Sri Lanka v England: second men’s cricket one-day international – as it happened
And that’s a wrap from Colombo.England end their dismal losing streak away from home, another fifty for Joe Root and a studied, if low voltage, innings from Brook on a tricky pitch.It will be interesting to see if England’s comments on the pitch cause any ructions in Sri Lanka.Many thanks for all your comments today, join us for the decider on Tuesday – bye!More harsh words for the surface from England captain Harry Brook.“The pitch is probably the worst pitch I’ve ever played on.
”Root gets a shiny looking trophy for his 75,He looks a bit miserable and has harsh words for the surface,“ I always love coming to Sri Lanka, it’s a great country, I always feel extremely welcome and it is nice to get a win on an extremely difficult surface,[The key is] to take the ball as late as possible, I don’t think that’s a great wicket for ODI cricket if I’m honest,[on how to play the surface after different pitches during the Ashes] “I think just use experience really, I’ve played a lot of cricket here, know the different nature of the turn.
You have to be precise with your footwork.”A win – more relief than joy on the players’s faces to be honest – that levels the series at 1-1.England’s spinners restricted Sri Lanka to a below par score, and then Joe Root, backed up by Ben Duckett and Harry Brook, ensured England wouldn’t slip up.A handy stat comes to me courtesy of Tim de Lisle – Harry Brook’s score of 42 off 75 balls was his slowest 40 in an ODI, by a long way – a strike rate 56 per 100 balls, when his previous slowest was 87.46.
1 overs: England 223-5 (Buttler 33, Jacks 8 ) And that’s the win that England have been long waiting for – a first away ODI victory for 12 games courtesy of a shorn headed Will Jacks’ flick through long on.46th over: England 217-5 (Buttler 33, Jacks 2 ) P Rathnayake comes on for his first over, with England nearly there.And they’re even closer by the end of it as he’s tonked for 12 – a handful of ones and twos before Buttler frying pans him into, or maybe over, the sightscreen.45th over: England 205-5 (Buttler 22, Jacks 1 )The tricksy Vandersay’s final over.Lots of oohs, lots of ahhs, a googly into Jacks’ pads, but Buttler gets a four away and England are close.
“Greetings from a rather drab and cloudy Naples.” And greetings to you from an already dusky Manchester.“Oh dear, from a position of unusual Root-inspired calm, Vandersay has his word and bamboozles Brook.Dare I vandersay it but England are in a spot of bother with two new batters in.”But hopefully we can make it over the line! At least this time.
”44th over: England 200-5 (Buttler 17, Jacks 1 ) Buttler picks up a crucial boundary early, flicking Asitha over midwicket for four.And another, aerial but safe, flying to the rope.Lovely smooth flow of the bat.He digs out a yorker, Jacks survives the last, and that’s the over.Just 20 needed now.
.43rd over: England 191-5 (Buttler 8, Jacks 1 ) Vandersay with a crucial breakthrough, though there were still five runs from the over, which is more than enough.In the dugout, Sri Lankan sub fielders chat, one looks exactly like victorious Stephen from Traitors.Drops, sweeps, misses.42nd over: England 186-4 (Brook 41, Buttler 4) Wallalage’s last over, neat and tidy, four singles from it – finishes with 0-50 from his ten.
He pulls on his hat and walks briskly away.The trumpets and drums continue to play merrily away but we are surely almost home.41st over: England 182-4 (Brook 38, Buttler 3) Sri Lanka pocket the big wicket, but with only 38 needed, from nine overs, surely too late.It looks very out, as the ball creeps under the bat to hit Root’s front boot, and nearly tips him over, but Root reviews.Ooof , it’s close, but umpire’s call.
Root drags himself off the pitch – time for a quick rewrite?40th over: England 178-3 ( Root 75, Brook 38) Vandersay puts his head in his hands as Brook goes forward but doesn’t quite reach the pitch of the ball and ends up squeezing a leading edge,Hello there Abhishek Chopra,“A lot of batters these days, especially the new ones on the block, don’t have the rhythm of batting in ODI chases in their bones,Not true for Joseph Edward Root, who is playing a Kohliesque knock here,”I loved that Kohli was such a big fan of Test cricket, but is it fair to say that his fire burnt brighter in ODI cricket?39th over: England 172-3 ( Root 72, Brook 35) Frustration for Sri Lanka after that miserly over from Asitha is followed by a leg side wide from Wellalage which rolls away for four.
38th over: England 164-3 ( Root 71, Brook 33) The dog offers me her snout as Asitha bowls three dots which is enough for Brook to try and fail to scoop him for four.He’s unimpressed when a fifth isn’t called wide, gets a single from the sixth.37th over: England 163-3 ( Root 71, Brook 32) But, ah, Wellalage has safely returned, quickly enough to whistle through an over that goes for four.Root’s calm seems to have manifested itself into Brook – who is batting completely without that frantic urgency that we saw in Australia.36th over: England 159-3 ( Root 68, Brook 31) During drinks, Wellalage went off the field with some kind of injury – he’s bowled seven overs of his spell.
Five from Asalanka’s over as the target drops into the low sixties.35th over: England 154-3 ( Root 66, Brook 28) Jayasuriya and Lasitha Malinga, now in coaching roles, look on from the sidelines, unimpressed.They take DRINKS with England looking favourites to stroll to victory.34th over: England 150-3 ( Root 64, Brook 26) Root is frustrated after missing a reverse sweep – these are not conditions where you want to waste any energy.Each Yorkshireman’s face is shiny with sweat.
A couple of singles off Asalanka’s seventh over33rd over: England 148-3 ( Root 63, Brook 25) A cracking bit of fielding denies Brook a boundary from a reverse sweep off the excellent Vandersay.32nd over: England 146-3 ( Root 62, Brook 24) That’s what we were waiting for! Brook gambols up the pitch, feet perfectly to the pitch and, with wristy abandon, drives the ball through extra-cover to the rope.In the commentary box, David Gower purrs.31st over: England 141-3 ( Root 62, Brook 19) Yet suddenly, there’s some fizz as Vandersay gets one to rip off the pitch and past Brook’s outside edge.30th over: England 140-3 ( Root 62, Brook 17) There’s not huge energy out there in the middle – England quietly weeding the garden, while Sri Lanka bowl around them.
England need 80 off 120 balls to win,29th over: England 135-3 ( Root 60, Brook 15) Four more runs in the bag without too much exertion needed,28th over: England 131-3 ( Root 59, Brook 13) England should cruise this, the target is very gettable, Root is in gorgeous touch, the others just need to stick around,The conditions are tough though, Root is breathing heavily,27th over: England 124-3 ( Root 53, Brook 11) A stat flashes up on the television – Root has the highest average of non-Asian batters in Sri Lanka (69.
44) – followed by Brian Lara.I presume that’s just in ODIs but I’ll try and check when I have a moment.Tip, tap, a trio of singles from Asalanka.26th over: England 121-3 ( Root 51, Brook 10) A pushed single brings Root his fifty, which he acknowledges with a gentle nod of the head and quick raise of the bat.Wellalage, shirt sharply tucked into his trousers, is parsimonous until the last when Brook cuts him to the rope for four.
25th over: England 114-3 ( Root 49, Brook 5) A single from the last ball of the previous over leaves Brook to face once more.Manages a single from the third ball, but just two from Asalanka’s over.Luckily England have money in the run-bank.24th over: England 112-3 ( Root 48, Brook 4) Brook isn’t finding this easy.Lovely bowling by Wellalage with his young man’s shadow moustache, Brook almost chops on, saved, I think, by his boot.
23rd over: England 111-3 ( Root 48, Brook 3) Root reverse sweeps, with no risk, for four.Vandersay wheels in off four paces, swinging arms from his follow through.His last ball is a ripper that beats the forward defending Root.22nd over: England 104-3 ( Root 42, Brook 2) Root’s face is shiny with sweat, he’s wearing thick navy blue wrist bands on both wrists.Just a couple off the returning Wellalage’s over.
21st over: England 102-3 ( Root 41, Brook 1) Vandersay keeps it tight.“Re your framing of the Baz decision,” taps Gary Naylor, “I fear you’re selling Brutus when the crowd have already bought Mark Antony.”20th over: England 101-3 ( Root 40, Brook 1) A familiar middle-innings wobble settles into place.Root, though, looks in perky form – pockets three from a sweep that brushes all along the ground.Bethell gets through the shot a hand early and chips straight to cover.
19th over: England 96-2 ( Root 37, Bethell 4) A gentle shuffle of the strike ticking over.
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