Cricket:Jonathan Trott continued his prolific World Cup with a fifth half-century in seven innings as England posted 229 for six in Saturday's quarter-final against Sri Lanka at the Premadasa Stadium. Trott (86) is now out on his own - above Sachin Tendulkar et al - as this tournament's highest runscorer.
But it was far from clear whether his typically hard-working 115-ball effort, on a slow surface, would be enough to help England through to a semi-final against New Zealand at this same venue on Tuesday.
England badly needed their main man as Sri Lanka's three-strong specialist spin attack - with Tillakeratne Dilshan also bowling new-ball off-breaks - sought to stifle the batsmen.
Trott shared stands of 64 for the third wicket with Ravi Bopara and then 91 for the fourth with Eoin Morgan, who was unaccountably dropped three times - on 16 and in the 30s - off Sri Lanka's spinners.
Andrew Strauss was never able to get Dilshan away in the early exchanges and was bowled trying to heave a short ball into the leg-side, having made only five from 19 balls.
Ian Bell, pushed up to open for the first time in more than two years, attuned to the lack of pace much more easily than his out-of-sorts captain.
But when Angelo Mathews had him chipping tamely into the leg-side ring, England had lost their second wicket for the addition of only two runs - and Trott and Bopara had to start again, with only a single between them.
England had unsurprisingly chosen to bat first in this day-night match but needed all of Trott's good sense and no-frills skill to take acceptable advantage.
He and Bopara went 15 overs without a boundary yet kept the scoreboard ticking with paddle-sweeps and other assorted deflections off the home spinners.
Muttiah Muralitharan almost inevitably had a say, in what could yet prove the final international match of his record-breaking career.
The master off-spinner defeated Bopara's attempted sweep to win an lbw verdict which was utterly confirmed via DRS.
There was no excessive turn for the slow bowlers, and Morgan had lots of luck.
Trott reached his 50, containing just one of his eventual two fours, with a reverse sweep for three off the returning Dilshan.
He needed none of Morgan's good fortune as he expertly played the percentages and picked the gaps.
Morgan finally gave an unmissable chance into the off-side ring, just after reaching his near run-a-ball 50, Mathews making up for being one of the earlier culprits by belatedly doing the basics.
England sprang a surprise by sending Graeme Swann in early, only for him to go lbw first ball trying to reverse-slog Ajantha Mendis.
They could muster only 23 for two in powerplay. But Trott stayed the course until the penultimate over as he and Matt Prior eked out a total which was probably competitive but by no means impregnable.