wicket from Kohli, who pressed on a wide ball and punched through to Buttler as the former captain’s 32-month wait for an international century in any format continues.
Then, with the game not quite over, Topley returned – his performance mid-innings was just as impressive.
Suryakumar hit 117 of 55 balls in the third T20 but Topley found a touch of bounce to remove it before rekindling another chase.
He added the wicket of Mohammed Shami with a clever, slower ball before beating the last two with perfect line and length.
Topley had multiple stress fractures and considered quitting cricket in 2018. This was a memorable reward for perseverance in cricket’s historic homeland.
Moeen drags England to a goal
England were beaten in the first ODI on Tuesday, a defeat that came from two heavy defeats in the three-game Twenty20 series.
There were four ducks in the top five at The Oval as England were sent off with 110. This time Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and Ben Stokes all hit double digits against a similarly impressive New Ball spell, but as everyone fell in the first 25 overs plus captain Jos Buttler for four another small total was possible.
Chahal varied his pace to outsmart the top order – Bairstow rolled on the sweep for 38, root out lbw for 11 with the same stroke and Stokes was also caught up front playing reverse.
The difference, however, was the ability to score – something Buttler demanded after Tuesday’s defeat – and luck.
Moeen laid on 46 with Liam Livingstone, only for the Lancashire batter to lavishly pull to a deep square leg for 33.
Next came happiness.
At 152-6, Willey prevailed against a fine leg, but Prasidh Krishna spilled an easy catch on the fine leg.
That allowed a reasonable 62 to put England past 200 – Moeen largely reined in his attacking instincts, despite shooting a leg off the ground at six.
It kept England in the game with a total that still looked below average.
Though the pitch was tougher than it first appeared, it still took a Topley-inspired performance to level the series.
“It makes everything worthwhile”
England bowler Reece Topley, who was named man-of-the-match for his 6-24: “It was a great team effort to recover from the other day and I’m just happy that I played my part.
“It means a lot, it makes it worth being honest. It was just above where I had surgery three years ago, so it’s come full circle, which is crazy.
“It’s everyone’s dream to play for England. I just want to put on the shirt as often as possible and do my part. It’s always a privilege, whether it’s a World Cup or a series against whoever .”
“It’s a big game this weekend. I just have to prepare for it and finish the series, and then we’ll take care of what’s next.”
England captain Jos Buttler: “I’m happy about the win. The team has done some great things over the years and that brings pressure.
“We want to continue that. We’re proud of our performance. We haven’t been at our best lately, but we showed great character today.”
