The first two overs or so were sedate enough. Andrew Caddick and Matthew Hoggard put the ball in the right areas and runs were hard to come by. It was however, just the calm before the storm.

Sourav Ganguly struggled to find his rhythm, miscuing more than one pull shot. Luckily for the Indian captain, the ball landed safely between fielders. Even more luckily, Sehwag was in full cry.

Timing the ball to perfection, Sehwag was able to pierce the gaps in the best fields Hussain could set. When the bowling erred slightly and drifted onto the pads Sehwag used his wrists at the last moment, whipping the ball away in the arc between square leg and midwicket. Off the back foot Sehwag reined supreme, punching the ball through point with raw power.

Sehwag's 50 came up in just 48 minutes and the crowd went wild.

There was more to come after the half-century. Sehwag, who always gives the bowlers a chance, calmed down, as Ganguly kept exhorting him to do and stayed at the wicket long enough to make a serious difference to the game. The drives down the wicket boomed with authority and the bat face was opened with regularity to send the ball screeching through cover-point.

When Sehwag lofted Irani over midwicket to the fence to reach three figures the crowd could not contain themselves. A deafenaing roar reverberated around the ground and Sehwag looked to the skies. His hundred included 17 boundaries and a six.

Ganguly too got into the groove as the spinners came on, lofting them over the ropes at long on as is his wont. The Indian skipper had 48 to his name and Sehwag was on 110 as India reached 169/0.

Despite not being in the best of touch, Knight stuck it out at wicket for just over two hours to make an even 50. Soon after reaching the landmark, Knight was tempted into going for a big hit back past the bowler Yuvraj Singh's head and holed out to long on. Knight's innings included just three hits to the fence.

Owais Shah set the pace in the middle order, batting compactly for 34 off 47 balls before he tried to dab Kumble to third man and tickled the ball to Dravid. Shah looked comfortable at the wicket and played spinners and pacemen with equal ease but fell against the run of play.

A bulk of the credit for England's healthy score must go to Ian Blackwell. Playing in just his second one-dayer, the 24-year old Somerset all-rounder chalked up his maiden ODI half-century. Hitting the ball as cleanly as anyone has all tournament, the left-hander took the attack right into the India camp.

Blackwell's assault was well timed, and made all the difference between a score that was just about enough and one that gave the bowlers a good chance of applying pressure early on.

Blackwell's innings included three sweet hits that dispelled all doubts about why he was picked to play at the highest level. Yuvraj Singh was dismissed over long off, Harbhajan Singh sent into the stands at midwicket and Kumble was whipped over square leg. And these were just the sixes.

Using the width of the crease well to adjust his strokes and drive through the arc from mid off to extra cover, Blackwell spared no bowler. Preferring to wait on the ball and knock it through the on side when the spinners operated, Blackwell did not put a foot wrong when he chose to go for the big hit.

The Indians, in disarray towards the end of the innings in the face of an unexpected counter-attack used as many as eight bowlers.

After being bowled off a no-ball early in his innings by Zaheer Khan, Stewart went on to make 35 in a partnership of 109 with Blackwell before chipping Tendulkar to Ganguly at covers.

It was only in the last over of the innings that India were able to stop Blackwell, that too through a run out. Scampering a second, a tired Blackwell, faced flushed a deep red with heat exhaustion, was found short of his ground by a throw from long on. Blackwell's remarkable innings of 82 came in just 68 balls and included six boundaries and three sixes.

England, with 269 to defend, must fancy their chances of going through to the semi final against South Africa. India will know that their bowlers squandered a good start, and the batsmen will have to play extra well to make up for this.

Nehra began the downfall for England when he had danger man Marcus Trescothick caught well at second slip by VVS Laxman. A peach of a delivery that swung late left Trescothick with no chance. After kissing the edge the ball went rapidly towards Sourav Ganguly at first slip. Diving across from second slip Laxman pouched a sharp catch.

Just two balls later Nasser Hussain was given his first 'life' as part time stumper Rahul Dravid grassed a chance behind the wicket. As if that was not enough the Indians helped the desperate skipper on when Mohammad Kaif at point lined the stumps up for a run out and missed narrowly. Hussain was far out of his crease and would have been run out by the proverbial mile had the ball hit.

As it turned out, the chances did not cost India much.

Hussain made just 1 off 11 very scratchy deliveries before attempting to pull Nehra, only to see the ball bob up gently for Dravid to catch moving a few steps to his left.

England in trouble and the bands struck up their tunes with gusto. For only the second time in this tournament the stands were packed to capacity. Flags were waved, drums were beaten and cheers bellowed around the Premadasa stadium in this key clash.

Ronnie Irani, who has enjoyed success against India, drove well from the outset. Unafraid to loft the ball, Irani hit the back down the ground with aplomb. The ball raced to the fence five times as Irani made 37 before Anil Kumble finally got one right and had the middle-order bat trapped in front of the stumps.

Nick Knight, not at his fluent best, was at the crease with 46 to his name. Owais Shah, 13, kept him good company as England recovered to 109/3.

The winners of this match take on South Africa in the semi final of the Champions Trophy 2002.

Both sides have made changes. As expected, left-arm spinner Ashley Giles, who has troubled India over the last year, makes it to the England team ahead of Jeremy Snape.

Snape is suffering from a niggling rib injury.

For India, VVS Laxman comes in to the side in place of Dinesh Mongia. Ganguly hinted as much on the eve of the game.

Batting second has been difficult in this tournament. Every team that has won the toss has elected to bat first.

Teams: England team: ME Trescothick, NV Knight, *N Hussain, RC Irani, ID Blackwell, OA Shah, +AJ Stewart, DG Cork, AF Giles, AR Caddick, MJ Hoggard.

India team: *SC Ganguly, V Sehwag, VVS Laxman, SR Tendulkar, +R Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, M Kaif, A Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Z Khan, A Nehra.