Finally, a win for England

England had previously suffered five straight losses in their Ashes Test series against Australia, an eight-wicket loss to Australia in the first tri-series match and assorted losses against state or composite sides.

England stumbled rather than strode towards victory, reaching the final over needing four runs to win with three wickets in hand, and took five balls and a series of scrambled singles to reach their target.

Innings of 28 at the top of the order by Andrew Strauss and 45 by Ian Bell put England on the path to victory but it was Flintoff whose grit and experience carried them home.

He came to the wicket when England was 98 for four and stayed at the crease till the end, shielding England8217;s vulnerable tail. 8220;One thing I have wanted to do for a while is win a game,8221; Flintoff said. 8220;I tried not to play too many big shots. I have a way in which I play but there are players in our team who can hit boundaries.8221;

Flintoff took a single from the fifth ball of the 50th over to seal the win.

There was one small cloud over England8217;s win Tuesday. Captain Michael Vaughan was troubled throughout his 17-run innings by what appeared to be a hamstring strain.

New Zealand made a dashing start when Brendon McCullum hit a six and a four in an opening over which yielded 12 runs. But from that point, New Zealand8217;s batsmen seemed to lose their way and the run rate steadily dwindled until they were only barely able to surpass 200.

Brief scores: New Zealand 205/9 Nathan Astle 45, Peter Fulton 27; James Anderson 4/42 lost to England 206/7 Andrew Flintoff 72 not out, Ian Bell 45; Jeetan Patel 2/34, James Franklin 2/34.