Football
Reuters 17y

UPDATE 1-Cricket-England overcome Canada without Flintoff

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By Mark Meadows

GROS ISLET, St Lucia, March 18 - England beat
Canada by 51 runs in their World Cup Group C clash on Sunday,
but the game was overshadowed by the death of Pakistan coach Bob
Woolmer and Andrew Flintoff being dropped.

Ed Joyce hit 66 and Paul Collingwood an unbeaten 62 to help
England to 279 for six and put their World Cup campaign back on
track.

Canada, who lost their first match to Kenya on Wednesday,
could only manage 228 for seven in reply but it was their
highest ever World Cup score and they never looked like being
bowled out against a limp England attack.

England all-rounder Flintoff was omitted and stripped of the
World Cup vice-captaincy after a late night drinking binge
following Friday's defeat by New Zealand.

The well-known drinker was one of six players to be fined
for the breach of team discipline but James Anderson, Ian Bell,
Paul Nixon and Liam Plunkett remained in the side.

Joyce, who formerly played for Ireland and watched their
victory over Pakistan on St. Patrick's Day on Saturday, was
dropped twice but came back into form after struggling so far in
the West Indies.

He fell when he was bowled by spinner and fork-lift truck
driver Sunil Dhaniram attempting an audacious reverse sweep.

Joyce had shared an opening partnership of 101 with Michael
Vaughan before the captain was caught at backward point by his
opposite number John Davison off Abdool Samad for 45.

England stuttered in the middle overs with 38-year-old
Dhaniram picking up three quick wickets, including Kevin
Pietersen caught and bowled for five, with only eight runs
added.

All-rounder Ravi Bopara, making only his second one-day
international appearance as the replacement for Flintoff, looked
composed at the crease before departing in a similarly
embarrassing fashion to Joyce for 29.

Canada, who were labelled a village team by their captain
after the Kenya game, at one stage threatened another huge World
Cup shock 24 hours after Ireland's win over Pakistan and
Bangladesh's defeat of India.

Ashif Mulla was the only Canadian to score a half century
but two wickets each for Bopara and Plunkett kept Canada in
check.

England's final group game is against Kenya on Saturday with
New Zealand first facing Kenya and Canada on Tuesday and
Thursday respectively. The top two will qualify for the Super
Eights.

The seven-week long World Cup culminates in the Barbados
final on April 28.

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