England clinch one-day series win

LONDON, England -- England scored an emphatic seven-wicket win over India at Lord's on Saturday in the deciding match of their best-of-seven one-day international series.

Star all-rounder Andrew Flintoff returned after injury to claim three key wickets as India stumbled to 187 all out after losing the toss on a cloudy morning which helped pace bowling.

England lost openers Matt Prior and Luke Wright for ducks to RP Singh to stumble to 10-2 in reply before unbeaten half centuries by Kevin Pietersen and captain Paul Collingwood saw them home with 13.4 overs to spare.

Flintoff, who has been troubled by a persistent ankle problem, dismissed India captain Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Dhoni after missing the past two games, in which England conceded in excess of 300 on both occasions.

The tourists' first four wickets were shared between Flintoff and James Anderson, who shifted Ganguly and Gautam Gambhir before his Lancashire team-mate got started, while Dimitri Mascarenhas returned stunning figures of 10-2-23-3 to mop up the middle order.

Only Dhoni with a fighting half century, including a towering six off Anderson, offered much resistance in a sorry Indian batting display.

India needed quick wickets to have any hope of rattling England and Singh duly delivered before Ian Bell with a quickfire 36 to take him past 1,000 one-day international runs for the year led the England recovery.

His dismissal left England on 74 for three before Collingwood and Pietersen set to work.

Fittingly Collingwood hauled his team over the line to crown a series in which he demanded a 'no fear' attitude.

He reached his 50, off only 58 balls, moments after fourth-wicket partner Pietersen, who finished the summer strongly after a rare miserable trot.

Initially playing the supporting role to Bell, Pietersen got himself going with a towering straight six off leg-spinner Piyush Chawla in an over which cost 15.

India were a broken team long before he lofted Yuvraj's part-time spin for two down the ground to take his score into the 70s and send Collingwood and the team into the World Twenty20 tournament on a high. E-mail to a friend