132/8*
*Navi Mumbai, February 25:* A battle of skill, strategy and cricketing nostalgia unfolded as the yesteryear cricketing stars assembled under the floodlights of a packed DY Patil Stadium here to witness the India Masters restricting England Masters for 132 for 8 in another enthralling International Masters League 2025 affair on Tuesday.
The third match of the inaugural IML served up a classic as Sachin Tendulkar’s India Masters invited Eoin Morgan’s England Masters to bat after electing to field in the high-stakes battle.
The decision seemed to have paid off for the hosts when Abhimanyu Mithun struck in the third over with the wicket of stumper Phil Mustard (8) before Dhawal Kulkarni joined the party by dismissing Morgan for a 13-ball 14, to leave the visitors in a spot of bother inside the powerplay.
Tim Ambrose and Darren Maddy took charge of the proceedings after the early dismissals of the opening combo, and the duo put up a calculative 43-run stand for the third wicket to stabilise the innings, before left-arm spinner Pawan Negi struck twice in a span of two overs to keep India ahead in the contest.
While Ambrose contributed with a 22-ball 23, Maddy came up with 25 off 24 balls before falling to the same bowler. Tim Bresnan struck a couple of boundaries during his 19-ball 16 before being packed off by Kulkarni.
With half the side back in the dugout for 89 runs, England needed some late order blitzkriegs but India’s disciplined bowling attack did not allow any freebies, as Vinay Kumar got rid of the dangerous Dimitri Mascarenhas for single digits, before Mithun and Kulkarni struck again to remove Chris Tremlett for an 8-ball 16, and Steven Finn (1). Towards the end, Chris Schofield’s undefeated 8-ball 18 gave the tourists the much-needed push.
For India, Dhawal Kulkarni was the pick of the bowlers, returning impressive figures of 3/21, while Abhimanyu Mithun and Pawan Negi bagged two wickets apiece. Vinay Kumar picked up a wicket for the home side.
*Brief Scores:* England Masters 132/8 (Darren Maddy 25, Tim Ambrose 23; Dhawal Kulkarni 3/21, Pawan Negi 2/16) vs India Masters.
