India v Zimbabwe

At R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, September 14 (day/night). India won by 14 runs. Toss: India.

Andy Flower constructed one of the great one-day hundreds, the highest for Zimbabwe, but faced with a target of 289 they needed more than a virtuoso solo, and Flower's magnificent 145 merely lit up the losers' column once again. Zaheer's pace and accuracy were too much to handle and Ganguly cleverly resorted to spin from Tendulkar and Harbhajan when defeat looked imminent. It would have been certain without the youthful exuberance of Kaif, who hit a perfectly paced 111, and the traditional solidity of Dravid. Together, they put on 117 to drag India back from the precipice at 87 for five. Kaif started slowly, picking off ones and twos, before opening out with a fusillade of classy drives and innovative over-the-top shots once past 50. His approach contrasted sharply with the top order, who swung their bats as if playing in the Hong Kong Sixes.

Man of the Match: M. Kaif.