Trott helps England post 327/8 against Ireland

PTI

Bangalore, 02 March 2011: Jonathan Trott blasted a brilliant run-a-ball 92 to help England post a mammoth 327 for eight against Ireland in their Group B match of the cricket World Cup here on Wednesday. South Africa-born Trott equalled the record for the fastest 1,000 one-day international runs en route to his 92-run innings, which helped England post a commendable total at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here.

 

The 29-year-old Trott, who had made his ODI debut against Ireland in August 2009, added 167 runs off 156 balls for the fourth-wicket along with Ian Bell (81) to lay the foundation for the score. Coming into bat at 91-1, Trott needed 64 runs to equal the fastest 1,000 ODI runs feat of teammate Kevin Pietersen and West Indies legend Viv Richards and he achieved it easily in the end.

 

Earlier, Andrew Strauss (34) and Kevin Pietersen (59) gave England a blistering start as they put the Irish bowlers to the sword, piling up 91 runs in 13.3 overs. Pietersen started the proceedings for England, sending Boyd Rankin across the midwicket boundary. He meted the same treatment to the bowler off consecutive deliveries in his next over.

 

Stauss, who blasted 158 against India in the last match, soon got into the act and smashed a four off Johnston before sending Rankin for the first six of the day over the fine-leg boundary. The duo kept dealing in boundaries and brought up the team fifty in 47 balls.

 

George Dockrell (1/68) finally broke the partnership, getting rid of Strauss for 34 on his 34th birthday. Trying to work the ball on the leg side, Strauss ended up losing his wicket, bowled by the left-arm spinner in the 14th over.

 

Pietersen, who reached his fifty in the 12th over, also didn`t stay long. Playing well till now, Pietersen threw his wicket away trying to play a reverse-dab, which culminated into an easy catch behind the stumps for Naill O`Brien as Paul Stirling picked up his first wicket in the 17th over.

 

Trott and Bell then joined hands and the duo mixed caution with aggression to keep the scoreboard ticking. England took their batting powerplay after the 38th over with Trott and Bell in full flow and the duo didn`t disappoint as they compiled 45 runs off the five over to boost the total.

 

But Mooney dismissed Bell in the last ball of the 43rd over with Stirling taking a low diving catch at short midwicket, before cleaning up Trott in the 45th over to restrict England to 327 for eight.