ENGLAND v SRI LANKA

At Ballarat, March 9. England won by 106 runs. Toss: England. Ballarat closed its gates on a crowd of over 13,000, including at least 5,000 Sri Lankans who had streamed out from Melbourne. For England the satisfaction of a big victory was diminished by Gooch's hamstring injury as he chased a ball through the covers. It had not been his day; after making eight in 40 minutes, he was bowled by Labrooy's fourth ball. But his colleagues, especially those who had been waiting for time in the middle, launched a spectacular display of fireworks. At 40 overs England were 174 for four; their next five overs brought 33 runs, and the last five 73. Fairbrother added 80 in nine overs with Stewart, who hit a dazzling 59 from 36 balls (one six, seven fours, 50 in 32). Finally Lewis smashed an unbeaten 20 from six balls, driving the second out of the ground.

Faced with the biggest total of the tournament since their opening match, Mahanama and Samarasekera (with a runner) wiped out 33 in five overs. But Lewis turned the game. In four overs he had Mahanama edge to slip, Samarasekera drive to mid-on, De Silva caught by the diving Fairbrother, and Gurusinha present a simple return.

Man of the Match: C. C. Lewis. Attendance: 13,037.