Close England 265 for 7 (Irani 100, Shah 45, Blackwell 56) beat Bangladesh 188 (Al-Sahariar 44, Blackwell 3-17)by 79 runs Ronnie Irani demonstrated that he had lost none of the form he showed in the NatWest Series, by guiding England to a comprehensive 79-run win over Bangladesh in their Champions Trophy warm-up match at the Nondescripts ground in Colombo. Irani top-scored with an even 100, and Ian Blackwell chipped in with a half-century on his first appearance in England colours, as England made 265 for 7 before restricting Bangladesh to 188.

England, who open their campaign against Zimbabwe on Wednesday, fielded a very new-look side, with Marcus Trescothick captaining while Nasser Hussain took a rest. Alec Stewart was also absent, suffering from a stomach bug, but Trescothick was spared the gloves. That honour went to Owais Shah, making his first appearance since the one-dayers in New Zealand last winter. He contributed a useful 45, before being run out, and even pulled off a leg-side stumping.

Neither Trescothick, who spooned a leading edge to mid-off for 9, nor his opening partner, Nick Knight (13), made much impression, but Irani and Blackwell added 115 for the fourth wicket to ensure a good score. Blackwell though was dropped twice, on 8 and again on 26.

Bangladesh never looked likely to cause an embarrassment, and it was Dominic Cork who starred with the ball, taking 2 for 10 in six overs. Blackwell played his part with the ball as well, picking up three wickets with his left-arm spin.

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