Hussain and Co get back their smile

Half-centuries by Nasser Hussain and Alec Stewart and an improved all-round bowling performance helped England break a 14-match run without ...

Half-centuries by Nasser Hussain and Alec Stewart and an improved all-round bowling performance helped England break a 14-match run without victory and beat Sri Lanka by 43 runs on Tuesday.

It is the first time since they began their Australian tour two months ago that Nasser Hussain’s side have won. Their last victory was over Zimbabwe in the Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka on September 18.

SCOREBOARD

England: M.Trescothick c Mubarak b Vaas 27; N.Knight c Jayawardene b Fernando 29; R.Irani c Mubarak b Gunaratne 1; N.Hussain run out 79; P.Collingwood c Jayawardene b Arnold 37; A.Stewart b Jayasuriya 64; I.Blackwell c and b Fernando 24; C.White run out 1; A.Caddick c Fernando b Gunaratne 11; J.Anderson b Fernando 0; S.Harmison not out 2; Extras (lb1, nb5, w11): 17; Total : (in 50 overs): 292
Fall of wickets: 1-47, 2-48, 3-73, 4-155, 5-227, 6-278, 7-278, 8-280, 9-284
Bowling: Vaas 10-1-49-1, Gunaratne 10-1-55-2, Fernando 10-0-68-3, Samaraweera 7-0-44-0, Jayasuriya 10-0-58-1, Arnold 3-0-17-1
Sri Lanka: R.Kaluwitharana c Stewart b Caddick 6; S.Jayasuriya c Hussain b Anderson 13; M.Atapattu c Knight b Harmison 38; K.Sangakkara c Collingwood b Harmison 11; M.Jayawardene c Stewart b White 71; R.Arnold not out 60; J.Mubarak c Harmison b Anderson 13; T.Samaraweera not out 28; Extras (lb3, nb2, w4): 9; Total: (for 6 wkts, 50 overs) 249
Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-25, 3-63, 4-101, 5-176, 6-192
Bowling: Caddick 10-0-53-1, Anderson 10-1-48-2, Harmison 10-1-39-2, Irani 10-0-58-0, White 10-1-48-1

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Captain Hussain made 79 off 106 balls and wicketkeeper Stewart 64 from 61 deliveries to take English to a daunting total of 292 from their 50 overs.

England’s bowlers then responded with their best performance of an otherwise disastrous tour to restrict the Sri Lankans to 249 for six with only Mahela Jayawardene (71) and Russel Arnold (60 not out) offering any real resistance.

After being thumped by the Australians over the past two months, the English found the going a little easier against a Lankan team making its first appearance in the triangular and without strike bowler Muttiah Muralitharan.

Despite losing their last five wickets for 14 runs, England’s total was the fourth highest score ever made in a one-day international at the Gabba. (Reuters)