Zimbabwean wicket-keeper/batsman Andy Flower played another of his special knocks - against his favorite team, India - but all in vain as India ran out victors by 14 runs at the floodlight encounter in the R.Premadasa stadium in the third match of the ICC Champions Trophy in Colombo on Saturday.

Chasing a mammoth 289 for victory was never going to be an easy task that too under artificial lights. But thanks to one man in particular, they almost upstaged the Indian applecart.

Andy Flower (145) on a glorious Saturday evening just added to the number of left-handed batsmen who have enjoyed a considerable amount of success against what the Indians have had on offer from the bowling crease over the years.

The African nation did not have a bright start, losing both openers to Zaheer Khan (4 for 45). This brought the Flower siblings together. They went about their business in a cautious way as they added 83 when a small misunderstanding resulted in wicket of the younger Flower (33), Grant. In the very next over, the chasers were again dealt a severe blow - part-timer Sachin Tendulkar (2 for 41) had former Zimbabwean skipper Stuart Carlisle playing on to his stumps.

Then followed a partnership between Andy Flower who was reprieved twice even before he had got to his fifty and Guy Whittall (29) 30b which was assuming dangerous proportions before Zaheer Khan returning for his second spell accounted for Whittall. Just before that a lovely flick off the pads to the square-leg boundary via a wayward delivery from Zaheer Khan took Andy Flower to his maiden ODI century against the Indians.

But in the end it all seemed futile, as the lower-order batsmen couldn't quite match the skills of Flower senior. His 164-ball knock which contained as many as 13 fours came to end when he holed out to Indian captain Sourav Ganguly to give Tendulkar his second wicket of the evening.

Zaheer Khan clean bowled Sean Ervine in the last ball of the match to end with another four-wicket haul while the specialist spin-bowling combination of Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble just managed 1 for 92 in 20 overs between them -the leggie scalping the unorthodox Douglas Marillier.

Even though Flower's heroics made him the top-scorer in the match by a long way, the adjudicators decided it was Mohammad Kaif who made the most important contribution and the 21-year old from Allahabad was deservedly named Man-of-the-Match.

The next match sees the Trans-Tasman rivals, Australia and New Zealand clash. This, a day game will be played at the S.S.C.ground on Sunday.

Statistical Highlights:
---By Daniel Puran Singh

• This was the 42nd clash in ODIs between these two teams.
• 26-year old left-arm spinner Raymond Price was playing his first ODI. He is the 69th player to represent Zimbabwe in ODIs.
• Top-order batsman Dinesh Mongia became the 85th Indian to register a duck in ODIs.
• By scoring 71 Rahuld Dravid took his tally of ODI fifties to 40.
• The 117-run stand by Dravid and Kaif is now the best for the sixth wicket against the Zimbabweans. They beat the previous record held by Hemang Badani and Reetinder Sodhi who made 102 in the 2000/1 season.
• Mohammad Kaif, appearing in his 19th ODI registered his maiden ton at this level. He becomes the 24th Indian batsman to reach a three-figure score. It was also the 104th such knock for India and 44th against Zimbabwe overall.
• The unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 84 between Kaif and Kumble fell just one short of the 85 by Sodhi and Ajit Agarkar made at Rajkot in the 2000/01 season
• Zimbabwean opening batsman Dion Ebrahim was dismissed for a duck for the fifth time in his ODI career.
• Andy Flower's 145 is the highest made by a Zimbabwean batsman in ODIs. He bettered his own unbeaten 142 against England made last year. This was also his fourth in One-dayers and his first against the Indians.
• Andy Flower with this hundred becomes the 57th batsman to make a century against the Indians. India has now conceded 95 such knocks in ODIs.
• This victory was India's 234th in ODIs and the 32nd against the Zimbabwean side.
• Mohammad Kaif won his second Man-of-the-Match award. These two awards have come in successive matches. His first was in the Natwest series final in England earlier this year.