England edge T&T thriller

Bell: Set the tone with brisk 37

WATCH England v Stanford Superstars on Saturday from 8.30pm, live on Sky Sports 1

Related links

Teams

• England
• West Indies

Also see

• Sky Sports experts
• Live scores
• Bet now

Stanford Super Series
Antigua
England 141-6 (S Ganga 4-23) v Trinidad & Tobago 140-9
England beat Trinidad & Tobago by 1 run

England experienced their first taste of Stanford Twenty20 pressure as they clinched a dramatic one-run victory over Trinidad & Tobago in their final warm-up clash in Antigua.

With the West Indies' side requiring 10 runs from the final over, Steve Harmison held his nerve at the death as England clawed their way to another unconvincing win in the Caribbean.

Needing three runs from the final ball, Ravi Rampaul could only muster a single as he was run out scampering back for a second run that would have sent the match into a deciding over.

England made 141-6 in their 20 overs - Kevin Pietersen (44) and Ian Bell (37) starring with the bat, before Paul Collingwood took two crucial wickets to deny Darren Ganga's spirited side.

After losing both the toss and James Anderson, Ryan Sidebottom, Stuart Broad and Luke Wright to a stomach bug, a new-look England took to the field looking to finish their warm-up schedule with a resounding win.

It wasn't until the fourth over that England found their stride - two fours off a Rampaul over added some much-needed impetus, before Bell hit the first six of the evening when dancing down the pitch to Badree.

Horrible hoik

England's progress was halted in the sixth over when the newly-introduced Sherwin Ganga got a delivery to bounce steeply and Matt Prior edged through to Denesh Ramdin for a disappointing four from 10 deliveries.

Medium-pacer Richard Kelly was then brought into the attack and Samit Patel immediately tucked into some loose deliveries. However, the Nottinghamshire all-rounder was then guilty of playing a horrible hoik across the line and became Badree's second victim for 17.

Owais Shah then came and went to leave the score on 52-3 as he holed out to captain Ganga off the bowling of Lendl Simmons for just five.

Demoting himself to number five, Pietersen then joined Bell at the crease as England reached the halfway stage of their innings on a meagre 55-3.

However, the pair forged an inspired fightback with an array of breathtaking shots both sides of the wicket, in the air and along the floor.

Bell departed for a well-crafted 37 from 41 balls when he was caught on the mid-off boundary, however Pietersen took up the mantle superbly with a couple of towering sixes.

The England skipper made 44 from 30 deliveries, including two fours and three sixes before he holed out to Amit Jaggernauth off the bowling of Sherwin Ganga in the 17th over.

At 120-5 with 19 balls remaining, England would have harboured hopes of reaching 150, however the dismissal of Collingwood (6) and tight death bowling from Rampaul restricted the damage to 141-6.

Ramdin response

Defending a total of just over seven an over, Pietersen followed T&T's lead as he opened the bowling with Patel's skiddy left-arm off-breaks - a move which saw just two runs come off the opening over.

The first wicket wasn't long in coming, the recalled Graeme Swann a touch fortunate to dismiss Justin Guillen as the ball appeared to hit the openers elbow before it was pouched by Prior.

Unfazed by the setback, Darren Bravo and Simmons took the attack to Swann and then Harmison as the Islanders signalled their intent with some lusty hitting.

And when the opening three balls of Andrew Flintoff's spell disappeared to the fence the momentum quickly shifted in favour of T&T as the scoreboard ticked over to 41-1 off five overs.

However, when Collingwood and Flintoff both struck within the space of three balls to dismiss Simmons (21) and Bravo (15), England were back on top.

However Ramdin, clearly with a point to prove after being overlooked from the Stanford Superstars team, took the fight to England as he watched wickets fall around him.

Requiring 28 runs from 18 deliveries, they game hung in the balance, and, when Harmison's first two balls back in the attack went for seven runs - T&T eyed a dramatic upset.

However, with the West Indian domestic Twenty20 champions 17 runs away from victory, Ramdin's cheeky sweep attempt off Harmison fell straight into the hands of Shah as his plucky innings of 37 from 36 balls ended.

It was then left to Durham paceman Harmison to bowl out the innings, a job he did admirably as England now prepare themselves for the winner-takes-all showdown with the Stanford Superstars live on Sky Sports on Saturday.