 |  We had the comfort of time and we played well |
England captain Michael Vaughan refused to be disheartened after his team yet again failed to defend a total in one-day internationals. After losing to New Zealand by six wickets at Bristol on Sunday, he insisted: "We are not disappointed with the way we played.
"New Zealand put us under pressure early on but we were quite happy with the total we got in the end.
"But Nathan Astle and Stephen Fleming just took the game away from us."
For England to be certain of meeting New Zealand again in the Lord's final they must beat West Indies on Tuesday at Lord's by such a big margin that they claim a bonus point.
If they lose to Brian Lara's men they will definitely be out of the tournament. New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming was out for 99 on Sunday - the third time he had fallen in the 90s in one-day internationals.
He also has a knack for getting out in the 90s in Test matches.
But he was swift to put those concerns to one side, saying: "The guys were pretty close to where we wanted them to be with the ball and then we put a couple of partnerships together.
"We had the comfort of time and we played well."
MMIX
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"If England play this well next summer they can win the Ashes"