Nehra is mobbed after dismissing Hussain.

By Neal Collins, Durban

Click here for final Durban scorecard

While Nehra fiddled, England burned and suddenly it became apparent. Indian cricket is not what it once seamed. Sorry, seemed.

We were mugged at muggy Kingsmead by three Indian seamers - and only an unlikely victory against Australia on Sunday will save our unlikely lads from an early return home.

Only Andrew Flintoff, who bowled and batted to something like his full potential at long last, emerged with any credit.

India, traditionally a nation of cunning spinners, produced a three-pronged pace assault of Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra, the young left-hander who finished with six wickets.

His captain Saurav Ganguly said: “I don't think I've ever seen a better spell of fast bowling for India in a one-day game. He bowled superbly.”

Nasser Hussain confessed: “He was nibbling it both ways. Now we have to beat Austalia and then let the statisticians decide if we go through.”

The 23-year-old Nehra from New Delhi was so excited he threw up with two balls left in his incredible 10 over stint, the third best in World Cup history, 10-2-23-6.

Together they confounded England, who played and missed so much you could feel the cooling breeze from oft-wafted bats in the press box.

They finally succumbed for 168 in reply to In dia's 250, a mere 82-run loss thanks to Flintoff's efforts. But the damage goes far deeper than that.

This Cricket World Cup was ruined from the start by the wrangle over Zimbabwe, a literally pointless dispute which has cost Nasser Hussain's men a place in the Super Six.

But on Wednesday night's performance, they didn't deserve to progress. Sachin Tendulkar's 52-ball 50 and a more patient 62 from Rahul Dravid made a nonsense of claims that young Jimmy Anderson can solve all English bowling problems - or that Andy Caddick is ageless.

And our upper order batting, right from Nick Knight's ridiculous runout through to the form of Nasser Hussain and Marcus Trescothick, made a nonsense of those proud boasts of "we could even win it" made in the afterglow of Saturday's victory over a listless Pakistan.

The truth is, we are probably only about the seventh best side at this World Cup, just as we were in 1999 at home. And if Kenya qualify ahead of us, perhaps the Barmy Army will switch allegiances.

England hardly deserve their faithful following, who sweated through this balmy, barmy evening without much to shout about.

Back home, India will now stop burning effigies of captain Saurav Ganguly, at least until Saturday's huge clash against Pakistan at Centurion.

Back home in England, nobody cares enough to burn an effigy of Nasser Hussain or his unsmiling coach Duncan Fletcher. And that is the problem.

Performances like this will hardly have kids queueing for Saturday morning nets.

Mind you, even schoolkids might have thought of netting under floodlights to get used to these conditions. England apparently forgot.

Knight was gone before he'd started, run out by Mohamed Kaif going for a suicidal single off the last ball of the first over.

Trescothick looked all at sea against Srinath, wafting at three successive deliveries... he wasn't even good enough to get an edge.

Michael Vaughan, with two 50s in three World Cup knocks, was doing little better and after five overs, England were way behind the rate at 13-1.

The first four of the innings came off the last ball of the sixth over and left Trescothick and Srinath toe to toe disputing the quality of the slash backward of point.

It was something of a relief when Trescothick's late, late pull at Srinath popped up to Tendulkar at mid-wicket, and he trudged off with 8, perhaps the ugliest eight ever witnessed, scored off 23 balls.

Hussain was in similar nick, playing and missing with regular monotony before being dropped by keeper Rahul Dravid on 1.

Vaughan and his captain played like Test batsmen, very bad Test batsmen, as they crawled along at two and over.

Only a neat on-driven four from Vaughan helped them beyond 20 after ten overs of complete Indian domination. England were 23-2 after 10, India had been 60 for one.

With England under huge pressure, Nehra came on first change... and went for six runs of his first over.

Then Hussain crashed Srinath for two straight fours and the pressure eased another notch.

Suddenly, disaster. First Hussain went caught behind, then Alec Stewart LBW first ball... 52-4. And when Vaughan joined them at 62-5, England were all washed up.

Andrew Flintoff and Paul Collingwood produced a few overs of resistance before the dogged Colly, England's form batsman, edged one on 18 off what was, for him, a sluggish 38 balls.

Craig White and Ronnie Irani joined Nehra growing bag and at 112-8 with non-batters Caddick and Anderson to come, it was all over with 20 overs to bowl.

Flintoff's defiance stretched to two huge sixes and a fabulous half-century partnership with Andrew Caddick, who contributed 10.

He finally fell to a brilliant Sehwag catch, scoring 64 off 73 balls.

In 12 international games at Kingsmead, the side batting second have won six, unlike Newlands where 18 games have seen just four wins from sides batting in the dark.

But the experts felt than anything over 250 would be tough for England, who have won just twice in 20 international day-nighters batting second. Mind you, India had never won at Kingsmead before.

So when India made exactly 250, everyone was a little flummoxed. It could have been a lot more, had Tendulkar stayed just a little longer than 15 overs.

The Little Master in full flight is a joy to behold, unless you happen to be Andrew Caddick.

Back at the scene of his seven wicket performance against South Africa in 1999 (the home side were forced to follow on but held out for a draw), Caddy went for 47 runs off his first six overs.

Two particular shots stand out. When Craig White came on for the blitzed young hope Jimmy Anderson, Tendulkar produced drives either side of the wicket with no effort at all. He could bat with a brush.

But ah, the post-Tendulkar peace... drinks were taken at 91 off 15, Sachin was taken two balls later and the next five overs saw just eight runs scored.

They were 99 off 20 and the rate fell from over six to five. And the match-turner? Andrew Flintoff, having removed Sachin (50 off 52 balls, caught by Knight at gully) and his under-study Virender Sehwag (23 off 29, caught and bowled), showed figures of 7 overs, one maiden, two wickets for nine.

Flintoff finally went for a boundary off the fourth ball of his ninth over when Mongia pulled at a short one - but that was the only boundary off 61 deliveries and Freddie still finished with figures of 15-2 off 10 magnificent overs - and he looked our best batter too.

Craig White, beginning to show some reverse swing, then dispatched Saurav Ganguly, caught off a skier by Marcus Trescothick.

The first five overs went for 18, the second for 42, the third for 31, the fourth for eight, the fifth for 12. After 25 they were 112-3 and India looked very like a one-man band - with the one man back in the pavilion.

Irani, in for the unfortunate spinner Ashley Giles, despite his batting efforts against Pakistan at Newlands last Saturday, bowled the 30th over and India were 131-3, having added 19 in five overs. Mongia departed after an innings of stunning mediocrity, 32 off a marathon 66 balls... and after 40, they were 176 for four. Perhaps England would have done better NOT dismissing Mongia.

A partnership of 60 off 62 balls followed between Rahul Dravid and the impressive Yuvraf Singh (42 off 38) as England wilted in this terrifying, sauna-like humidity.

India were firmly back on top by the closing overs as Dravid, though far from the top of his game, guided them to exactly 250 before perishing for 62 off 72 balls.

Dravid was the second victim of a chaotic finish which saw four wickets fall off four balls to close the innings at 250 for nine.

That final Anderson over went dot, 1, no ball, wicket (Kaif, caught Flintoff), wicket (Dravid, caught Collingwood), wicket (Khan, run-out) and wicket (Srinath, caught Trescothick).

But those wickets still couldn't massage his figures into shape... 10 overs, 3-69, a return which bears testimony to Tendulkar's class.

And the little guy is the only person at this World Cup who looks capable of stopping those pesky Aussies.