Andrew Flintoff scored 104 as England rallied to reach 251-7 in its rain-delayed Champions Trophy quarterfinal match against Sri Lanka at the Rose Bowl yesterday.
Flintoff had started the day on 21, with England 118-3, after Friday's match was rained off.
PHOTO: AFP
The International Cricket Council's one-day player of the year rallied to increase England's total at the end of the innings, helping to compile 100 runs in the final 10 overs.
He hit 18 runs off Nuwan Zoysa in the 48th over and reached his century in the final over, playing wide of third man for two runs.
After his ninth four, Flintoff's free-scoring innings ended when he was bowled by Chaminda Vaas with two balls left of the 50 innings.
Flintoff also hit three sixes in the 91 balls he faced. It was his third hundred in five one-day internationals.
Saturday's winner meets Australia in the semifinal next week. Should the match fail to be completed Saturday, England will still qualify because it has a greater run-rate in Pool D than Sri Lanka.
England, sent into bat by Sri Lanka, was on 118-3 after 32 overs on Friday when rain stopped play at the Rose Bowl. Marcus Trescothick began yesterday unbeaten on 64 with Flintoff.
Trescothick only added two more runs, falling on the ninth ball of the day after an outstanding piece of fielding from Tillakaratne Dilshan.
The off-spinner struck with his third ball when Flintoff played the ball back down the pitch only for the bowler to make a superb diving stop and throw down the stumps at the non-striker's end. Trescothick couldn't make it back in time.
At 4-123, England could have faltered further but Upal Chandana dropped Flintoff in the deep for 25, his second reprive. Friday, Flintoff was dropped at first slip by Mahela Jayawardene.
Paul Collingwood was out for 39 in the 47th over after pulling a Vaas shot which was caught by Jayawarde just inside the boundary. He and Flintoff put on 94 runs in the fifth wicket stand.
Flintoff was then on 73. He took took only 20 deliveries to get from 50 to a hundred.
England lost Alex Wharf to another run out for zero, again by Vaas. At the end of 50 overs, Geraint Jones was not out 2 and Ashley Giles not out 0.
Vaas had the best figures of 2-51 of Sri Lanka's bowlers.
Friday, England lost Vikram Solanki, Michael Vaughan and Andrew Strauss.
Solanki took a hefty swing at a Farveez Maharoof ball to be caught behind for 18 and when Zoysa bowled Vaughan for just five, England was 44 for two.
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