England v Sri Lanka

At Nottingham, June 27 (day/night). England won by 44 runs. England 4 pts. Toss: England.

Cheeky innovation from Stewart and glorious violence from Flintoff left Sri Lanka with a mini-mountain to climb. But razor-sharp English fielding prevented them from gaining more than a fleeting foothold. Hussain dived breathtakingly to his left at short cover to dismiss a disbelieving Jayasuriya; Irani got rid of the fluent Atapattu with an athletic one-handed effort at mid-off; and Thorpe held on superbly at short mid-wicket to defuse Kaluwitharana's explosiveness. At 214 for four in the 41st over, Sri Lanka still had an outside chance, but Arnold was run out by Hoggard's deflection on to the stumps at the non-striker's end, and Flintoff and Kirtley then did the rest. England's total of 293 was an unexpected bonus after Fernando had removed Hussain and Thorpe in the same over to make it 104 for four. First Stewart showed off his new-found confidence against the spinners with a sequence of searing cuts and delicate dabs. Then, after Irani's patient and crucial 39, Flintoff combined power, timing and placement to belt a brutal half-century in just 28 balls, the quickest by an England player in one-day internationals. It was the sort of innings England fans had been waiting for.

Man of the Match: A. Flintoff.