Key events
Match report
Taha Hashim
After a year in the job, it was on: a first one-day international victory away from home for Brendon McCullum as England’s head coach, a touch of joy in a troubling winter. With Ben Duckett and Joe Root hitting watchful half-centuries, the base was set on a turner, chasing a target of 272.
But the discontent continued as 129 for one turned into 164 for six, Sri Lanka’s spinners ripping everything apart under lights in the first of three ODIs. The left-armer Dunith Wellalage combined his 12-ball 25 with two wickets in the collapse as the hosts, chasing their eighth consecutive ODI series win at home, triumphed by 19 runs.
Righto, that’s all from me, but our match report will be up shortly and we will of course be back soon – very soon if you fancy some football, in not much longer than that if you’re after tennis, and on Saturday with the second ODI in the three-match series. But otherwise, peace and love.
Asalanka says he wasn’t worried but there are areas in which his team can improve, such as fast bowling. In the first 25 overs, the ball doesn’t spin, but then it started to, and the three tweakers then had an impact.
Finally, he says what Wellalage did it’s very big because he didn’t have much time to bat, and that’s about it.
Brook says the toss was crucial in the end but Sri Lanka played well and deserved to win. He doesn’t think he needed another death bowler, the spinners did well in the middle and though England got collared in the final over, that can happen in white-ball cricket.
Duckett and Root both came off saying it was hard to start, so subsequent England batters getting out early in their innings was a problem.
Wellalage says he came to the wicket looking to support Mendis, but they planned to score in the last three overs. The most important thing when bowling was pace variation and keeping line, and that’s all he’s allowed to tell us.
Player of the match is, of course, Dunith Wellalage
Rightly so; he may never play such a definitive all-round match again.
There are pluses for England – Root is brilliant in these conditions, while Duckett, though he was scratchy, now has a score and time at the crease on which he can build. But the team doesn’t look balanced or confident; they need clear instructions, and Eoin Morgan back as captain.
That’s England’s 11th straight defeat away from home, and they’ve a lot of work to do. They’ve no quicks anyone could possibly fear – though stick Archer and wood into the team and that changes – and have lost the balance between aggression and idiocy. They need to find solutions before the T20 World Cup gets going in three weeks.
WICKET! Overton c Wellalage b Pramod 34 (England 252 all out) Sri Lanka win by 19 runs
Overton swings, slices, and Wellalge pouches the catch at cover. Well done him – he turned this game in the final over of the Sri Lanka innings, then bowled nicely, took a terrific catch, and held the winning one. You’d take it.
49.1: England 252-9 (Overton 34, Rashid 0) Target 272 Let’s go ball-by-ball: Pramod in, slower ball, and Overton swings to long-on; no run.
49th over: England 252-9 (Overton 34, Rashid 0) Target 272 The Sri Lanka tops are much, much better than the England ones, so really they deserve this position, and Overton goes hard at Fernando’s first ball only to edge into his foot. A wide follows – that’s four in 17 balls – then Overton flat-bats up in the air, a miscue … but it’s going to drop safe and they run two. If England could find two boundaries in what’s left of this over, the Lankans will begin to wonder, but he picks out the main at long-on … then stomps down and annihilates six over midwicket! England need 25 off eight, the last over the difference and who bowled it? None other than James Overton. But have a look! Fernando gives him one on the pads, he squeezes out a glance … and it scuttles away through midwicket for four more! One to come, he’s got 33 off 14 and Rashid has 0 off six – does he swing for the fences or make sure he retains strike? The delivery gives him the answer: he can only turn it away for one and England need 20 to win off six deliveries. They couldn’t could they?
48th over: England 238-9 (Overton 21, Rashid 0) Target 272 Pramod returns and Overton can’t quite get at a wide one. So the bowler goes again and this time, he’s able to muscle it over backward point for a one-bounce four. A wide follows, then a half-volley is caressed over cover for four more, and that last over of the Sri Lanka innings, 23 from it, looks like being the difference. Can Overton go again? This time, he forces down the ground and they run one, then another wide has Lasith Malinga, the bowling coach, less than gruntled pacing the boundary. But Pramod responds well enough, Rashid missing a slower ball, then playing a forward defensive to give Overton the strike; England need 34 off 12.
47th over: England 227-9 (Overton 12, Rashid 0) Target 272 Fernando back into the attack and Overton drives a slower-ball wide half-volley through cover for four; it’s on, etc. A single follows, then a wide, then a dot, then a leg-bye. I doubt it makes any difference, but I do wonder if sending in Brook before Bethel might’ve helped, given Root was going well, given the bowlers something more to think about once they got rid of Duckett. Meantime, Overton cracks a pull for six, adds one more, and England need 45 from 18.
46th over: England 213-9 (Overton 0, Rashid 0) Target 272 Two dots complete the over, two wickets in it, and england need 59 from 24.
WICKET! Dawson c Dhananjaya b Paramod 2 (England 213-9)
Dawson frees arms and unloads the suitcase, edging hard and, at backward point, Dhananjaya leaps left, holding on to a terrific catch. Sri Lanka have fielded really well today.
46th over: England 213-7 (Overton 0, Dawson 2) Target 272 Dawson is off the mark with two into the on-side.
WICKET! Buttler b Pramod 19 (England 211-8)
This isn’t even going to be close. A slower-ball yorker from Pramod, a swing and a miss from Buttler, and this feels more like noughties England than Bazball England.
46th over: England 211-7 (Buttler 19, Overton 0) Target 272 England need 69 off 30 at the start of the over; yeah, I know. But the returning Pramod begins with two wides, then Buttler dances into space before short-arming a chip over the top for six – that’s the first ball he’s got all of, and it went all the way with little apparent effort.
45th over: England 203-7 (Buttler 13, Overton 0) Target 272 Vandersay completes a fine spell of 2-39 off 10.
WICKET1 Rehan c Wellalage b Vandersay 27 (England 203-7)
Again, Rehan goes hard with an open face, it goes to long-off but Wellalage is there, taking the catch almost stuck-on so throwing the ball up, stepping over the boundary, leaping backinto play, and completing the catch. What a day out he’s having!
45th over: England 203-6 (Buttler 13, Rehan 27) Target 272 Buttler misses with a reverse then forces two to long-on, but he’s not timing it; when he pulls a single, he’l orobably be relieved to give Rehan the strike.
44th over: England 200-6 (Buttler 10, Rehan 27) Target 272 Fernando returns and Buttler will surely want to use his pace against him. But he goes around the wicket, directs his loosener into the toes; dot. So next ball, the batter tries a ramp, they sprint two abetted by poor fielding, and the umpire signals no ball; can Rehan make something of it? Er, not really, another delivery picking out his body as he makes room, squeezed away for one. A single follows, then a slower-ball full toss is swiped, in theory down the ground … and is sliced over point for four. Oh, and then another low full toss, this time flayed over wide mid-on for four more … and have a look! A half-volley, Rehan goes down, swings hard, and that’s four more over cover! Sixteen off the over – will that fire Buttler? – and England need 72 from 36.
43rd over: England 183-6 (Buttler 8, Rehan 14) Target 272 Singles to start this latest Vandersay over, then one that totally flummoxes Rehan turning and bouncing over his shoulder as he gets down on one knee. Just two from the over, and England need 89 from 42. Don’t laugh.
42nd over: England 181-6 (Buttler 7, Rehan 13) Target 272 A single to Buttler down the ground – I’m surprised he’s not keeping the strike to seek boundaries – but then Rehan lamps four over cover, before adding one to long-on. Again, Buttler contents himself with one, and again, it’s Rehan who does the necessary, forcing back over the bowlers’ head for four before adding a further single. Wellalage finishes with 2-41 off 10l England need 91 from 48.
41st over: England 169-6 (Buttler 5, Rehan 3) Target 272 An inside edge yields a single, the required rate is 11.44 or 103 off 54, and Buttler has no choice now: he’s got to go.
REVIEW! NOT OUT!
it turned so much it was missing off.
41st over: England 168-6 (Buttler 4, Rehan 3) Target 272 Vandersay is enjoying himself, finding lovely turn and top-spin to fox Rehan, then again with a slider which goes straight on. Oh, and after he takes a single to mid-off, Buttler misses a sweep, bat miles from a ball which rattles his pad, and though the umpire says no, it looks extremely suss and Sri Lanka review.
40th over: England 167-6 (Buttler 4, Rehan 2) Target 272 Three singles from four balls and England need 105 off the final 10 overs. How many of them do we think we’ll see?
WICKET! Curran c & b Wellalage 5 (England 164-6)
Curran makes room to drive to off then, for reasons known best to no one, flat-bats back to the bowler, who takes a really good catch just above his tootsies. The umpires want to check it was clean, but they’re just making triple sure.
39th over: England 164-5 (Buttler 3, Curran 5) Target 272 Curran takes two off Wellalage’s first ball.
39th over: England 162-5 (Buttler 3, Curran 3) Target 272 So does Buttler look to stick around, then go wild nearer the end? Or try and get it moving now, so there’s no need for anything crazy? For now, it’s singles, three of them, which makes sense: England have batting left, but it’s mainly lads you hope whack you three or four boundaries, not who’ll take you home from this far out.
38th over: England 159-5 (Buttler 2, Curran 1) Target 272 This is a classic S-Cuzz situation, and he’s off the mark second ball, forcing to cover for one. England need 113 runs off 72 deliveries.
WICKET! Bethell st Mendis b Wellalge 15 (England 158-5)
No need to review this one! Bethell goes at Jeffrey but it’s a bungle, the turn leaving him stretching, off balance. He misses, Mendis whips off the bails, and this is classic subcontinental cricket, slow slow, England losing wickets fast.
38th over: England 158-4 (Bethell 14, Buttler 2) Target 272 This, of course, can be what happens when you bat sensibly: you lose a few wickets and suddenly your thwacking must be done without security. Buttler takes a single to leg…
37th over: England 157-4 (Bethell 14, Buttler 1) Target 272 Buttler takes a Red Bull single to get himself going, and this is boiling nicely now.
WICKET! Brook st Mendis b Asalanka 6 (England 156-4)
Credit to the bowler, who took off more pace than he might’ve dared to, and Sri Lanka are now favourites with 116 required off 79.
37th over: England 156-3 (Bethell 15, Brook 6) Target 272 It’s Bethell who goes first, twinkling down only for the ball to die on him; he toes it into the air, shouts of “Catch!” abound … but it drops shy of the fielder as they run one. Oh, but what’s this? Brook comes down to Asalanka, misses, and the keeper breaks the stumps. The umpire wants a review, but I don’t think it’s close…
Source: www.theguardian.com
