England v Sri Lanka 2nd ODI at Headingley September 24th

Neil Whitaker reports

SRI Lanka  beat England by 16  runs at Headingley to set up a deciding third match at the KIA Oval on Sunday but in the 38th over England were closing in on victory until Jos Buttler had to retire hurt on 67 with an hamstring injury and England needing another 72.

He  returned at 295 for 7 hobbling around but he could only add another two and his return to the crease was futile, England would have been if they had sent Jamie Overton ahead of Gus Atkinson. Overton has a track record of big hitting but Atkinson and Will Jacks 29 in seven overs but they couldn’t find the boundary.

England captain Harry Brook said: “I had full confidence of chasing that total  down at the halfway stage but today we weren’t at our best.  But we did try to take it as far as we could.  We knew that Buttler was going to go out and he was keen to get out there.  We can’t say his injury was  the reason we lost, we lost because of other reasons.”

The Sri Lankan bowlers came back well in the second half of England’s innings with Dunkth Wellalage taking three for 49 in his 10 overs while the others chipped in to see them home.  For England Tom Banton top scored with 73, his best score in ODI cricket so far Ben Duckett made  67 and Jacks hit 52.

England’s chase got off to a blistering start thanks to some poor Sri Lankan bowling.  They bowled wides, no balls and gave England’s openers room to smash the ball to the boundary as they raced to 26 after three overs.  After the fourth over Kusal Mendis turned to his off-spinner Charrith Asalanka to stem and his first over cost him three runs.

England’s fifty came up in the sixth over when Duckett drove Dilshan Madushanka to the extra cover boundary.  Duckett hit consecutive fours off Asalanka’s second over: the first through extra cover and the second to the point boundary.  He pulled  Eshan Malinga to the long-leg boundary.

In their first power play England scored 82 without loss, their highest against Sri Lanka in a ODI.  Duckett reached his 10th ODI fifty from 44 balls with eight fours.  Banton hit his second ODI fifty; this one came from 40 balls, including seven fours and a six. He pulled Wellalage’s first ball which was short over the square leg boundary for a six and Banton repeated the shot with the same result four balls later.

Brook added: “I thought the way that we started our innings put pressure on their bowlers but there are plenty of positives that we can take out of the game.  The way we finished our bowling was exceptional. The final game on Sunday is a great opportunity for us to see where we are as we try to win the series.”

Sri Lanka got their first wicket when Wellalage beat Duckett in the air and spun the ball into his stumps.  With Banton, Duckett put on 143 in 20 overs for the first wicket.  

Banton raced down the pitch to Wellalage missed the ball and was easily stumped by Kusal Mendis.  Wellalage got his third wicket when his googly hit Brook’s pads, but Sri Lanka’s appeal was turned down and they reviewed it.  The replay showed it to be hitting Brook’s leg stump.

Buttler smashed Wellalage straight for a six into the Howard stand. In the next over Buttler repeated the shot to Sachindu Colombage for another straight six.  Two balls later Buttler sliced his shot and got another six.  He had a slice of luck when he edged an inch wide of  stumper Kusal Mendis to bring up England’s 200.

He brought his fifty up when  belted  Colombage for a six over wide long-on for a six and his fifty included five fours and four sixes. The  next ball went   for another six, this time over long-off.

At Durham two days ago Root became Colombage first ODI wicket and today Colombage got him again.  Root drove him to Pavan Rathnayake at extra cover.

On 19 Jacks chipped Wellalage back to the bowler but Wellalage couldn’t hold on to the chance with his left hand. Rehan Ahmed gloved a short ball from Madushanka down the legside to Kusal Mendis.  

Finally Sri Lanka’s batting line-up turned up and 321 for six in their 50 overs with captain Kusal Mendis hitting 121, from 100 balls, his sixth ODI.  He shared in a second wicket partnership of 137 with Kamindu Mendis who made 54. Kusal Mendis made England pay for dropping him on 18.  He clipped Overton in the air to Atkinson on the fine leg boundary but  Atkinson dropped a sitter.   The Sri Lankan captain went to make 121 from 100 balls.

Kusal Mendis  clipped Tongue off his toes and helped it over the fine leg boundary for his first six.  Mendis played a delightful  delicate late cut off Rehan Ahmed to the third man boundary. In the next over he edged Overton past stumper  Buttler to the third man boundary.  Amazingly he pulled Overton into the wind and into the Western terrace.

Sri Lanka’s captain  blasted Jacks to the long-off to bring Sri Lanka’s first fifty of their tour.  His fifty came from balls with six fours and a six.  After reaching his fifty he took a couple of paces down the pitch and smashed Jacks over mid wicket for his second six.

He cut Josh Tongue to the point boundary to bring up the 100 partnership with Kamindu Mendus.  He deftly hit Tongue over long-on for a six and drilled the next ball to the extra cover boundary.  Tongue was guided  to the third man  boundary by Kusal Mendis.

England thought Kusal  Mendis had edged Overton to Buttler and was given out.  Mendis reviewed the decision straight away but the replay showed he  hadn’t got a touch.  Mendis drilled the next ball to the extra cover  boundary to bring up his sixth ODI hundred from 82 balls with three sixes and 12 fours. 

They  finally got rid of him when he went down the pitch to Rehan Ahmed and  smashed his googly but found Banton on the long-on boundary.

Kamindu Mendis added 137 in 20 overs with his captain and was content to let Kusla Mendis to force  the pace. The pair increased their tempo after the first drinks break as they hurried and scampered between the wickets as well as hitting boundaries.  He reached his fourth ODI fifty from 56 balls. But after he reached his fifty he got starved off the strike as he left Kusal Mendis to thump the ball around Headingley but that tactic cost Kamindu Mendis his wicket.  He only faced  18  balls in the last 10 overs of the partnership, he got far under a drive off Atkinson and Brook running back at mid-off.

Sri Lanka won  the toss, decided to bat on a perfect September day, made one change from the first  match Eshan Malinga replaced Dushmantha Chameera. England were unchanged.

The Sri Lankan openers took a liking to Joffra Archer.  First Kaminda Mendis pulled him  for a one bounce four just beating Rehan Ahmed at fine leg. In Archer’s next over Mendis pulled him squarer and got a six.  Earlier in the over Pathum Nissanka pulled Archer over the square leg boundary for the first six of the match.

Nissanka was the first to go when he tried to turn Atkinson to leg but missed the  bal and was given out.  Because the umpire had given him out the ball only had to be clipping the stump and that’s what the replay showed.

Rehan Ahmed got a second wicket with his googly when Asalanka  swept him to Atkinson on the mid-wicket boundary.

Rathnayake blasted Atkinson over the long-on boundary and pulled the next ball for a one bounce four.  He was run out going for a second after Buttler had done brilliantly to turn a wayward throw from Root at extra cover into a wicket.

Liyanage deftly uppercut Archer to the third man boundary. In the next over he reversed swept Rehan Ahmed to the third man boundary.  He cut Archer to the third man boundary. He flat batted Archer to Root at mid-off.

Wellalage blasted a slower ball from Overton to the long-off boundary to bring up Sri Lanka’s 300.  He said: “Today’s win was special and we are happy as a team.  I thought Buttler batted brilliantly until his injury.  

I thought our bowlers did well and our captain  batted brilliantly and we hope that we can take our confidence into the next game.  We got a good total and the captain told us to curtail the boundaries as much as possible and put the pressure on the batters.”

SCORECARD