CRICKET: An horrendous batting collapse cost England the first one-day international against India just as they appeared certain victors at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi.

Andrew Flintoff's men were cruising towards their 204-run target at 117 for three in the 20th over, but somehow construed to lose their final seven wickets for just 47.

That slump was put into greater perspective by the fact the defiance of last pair Liam Plunkett and James Anderson contributed 22 runs to the equation.

It all began when Kevin Pietersen holed out to deep midwicket from a full toss by part-time spinner Yuvraj Singh, going for a six which would have brought up his 50.

Flintoff, who struck 41 in a 60-run stand with Pietersen for the fourth wicket, followed in the next over as one of Harbhajan Singh's five victims.

"When me and Kevin were batting we had them by the proverbials," Flintoff said following the 39-run defeat.