Irani gives England the perfect tonic

Ronnie Irani rattled through a jaunty press conference after scoring his maiden century for England yesterday. This was less to do with the sprightly banter of his replies than the fact that his body was full of vitamin pills.

Irani said that he took 20 tablets a day. Not only that, but he also flew to Germany for a magnesium injection two days before the tour and also takes sachets of powder mixed with water. "I'm a vitamin junkie," he said. He clearly believes they work, and after his innings yesterday it would have been daft to argue with him. His innings of 100 ensured that England beat Bangladesh by 77 runs in their only warm-up match before tomorrow's opening match against Zimbabwe in the ICC Champions Trophy.

Irani made 100 from 118 balls with 12 fours, but as heartening was the half century by the debutant Ian Blackwell. While Irani prospers on vitamin pills, Blackwell's appearance conveys the impression that he is more prone to the old English cricketer's diet of a couple of pints and a curry. His ruddy face went redder in the heat, but what mattered most yesterday was the powerful way he hit the ball. There were four fours and a six, which will not be his last for England.

The Somerset all-rounder also took three wickets with his left-arm spin, one a stumping by the stand-in wicketkeeper, Owais Shah. Alec Stewart, the fittest man in the party, was in his hotel room with a stomach upset. Nobody mentioned vitamin pills.

Irani said his regime makes him feel much better, though they have done nothing for his speed on the ground. Then again, the label makes no claim about turning carthorses into greyhounds. The way he batted was merely an extension of a buoyant English season.

Some observers keep waiting for him to fail and meanwhile Irani keeps being the all-rounder they think he is not. True, Bangladesh hardly provided him with a severe examination. In world cricket terms, they continue to make minnows look like sharks.

Irani said the bounce early on reminded him of playing in England, before it became lower and lower. The attack must have reminded him of something he faces for Essex throughout most of the summer. He eats county attacks for breakfast – along with his pills.

"Consistency is what I'm looking for if I want to stay at this level and be part of this set-up. The vitamin pills are all part of that. I felt a twinge of cramp today but I think I'd have had a full blown attack without my pills.

"It's all strictly legal. I make absolute sure of that. I've had about 10 tests since they came in three years ago. I take 12 pills before bed."

There was the feeling that Irani was enjoying it so much that he might have exaggerated the number of tests and pills. No matter. "It's simple science, not rocket science. In Germany they've been doing this for 30 years." He said that he intended to introduce the England captain, Nasser Hussain, to vitamins. Hussain, however, still looks more in need of a good night's sleep and a long rest.

The Netherlands might be a different case. They clearly need an infusion of something after being outclassed by Sri Lanka. The result and its nature were predictable from the moment the draw was made.

The tournament hosts would have been disappointed not to pass 300 but their 292 for 6 included their second century of the tournament, this one from Marvan Atapattu. The Netherlands were reduced to tatters in the reply. It will be decades before they are able to compete properly.

News came through that several Indian players had gone home. Rumours circulated that they had pulled out. Actually, they had been given permission to spend a little time with their families before their next match. England, many of their players weary, would like to do likewise and despite their routine win yesterday should soon have their wish granted.

COLOMBO SCOREBOARD

ENGLAND

*M E Trescothick c Omar b Jubair 9
N V Knight b Mahmud 15
R C Irani c and b Rafique 100
O A Shah run out 45
I D Blackwell c Mashud b Baishya 56
R Clarke run out 1
D G Cork run out 12
J N Snape not out 9

Extras 18

Total (for 7 dec, 49 overs) 265

Fall: 1-20 2-54 3-126 4-241 5-241 6-244 7-265

Did not bat: R J Kirtley, A R Caddick, A F Giles

Bowling: Jubair 8-0-48-1; Bashar 10-0-61-1; Mahmud 6-0-30-1; Rafique 10-1-35-1; Baishya 10-1-46-0; Ashraful 5-0-39-0.

BANGLADESH

Javed Omar c Snape b Giles 32
Al Sahariar c Knight b Cork 44
Mohammad Ashraful lbw b Cork 1
Habibul Bashar st Shah b Blackwell 35
Tushar Imran b Snape 16
Khaled Mashud lbw b Kirtley 10
Alok Kapil run out 2
Khaled Mahmud not out 30
Mohammad Rafique c Trescothick b Blackwell 0
Taposn Baishya c Knight b Blackwell 0
Tahla Jubair b Caddick 0

Extras 18

Total (49.4 overs) 188

Fall: 1-65 2-70 3-75 4-111 5-138 6-139 7-148 8-155 9-186.

Bowling: Caddick 9.4-0-22-1; Kirtley 9-0-25-1; Giles 7-0-38-1; Cork 8-0-30-2; Snape 7-0-38-1; Irani 4-0-15-0; Blackwell 5-0-17-3.

England won by 77 runs.