Uninspired England go two-nil down
Sri Lanka wrapped up with second ODI in Colombo by eight wickets and with 10 overs to spare to take a two-nil series lead over England, with veteran pairing Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene scoring the bulk of the runs.
England were dismal with the bat and scored just 185 all out, and with the overs reduced to 45 per side they couldn't even reach that. Sri Lanka made light work of the chase, losing two wickets and Sangwardene putting on 149 runs together.
England won the toss and opted to bat in Colombo, which Angelo Mathews said he would have done too. But Alastair Cook's men, himself included, did not take advantage of the coin flip.
Moeen Ali was out early, bowled by Tillakaratne Dilshan for just two, while Cook batted at a pedestrian pace for his 22 runs. Ian Bell was out for 11, while Eoin Morgan could only add 17.
The only batsmen to make any meaningful runs were Joe Root (42) and Ravi Bopara (51), with the latter adding a second half ton in a row to his tally, and a second one in a row to go in vain.
Ajantha Mendis wrapped up the tail with three wickets in four balls, bagging Bopara, Chris Woakes and Steve Finn in quick succession. The final wicket was taken by Dhammika Prasad, bowling Harry Gurney.
Sri Lanka's chase saw the loss of Kusal Perera for single figures, and Dilshan out for 26, but the rest of the knock was easily navigated by the best friends. With both on the brink of international retirement, it was a stark reminder of the gap they would leave.
Latest
-
NewsJonathan Trott warns England not to get ‘too desperate’ against India spinners
The duo have taken a combined 42 wickets in the series so far.
-
NewsDarren Gough fears England could be on the end of another hiding by India
Gough knows all about two-day Test wins.
-
NewsChris Silverwood hopes England batsmen can learn from quickfire third-Test loss
Silverwood would not be drawn into criticising the pitch.
-
NewsEngland players clash online over Alex Hartley’s social media comments
Hartley advertised England Women’s one-day international with New Zealand by referencing the men’s third Test defeat inside two days to India.
-
NewsNat Sciver excels as England wrap up series win in New Zealand
Sciver claimed three for 26 and hit 63.
-
NewsJoe Root invites ICC to make own judgement on Ahmedabad pitch
England were beaten by 10 wickets to go 2-1 down in the series.
-
NewsIt was nice to bat on – Rohit Sharma defends pitch after India seal two-day win
The hosts thrashed England by 10 wickets in Ahmedabad.
-
NewsCharlotte Edwards elected as first female president of the PCA
The former England captain takes over from Graham Gooch at the Professional Cricketers’ Association.
-
NewsJoe Root refuses to blame pitch for England’s quickfire defeat in Ahmedabad
It was the shortest match since 1935 in terms of balls bowled.
-
News7 Tests with the most premature endings since 2000
A turning wicket caused chaos for batsmen on both sides as England’s first-innings collapse for 112 set the tone.