England sets India a victory target of 338 at World Cup

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — England finished 337-7 in its 50 overs on Sunday and set unbeaten India a victory target that no team has ever achieved in the Cricket World Cup.

But the 338 second innings isn’t entirely unprecedented. India and England both scored 338 in a tied World Cup game at Bangalore in 2011.

The highest-successful chase remains Ireland’s 329-7 against England, also at Bangalore in 2011, and the highest in this edition is Bangladesh’s 322 against West Indies in a seven-wicket win at Taunton.

England needs to win to maintain its chances of progressing to the playoffs and started perfectly with recalled Jason Roy (66) and Jonny Bairstow combining in a 160-run opening stand.

Bairstow posted his first century of the World Cup before he was out for 111 — caught by Rishabh Pant off Mohammed Shami — as India’s bowlers hit back toward the end of the innings. Bairstow had the look of a man in a hurry, smashing 10 fours and six sixes in his 109-ball innings.

Joe Root contributed 44 and Ben Stokes scored 79 from 54 balls before he was out to Jasprit Bumrah in the last over.

Shami finished with a five-wicket haul — including a 34th-over wicket maiden — but was expensive in conceding 69 runs.

The end total was less than England had hoped for after Bairstow and Roy’s rampant start, but a score the struggling hosts would have surely taken after winning the toss. India will look for leadership in the chase to captain Virat Kohli, who has been dismissed just once in five previous innings at Edgbaston.

India only began to contain England after Roy’s departure when the hosts scored only 61-2 in a 15-over span, and a partisan crowd became more vocal.

Eoin Morgan (1) was out soon after Bairstow, after he failed to connect cleanly with Shami’s bouncer, tamely sent the ball high and was caught. The England captain was accused by former England batsman Kevin Pietersen of looking “scared” against Australia paceman Mitchell Starc and this dismissal won’t have helped.

Stokes got fed up and started hitting out, including advancing down the wicket and hitting a 91-yard six off Yuzvendra Chahal in the 42nd over.

It became 277-4 when Root tried to swirl and tip Shami for six but was instead caught for a 54-ball 44, ending a 70-run partnership with Stokes.

England made two changes from its 64-run defeat to Australia on Tuesday, including the recall of heavy hitter Roy in place of James Vince.

On the eve of the India game, Morgan said he was willing to take short-term risks with Roy and Jofra Archer but they would not play if there was any long-term danger to their health. Roy did not come back to field early against India — Vince took his place — but he appeared to have a hand injury sustained while batting.