Joy for Bermuda as they topple England

Bermuda sent a sizable crowd into raptures with a five-run win over England that sent the hosts into the final of the 20-20 World Cricket Classic after they had seemed to be on course for defeat.

Bermuda won the toss but soon struggled as they were reduced to 21 for 3 after five overs as Phil Defreitas and Chris Lewis put a stranglehold on the top order.

But Irvine Romaine flayed the attack with 59, including four sixes, and supported by Lionel Cann, out on a vital 47 for the sixth wicket. Cann was caught at third man off a no-ball early on, and was then bowled by Lewis off the free hit which follows every no-ball.

England looked well set, and raced to 37 for 0 off three overs before the introduction of Dwayne Leverock and Hasan Durham stemmed the flow. With five overs remaining, England needed 46, and Graham Lloyd improvised with skill to keep them in the chase. They required 14 off the final over, and when Lloyd smashed Cann's first ball for six, the 4000-strong crowd feared the worst. But Cann stayed calm, and Lloyd failed to hit the last ball for the six by then needed, triggered a pitch invasion by jubilant supporters.

Bermuda will play either New Zealand or South Africa in the final.

West Indies did all they could to throw away a place in the final after seemingly choking within sight of victory, but in the end they stumbled over the finishing line.

When Stuart Williams was run out for 66, West Indies only needed 19 off 18 balls with wickets to spare. But India stifled Thelston Payne and Carlisle Best so well that they took 12 runs off the next 12 balls, and then lost Payne to the first delivery of the final over. When Best failed to score off the third and fourth balls, India sensed a remarkable win, but Best came good to smack the last two balls for fours to put his side through to the Plate final and send India out of the tournament.

India failed to score enough runs, losing five wickets for 50 midway through the innings as Hendy Bryan, Colin Croft and Joel Garner held sway. Only Rajesh Chauhan made any major contribution, slamming four fours and three sixes off only 48 balls while Kuruvilla Abey hit a brisk 22 off 18 balls at the death.

Garner, making his first appearance, was the pick of the West Indies bowling with impressive figures of 3 for 17 off four overs, while Croft and Bryan picked up two apiece.