Published: Jun 22, 2016, 04:47 AM (IST)
Edited: Jun 22, 2016, 08:57 AM (IST)
Whoever said ODI cricket isn’t exciting is wrong. After seeing tonight’s match between England and Sri Lanka no one would say that as 100 overs of cricket could not decide a winner between these two sides. Tailender Liam Plunkett hit a six off the last ball of the match as England achieved a remarkable tie in the first one-day international against Sri Lanka in Nottingham on Tuesday. England, needed 287 to win but they collapsed to 30 for four and 82 for six. But a stand of 138 between man-of-the-match Chris Woakes, who made an ODI-best 95 not out, and Jos Buttler (93) revived their chances. After England had seen their hopes of victory disappear in a final over where they needed 14 to win, Plunkett drove the last ball from Nuwan Pradeep for a straight six. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: England vs Sri Lanka, 1st ODI match at Nottingham
England finished on 286 for eight in just their eighth tie at this level, with Sri Lanka having thrashed them by nine wickets in their previous ODI encounter in Wellington at the 2015 World Cup. Woakes and Plunkett put on an unbroken 50 in 28 balls. Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews top-scored for his side with 73 and Seekkuge Prasanna blasted a quickfire 59 after England captain Eoin Morgan won the toss. Warwickshire paceman Woakes took two for 56. Mathews then took two early wickets as England collapsed before they bounced back under the Trent Bridge floodlights.
England would have been happy with a target of 287 on a ground where last year they made 350 for six against New Zealand — their highest winning score batting second in an ODI. But it looked an imposing total as they lost four wickets inside nine overs. Jason Roy (three) was plumb lbw to Mathews. Fellow opener Alex Hales (four) fell on his Nottinghamshire home ground when he chipped Suranga Lakmal to mid-wicket. Joe Root (two) then played on to medium-pacer Mathews.
Root’s Yorkshire colleague Jonny Bairstow, recalled to one-day duty after a superb return of 387 runs, including two hundreds, during England’s preceding 2-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka, holed out for three after being dropped on nought. Buttler might have been out for 10 when Farveez Maharoof at mid-off got fingertips to a drive off Pradeep. Morgan made a brisk 43 before he was caught behind off Pradeep, who then removed Moeen Ali to leave England in dire straits at 82 for six.
But Buttler was still there and he went to a run-a-ball fifty with a straight six off Prasanna. He eventually fell when a leaping Dasun Shanaka at long-on pulled down what looked like a six off leg-spinner Prasanna. Woakes and Plunkett got England’s target down to 30 off the last two overs. And that became 14 off the last six balls. Woakes took two off the first ball before digging out a yorker for a single that left Plunkett on strike. Plunkett’s one got Woakes facing again but he couldn’t manage a run and England needed 10 off the last two balls. England’s ninth-wicket duo ran three to leave them wanting six off the final delivery for a tie with Plunkett facing.
But the fast bowler connected sweetly to finish on 22 not out. Woakes, who might not have played had injured fellow all-rounder Ben Stokes been fit, faced 92 balls. Earlier, Mathews and Prasanna took Sri Lanka to a competitive total with a fifth-wicket stand of 68. Prasanna cemented his big-hitting reputation with four sixes in five balls on Tuesday, Plunkett and off-spinner Ali on the receiving end. Prasanna pulled a low Plunkett full toss for four to complete a 24-ball fifty. But a miscued pull off Woakes saw Prasanna caught and bowled. Mathews went to a more sedate fifty in 83 balls.
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews top-scored with 73 as his side were held to 286 for nine by England in the first one-day international in Nottingham on Tuesday. But Sri Lanka’s final total represented something of a recovery after they slumped to 197 for six. England, however, would have been happy with a target of 287 on a Trent Bridge ground where last year they made 350 for six against New Zealand — their highest winning total batting second in a one-day international. Only Mathews and Seekkugge Prasanna, with a quickfire 59, made much headway for Sri Lanka in the first of this five-match series after England captain Eoin Morgan won the toss in this day/night clash.
Pace bowlers Chris Woakes and David Willey both took two for 56 in their maximum 10 overs. Sri Lanka were 56 for three inside nine overs and their run-rate slowed, with leg-spinner Adil Rashid (none for 36 in 10 overs) proving tough to get away. It took Mathews 34 balls to score his first boundary — a reverse-swept four off spinner Moeen Ali. But a becalmed Dinesh Chandimal (37) holed out off Ali to Woakes at backward square. Prasanna came to the crease having smashed 95 off just 46 balls, including nine sixes and five fours, during Sri Lanka’s ODI series-clinching win over Ireland on Saturday.
But a miscued pull off the first ball off Woakes’s new spell saw Prasanna caught and bowled, with Sri Lanka then 188 for five in the 34th over. Prasanna dominated a stand of 68 in 47 balls with Mathews, whose rather more sedate fifty came in 83 balls with a mere three fours. Mathews eventually holed out off Plunkett before Farveez Maharoof’s 31 not out, at better than a run-a-ball, boosted Sri Lanka’s total. (With inputs from AFP)
Brief Scores:
England 286 for 8 (Chris Waokes 95, Angelo Mathews 2 for 22) tied Sri Lanka 286 for 9 in 50 overs (Angelo Mathews 79, Chris Woakes 2 for 56)
