Pills put Irani in century mode

England 265-7
Bangladesh 188
England won by 77 runs

Ronnie Irani jokes that his England team-mates have come to regard him as "a bit of a vitamin junkie". But his pill-popping habits look bound to continue after he made a flying start to England's one-day international winter with a century against Bangladesh yesterday.

It was a nondescript match at Nondescripts Cricket Club, a Champions Trophy warm-up won comfortably by England. But Irani, given the chance to bat at No3, made an immediate impression with his 118-ball hundred.

When England cricketers used to talk about being "on 20 a day" they were referring to cigarettes. "It must have been a lot easier in those days," laughed Irani. His regime is about 20 pills a day.

He also swears by magnesium supplements, which aid muscle relaxation and help him avoid the cramp that dogged him early in his professional career. Even if Bangladesh's attack was limited, a hot and steamy day in Colombo tested the efficacy of his health regime.

"I suffered a little bit from cramp but I came through OK," he said. "Without them, things would definitely have been far worse."

Frank Dick, the athletics coach, recommended the magnesium supplements to him, and Irani sends all his latest fads to the British Athletic Board to ensure he stays within sport's legal requirements. With dope testing to be introduced at next year's World Cup it is a sensible precaution.

Irani even had vitamin injections in Germany last week when, shortly before leaving for Colombo, he visited a consultant about his knee surgery. And he has been pressing his Essex team-mate Nasser Hussain, the England captain, to follow suit ever since Hussain struggled with cramp in this summer's NatWest Series final.

It was not one of his brashest innings. "Batting at No3 can be a pinch-hitting role, but it nipped around for a bit so I took it carefully for a while," he said. But acceleration came in league with Ian Blackwell.

England's 265 for seven will have satisfied Hussain, sensibly resting before England's first match against Zimbabwe under the Premadasa Stadium lights tomorrow. It is doubtful, though, whether Andy Flower, spying on the boundary, will have learned anything useful.

· The hosts Sri Lanka crushed the newcomers Netherlands by 206 runs to become the first team to reach the Champions Trophy semi-finals. Marvan Atapattu, their opener, struck his sixth one-day hundred to lift his side to 292 for six after Sanath Jayasuriya chose to bat.