Freddie fireworks light up England

It was all so easy in the end for England that, when Paul Collingwood plundered three consecutive boundaries off legspinner Alok Kapali, victory had been achieved with almost 25 of the available 50 overs to spare.

Flintoff, though, could not afford to take any liberties at 55 for three.

Vikram Solanki looped a leading edge catch to mid-off, Marcus Trescothick handed seamer Mushfiqur Rahman his second success in as many deliveries by cutting straight to gulley and Michael Vaughan lost a tight stumping decision after missing a sweep against Manjaral Islam.

At one stage, though, it looked as though no-one would need to make a mark with the bat.

After a steady start against the pace of Richard Johnson and Jimmy Anderson, Bangladesh suddenly showed why their one-day record is even more woeful than their Test statistics.

From 65 for two, they lost five wickets for one run in the space of 14 balls, with Giles striking three times and Flintoff twice.

"We were going along quite nicely and all of a sudden it was batting suicide," Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore said.

England really should have bundled out their battered opponents for 80 or 90.

Instead, a last wicket stand of 36 helped lift the total to something a little more respectable.

"If I'm ultra critical we could have finished them off for under 100 but at least it gave Freddie the chance to play," Vaughan said.

England's captain was given a huge cheer by the home crowd when he said a few words during the presentation ceremony - unlike his opposite number.

Khaled Mahmud heard only jeers. Worse, he is likely to receive the same treatment during the second and third matches of this series in Dhaka next week.

ZIMBABWE spinner Ray Price claimed his fourth five-wicket haul in Tests but could not prevent the West Indies avoiding the follow-on on the fourth day of the First Test in Harare.
Replying to Zimbabwe's 507 for nine declared, the visitors, resuming on 241 for six, were eventually bowled out for 335, with left-armer Price taking six for 73 from 37.2 overs.

SCOTT STYRIS, man of the match in New Zealand's one-day international victory against India yesterday, has been fined his match fee of £925 for showing dissent to umpires Neil Mallender and A.V. Jayaprakash after being given out leg before.
The all-rounder took three wickets and scored 68 runs in a fifth-wicket stand of 127 with Craig McMillan to lead the Kiwis to a four-wicket win in Cuttack.