Vaughan hails Freddie's return to form

Captain Michael Vaughan hailed the return to form of Andrew Flintoff after the all-rounder guided England to a three-wicket victory over New Zealand in the Commonwealth Bank Series - their first success of the winter Down Under.

"We have really seen a guy that can win us games and that is great for our team," said Vaughan. "It was crucial we played well - chasing on that wicket was always going to be tough.

"We have to understand the position we are in in one-day cricket - we haven't had a great year. But we have chased a total down and we can move on to Brisbane (on Friday against Australia) and hopefully win that one as well."

Despite the apparent struggle to reach their target, Flintoff said he was never worried that the asking rate was beyond them.

"The run-rate never got up too much. It got up to just under seven (an over), which is achievable, and it was not getting out of control. It was something I thought we could achieve," he said.

"One thing I have wanted to do for a while is win a game. I tried not to play too many big shots."