It was the first time since they began their Australian tour two months ago that Nasser Hussain's side have won. Their last victory was over Zimbabwe in the Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka on September 18.

"It's a relief, especially for the lads who have been out here right from the start," Hussain told reporters.

"The likes of myself, the coach (Duncan Fletcher), Stewey and Tres (Marcus Trescothick) have been here from the start and it's been fairly poor and fairly embarrassing.

"It's something we felt we had to put right."

Hussain made a patient 79 off 106 balls and wicketkeeper Stewart 64 from 61 deliveries to take the English to a daunting total of 292 from their 50 overs.

England's bowlers then responded with their best performance of an otherwise disastrous tour to restrict the Sri Lankans to 249 for six with only Mahela Jayawardene (71) and Russel Arnold (60 not out) offering any real resistance.

LITTLE EASIER

After being thumped by the Australians over the past two months, the English found the going a little easier against a Sri Lankan team making its first appearance in the triangular one-day series and without strike bowler Muttiah Muralitharan.

"We'll have a couple of beers tonight but we can't afford to go over the top because we have another one-day international in three days," Hussain said.

"But it's important that we enjoy the fact that we've won a game."

Despite losing their last five wickets for 14 runs to be all out on the last ball of the 50th over, England's total was the fourth highest score ever made in a one-day international at the Gabba.

Marcus Trescothick (27) and Nick Knight (29) gave the English a flying start, scoring at almost a run a ball in the first few overs, before throwing their wickets away.

Ronnie Irani went cheaply as England slumped to 73-3 before Hussain and Paul Collingwood steadied the innings with a fourth-wicket partnership of 82.

Collingwood went for 37 with the total on 155 then Hussain and Stewart added a further 72 before Hussain, who batted for 136 minutes and hit five fours, was dismissed for 79.

Using Collingwood as a runner after suffering cramps, Hussain was sent on his way when Collingwood was caught short of his ground by a direct throw from Sri Lankan skipper Sanath Jayasuriya.

Ian Blackwell made a brisk 24 from just 12 balls before he went with the total on 278, triggering a familiar late batting collapse when a total in excess of 300 had seemed certain.

Man of the match Stewart departed on the next ball for 64 after hitting four fours and six, and the rest of the tail just followed in quick succession in the pursuit of late runs.

Sri Lanka's hopes of overhauling England's massive total ended almost as soon as they began when openers Romesh Kaluwithara (six) and Jayasuriya (13) both departed in the first eight overs.

Fast bowler Steve Harmison then removed Kumar Sangakkara, brilliantly caught by Collingwood diving to his left for 11, and Marvan Atapattu for 38, to reduce the Sri Lankans to 101-4 and kill off their last chances of winning.

Jayawardene carved out 71 off 92 balls to give the Sri Lankans a chance of reaching 233 and preventing England from getting a bonus point and Arnold steered them safely past with an unbeaten 60 off 62 balls, including sixes off Irani and Caddick in the final two overs.