Dutch make England sweat for victory

NAGPUR, India (AP):

England's batsmen kept their nerve to take their team to a six-wicket win over The Netherlands yesterday and narrowly avoid a major humiliation at the World Cup.

Ryan ten Doeschate had hit a career-high 119 to lead the unfavoured Dutch to 292-6, but opener Andrew Strauss gave his team a platform with 88 from 83 balls, equalling the highest score by an England captain at a World Cup.

Jonathan Trott hit 62 at almost a run a ball but England still cut it fine, with Ravi Bopara hitting the winning runs with just eight balls remaining to take his team to 296-4.

Ten Doeschate's 110-ball innings, which included three sixes and nine fours and a conservative chase on a good wicket, suggest England could struggle in their next Group B match against tournament favourites India on Sunday.

"Hopefully, India will take us lightly after this performance," Strauss said. "The first 50 overs was a very poor performance and the last 10 was extremely poor."

Ten Doeschate, one of only a handful of professionals in The Netherlands' squad, followed up a century that featured a spectacular sixth-wicket partnership of 61 from 32 balls alongside captain Peter Borren, by taking two wickets to keep England pegged back until late on.

"Just playing professionally as a whole gives you an edge over the other guys," Ten Doeschate said. "Having played against many good players before definitely gives you an advantage."

Barresi stumped Trott with a quick take before Ten Doeschate took out Ian Bell's middle stump to dismiss him for 33 and leave England at 241-4.

England still needed 13 from the last two overs but Bopara eased the pressure by hitting his team's first six off Bernard Loots over long off to reduce the required rate drastically.

Clinch victory

That seemed to lift a weight from England and Bopara struck two more runs before a pair of boundaries clinched victory with the No. 6 batsman on 30 from 20 balls.

Also the second-highest total by any team against England at the World Cup, it surpassed the 230-6 The Netherlands made against the same opponent in 1996.

"We got the result we wanted, but we need to be more consistent at putting in a good performance," said Trott, who now averages 54.11 from 19 one-day internationals. "We're letting each other down and need to be more consistent."

Pietersen dropped a difficult chance from Cooper - although the batsman fell to Paul Collingwood next ball - and Ten Doeschate reached his century off 98 balls when an attempted run out ricocheted off the stumps and went for four overthrows.

Graeme Swann meanwhile dropped Borren, who made an unbeaten 35 from 24 balls, in the final over.

As bad as they seemed, there were even worse errors on show from England's fielders.

Ten Doeschate could have been out for 47, but a spectacular miscommunication between James Anderson and Pietersen meant neither went for an easy catch and the pair let the ball drop safely between them.

Borren was bowled in the penultimate over - only to be recalled from the rope when it was shown England had only three fielders inside the circle.

Any more mistakes and England would have endured a repeat of 2009's humiliating World Twenty20 defeat at Lord's against the Dutch.