Sri Lanka made light work of Kent

Sri Lanka got their England tour back on track on Friday, beating Kent in their tour match in Canterbury by 128 runs after scoring 301 runs in their 50 overs in a good team effort.

Sri Lanka got their England tour back on track on Friday, beating Kent in their tour match in Canterbury by 128 runs after scoring 301 runs in their 50 overs in a good team effort.

After losing their opening tour game to Essex, Sri Lanka needed to get a win on the board ahead of their games against England, and Kent obliged. The St Lawrence Ground outfit won the toss and opted to field.

Sri Lanka's top order all got runs on the board, aside from Kusal Perera who was out for just one. New signing Robbie Joseph claimed his wicket, as well as three others, including Tillakaratne Dilshan (35) and Angelo Mathews.

Skipper Mathews was the top scorer for the visitors, making 51 off 59 balls, including two sixes, before falling in the 40th over. The last 10 overs saw nearly 100 runs scored as Dinesh Chandimal bagged 47 not out off 31 balls.

Kent's chase was always going to be tough, but they were not helped by the loss off two wickets for 17 runs on the board. Daniel Bell-Drummond and Fabian Cowdrey were both removed by Suranga Lakmal.

The paceman ended with three wickets, and was one of three bowlers to do so. Ajantha Mendis' spin proved far too mysterious for the Kent lower order, while Thisara Perera accounted for the middle order.

Alex Blake was the top scorer for the hosts, making an impressive 60, but once he fell to Nuwan Kulasekara in the middle overs, it was all over bar the shouting. Only three other players go into double figures, and none past 30.

Sri Lanka's final tour game is against Sussex on Sunday, and start their internationals with a one-off T20 against England on Tuesday. That will be followed by five one-dayers.