EDGBASTON, May 30: It took India just two hours to sink HMS Britannia Cricket. Indian bowlers quickly and clinically dismantled the unfinished England's innings to progress to the Super Six stage, in the process eliminating the hosts from the tournament and sending English cricket into depths of gloom. With this win, India finished second in Group A behind South Africa on the basis of net run rate. It will now meet the second placed team in Group B - probably Australia or New Zealand - at the Oval in London on June 4.England didn't stand a chance this morning. The weather gods smiled on India. It was cold, damp, and gloomy but the rain held off. Conditions were so overcast and propitious to swing that Dizzy Gillespie, who wouldn't have the faintest idea what cricket is all about, wouldn't have minded a bowl. The ball talked.Play began half hour late in white knuckle conditions - both weather and the tension contributing. A crowd half in size to yesterday's was making twice the din as Azhar openedwith Mohanty's unfinished over and Srinath. The Indian spearhead straightaway found a wicket when he struck overnight batsman Graham Thorpe on the pads. He was bowling round the wicket, wide of the crease, and the ball appeared to sliding on the leg from Warwickshire to Worcestershire, but Pakistani umpire Javed Akhtar upheld the appeal. Thorpe stood frozen in anger and went away muttering dark imprecations. Ian Botham thought it would have missed the leg stump by six inches. But as David Gower maintained, it really wouldn't have mattered in the end. England did not have the nerve, class, or depth to make a fight of it. Truth be told, they never did look like a top flight team throughout the tournament, notwithstanding their wins against Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. English cricket is in terminal decline.Akhtar upheld two more leg before appeals to remove all-rounders Flintoff and Hollioake - both off Kumble and neither involving any doubt - as England lost vigour and lost way. Not surprisingly, therewere no cries of Pakistan hai hai from the stands. Saurav Ganguly, who was always going to be a matchwinner in these conditions, snared Fairbrother and Ealham, the unplayable Prasad got Gough, and when Srinath cleaned up Mullally, it was Goodbye, England.The Indian bowlers exploited the conditions brilliantly, and really, the luck of the toss cannot be overstated. Azhar said he would have put England too had he won the toss, proving that sometimes one can be lucky enough to lose the toss too.In the end, India showed greater heart. In hindsight, Stewart also appeared to have erred gravely in asking India to bat first in dry, bright, and warm conditions, although in his post-match remarks he defended his action. India played with purpose, but were clearly lucky that their sub-par score was enhanced and made defendable by weather conditions which turned bowler-friendly when England batted. In a sense, England's luck evened out - they batted in sunshine and bowled under cloud cover in their wins againstSri Lanka and Zimbabwe.India's next match on June 4India will now meet the second place team in Group B on June 4 at The Oval. There was some confusion over whether India finished second or third, but the manager Brijesh Patel clarified India had been placed behind group toppers South Africa, but ahead of Zimbabwe, because of run rate.Ironically, India will have no points going into the Super Six and will have to win all three matches to be certain of a semi-final berth.South Africa carry two points while Zimbabwe are the biggest gainers with four points. Points gained from beating fellow qualifiers will be carried forward to the next round. India meet Pakistan on June 8 at Old Trafford.and will take on the third placed team at Trent Bridge on June 12.Group A: India vs EnglandIndia (8 wickets, 50 overs): 232England (Target: 233 in 50 overs): R B 4/6N Hussain b Ganguly 33 63 3/0(Chopped on to stumps trying to cut)AJ Stewart c Azharuddin b Mohanty2 9 0/0(Drove loosely at an outswinger to edge to slip)GA Hick b Mohanty 0 1 0/0(Cramped himself to on which came in sharply)GP Thorpe lbw b Srinath 36 57 7/0(Doubtful decison as the ball appeared to be going down leg)NH Fairbrother c Mongia b Ganguly 30 62 2/0(Stepped out and tried to lft over mid off but snicked)A Flintoff lbw b Kumble 15 21 1/1(Trapped in front by a googly which hastened on to him)AJ Hollioake lbw b Kumble 6 13 0/0(Tried to sweep-slog from middle but missed line)MA Ealham c Azharuddin b Ganguly 0 3 0/0(Tried a steer but edged to slip)D Gough c Kumble b Prasad 19 25 1/0(Flicked high but well caught at mid wicket boundary)ARC Fraser not out 15 17 3/0AD Mullally b Srinath 0 2 0/0(Had no clue to an in-swinging yorker)Extras (b4, lb3, w5, nb1) 13Total (all out, 45.2 overs) 169Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Stewart, 3.1 ov), 2-13 (Hick, 3.2 ov), 3-72 (Hussain, 19.1 ov), 4-81 (Thorpe,23.4 ov), 5-118 (Flintoff, 31.3 ov), 6-130 (Hollioake, 35.5 ov), 7-131 (Ealham, 36.5 ov), 8-132 (Fairbrother, 38.4 ov), 9-161 (Gough, 44.1 ov), 10-169 (Mullally, 45.2 ov).Bowling: Srinath 8.2-3-25-2; Mohanty 10-0-54-2 (1nb, 5w); Prasad 9-1-25-1; Ganguly 8-0-28-3; Kumble 10-1-30-2.Result: India win by 63 runs.Man of the match: Saurav Ganguly.
