Nottingham, June 27:
Andrew
Flintoff's blistering unbeaten 50 set up an England victory
against Sri Lanka in the opening match of the triangular one-day
series here at Trent Bridge on Thursday.
Flintoff's 28-ball
assault included two sixes and five fours, boosting England's
total to 293 for seven.
He then followed that
up with three for 49, including two in three balls, as England
won by 44 runs.
Sri Lanka, despite a
half-century from recalled keeper/batsman Romesh Kaluwitharana,
finished on 249 for nine for after losing their last five
wickets for 24 runs.
Naveed Nawaz was 15 not
out and Dilhara Fernando five not out.
Earlier Flintoff found
the ideal partner in veteran gloveman Alec Stewart, the Surrey
stalwart making 83 and putting on 84 with the Lancashire
all-rounder.
Sri Lanka's dashing top
order was undone by some superb ngland catching which ably
backed up an attack lacking injured spearheads Darren Gough and
Andrew Caddick.
First captain Nasser
Hussain took a breathtaking diving left-handed effort at
extra-cover to dismiss opposite number Sanath Jayasuriya for 12
off paceman Matthew Hoggard.
But it took a while for
19 for one to become 91 for two as Kaluwitharana and Marvan
Atapattu built a platform.
Atapattu had made 47
when he saw Essex captain Ronnie Irani, playing his first
one-day international in over five years, dive forward at
mid-off to give Flintoff a wicket.
Kaluwitharana and
Mahela Jayawardene looked comfortable before Paul Collingwood's
deceptively gentle medium-pace yielded two wickets in two overs.
First Kalu (52) was
well-taken at short midwicket by Graham Thorpe before
Collingwood clean bowled Jayawardene (29) to leave Sri Lanka 152
for four with 20 overs remaining.
Russel Arnold batted
steadily for 29 but was unluckily run out following a deflection
by bowler Hoggard.
And then Kumar
Sangakkara (22) holed out to mid-on off Flintoff before in the
same over Upul Chandana was caught close in by Thorpe.
Sri Lanka, now 215 for
seven, had lost three wickets for three runs in six balls and
with fewer than nine overs remaining the game was up.
Paceman James Kirtley,
in his first one-day match since having his action cleared by
the International Cricket Council, took two wickets in two balls
before last man Fernando just survived the hat-trick.
In England's innings
Collingwood finished 10 not out off three balls after Stewart
had been bowled in the last over by Chaminda Vaas.
Sri Lanka, without star
bowler Muttiah Muralitharan, looked to be containing England
until Flintoff's arrival.
Fernando was the pick
of the attack with two for 46 from eight overs.
But he could do nothing
about a Flintoff onslaught which saw England add 87 runs in the
final 10 overs.
India are the third
team in this tournament and they start their campaign against
England at Lord's on Saturday.
