Published: Jun 25, 2016, 05:58 PM (IST)
Edited: Jun 26, 2016, 12:28 PM (IST)
England managed to salvage a tie in the 1st One-Day International (ODI) against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge and gained a comprehensive win in the 2nd contest. Alex Hales and Jason Roy took Sri Lanka bowlers to the cleaners, chasing a below par total of 255. Hales and Roy both struck centuries to guide their team to a 10-wicket victory. Hales remained unbeaten on 133 in just 135 balls, while his partner Roy on 112 in 135 balls. Both struck the ball fluently from the onset. Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first on a batting friendly pitch, and was relieved to see their captain Angelo Mathews all fit and raring to go. Full Cricket Scorecard: England vs Sri Lanka 2016, 3rd ODI at Bristol
It was only another middle-order batting collapse that laid down the foundation for their first defeat in the ODI series. Kusal Perera and Danushka Gunathilaka must provide impetus and keep the scorebaord ticking. It was yet again Dinesh Chanidmal and Mathews, who held fort for Sri Lanka and put up a decent total for their bowlers to defend. Upul Tharanga, who has been wasted at No.8, showed better batting skills than any of the top-order batsmen. Tharanga’s quick-fire heroics at end was a delight to the eyes, as he remained not out on 53 runs off just 49 balls. However, Chandimal would feel unlucky to have gotten run-out on 52. Sri Lanka would Chandimal to be fit and fine in the third ODI, as he was seen struggling with cramps much like how Mathews did in the first game.
England, on the other hand, looked a team with a mission; a mission to win the match unlike the last time, where they faulted right in the final grasp. It was the spinning duo of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid that choked the life out of Sri Lankan batting line-up. Rashid bowled his quota of 10 overs on the trot, giving away just 34 runs and picking up 2 wickets. It was Liam Plunkett and Chris Woakes, who gave away absolutely nothing to latch on to for the batsmen. David Willey was the only English bowler who went for runs.
Sri Lankan bowlers’ did not extract any purchase from the wicket, which was a surprise. Apart from Suranga Lakmal, no other Sri Lankan bowler could trouble the devastating pair of Hales and Roy. Dropping Dasun Shanaka may have been a wrong option in hindsight, but Mathews should bring him in for this match. Mathews, who had just recovered from injury, did not bowl in this match, which turned out costly for the Lankans Lions. It is imperative for Sri Lanka to have a fit Mathews to contribute to their teams’ success.
Squads:
England: Eoin Morgan (c), Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Jos Buttler (wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Steven Finn, Jonny Bairstow, Chris Woakes, James Vince.
Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (c), Kusal Perera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Dasun Shanaka, Seekkuge Prasanna, Upul Tharanga, Dhananjaya de Silva, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Farveez Maharoof, Suraj Randiv.
Time: 3 PM (IST)
(Vishal Mehra is a reporter at CricketCountry, who enjoys his weekly dose of anime, and plays cricket once a white moon. His twitter handle is @capturethecatch )
