England skipper Vaughan says it's time for a hundred by AFP

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Event:

ICC World Cup 2006/07

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DateLine: 3rd April 2007

 

England captain Michael Vaughan has said it is time he got a one-day international hundred as his team head into their potentially decisive World Cup clash with Sri Lanka here Wednesday.

 

The opener has yet to reach three figures in 81 one-day internationals - an astonishing record for a specialist batsman.

 

Meanwhile, no England player has posted a hundred during a tournament where Vaughan's men were on the backfoot after losing their first match to Group C winners New Zealand, who instead carried two points forward into the Super Eights for beating a fellow qualifier.

 

In stark contrast, Sri Lanka, who overwhelmed England 5-0 last year, have looked genuine contenders for the title and on Sunday thrashed hosts West Indies by 113 runs, with opener Sanath Jayasuriya scoring 115.

 

Vaughan, asked if it was time for him to score a hundred, replied: "It certainly is.

 

"The two games over the last week I haven't played well," said the 32-year-old Yorkshire right-hander, who scored one and six respectively in England's unimpressive wins over minnows Kenya and Ireland.

 

"I felt in decent nick in St Lucia, felt in good nick in St Vincent, I feel in good touch in the nets.

 

"But that's irrelevant if you don't take that out to the middle," added Vaughan whose highest one-day international score of 90 not out was made against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in December 2004.

 

"I feel it's about time I got a good score for the team.

 

"We haven't had a hundred in the tournament so far and someone needs to get us a hundred. Guys have been getting to forty, fifty and sixty and then getting out. If we get those guys to a hundred we know we are going to get good totals."

 

He added: "We can turn up and win tomorrow (Wednesday) but we are going to have to raise our performances.

 

"If we're honest, it's the start of our World Cup," Vaughan said of a week where they realistically need at least one win from Wednesday's match and Sunday's clash with world champions Australia to keep alive their hopes of maing it through to the semi-finals.

 

England, unless they recall opening batsman Andrew Strauss and pace bowler Liam Plunkett, are likely to have only one survivor - Ian Bell - from the team that lost the fifth one-day international against Sri Lanka by eight wickets in July at Headingley.

 

That match saw Jayasuriya (152) and Upul Tharanga (109) share a world record opening stand of 286.

 

But in February a much-changed England side defeated hosts Australia 2-0 in the CB series final.

 

"That was a funny series," said Vaughan as he recalled the Sri Lanka campaign. "We had a lot of players missing.

 

"I believe now they (the England team) are better bowlers, better players and stronger mentally than they were in that series."

 

And with England's top three yet to fire at the World Cup, Vaughan said Strauss had a chance of replacing Ed Joyce.

 

"Everyone's got an opportunity to play. It's going to be a tricky decision.

 

"Andrew Strauss has looked good in the nets and is sticking his hand up to play"

 

Sri Lanka, the 1996 champions, pose special problems with fast bowler Lasith 'Slinger' Malinga and off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan unlike anyone else in world cricket.

 

Their batting too has a number of potential match-winners although they have looked vulnerable when Jayasuriya has been out for a low score.

 

Vaughan has yet to bat against Malinga, who so nearly created an improbable win against South Africa with four wickets in four balls last Wednesday.

 

"I haven't faced him. They all tell me if you can get over the first four or five balls, the first two overs, it gets easier so it's going to be interesting," Vaughan said.

 

"He has had one decent game in the tournament when he got four wickets in four balls but he is also going for runs as well so we feel there is an opportunity to score against him."

(Article: Copyright © 2007 AFP)