Captain Kusal Mendis led from the front with his superlative ton and was ably supported by Kamindu Mendis as Sri Lanka stunned England at Leeds, Headingley by 16 runs to level the 3-match series 1-1. Kusal Mendis, the captain, led from the front and scored a breath-taking ton, and he was ably supported by Kamindu Mendis, Pavan Rathnayake and the others down the order as Sri Lanka amassed 321/6 in 50 overs.
In the second innings, Sri Lanka weathered the early storm of the openers, who put up 143 inside 20 overs, to roar back into the contest. Dunith Wellalage was the star with the ball, with 3 wickets, and other pacers stepped it up in the final overs. The English collapsed and wilted under pressure as Sri Lanka levelled the series 1-1, winning by 16 runs with the captain leading from the front.
Kusal Mendis’ Marvellous 7th ODI ton helps Sri Lanka post a competitive 321/6 in 50 overs
Winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Pathum Nissanka and Kamindu Mendis came out to open the batting for Sri Lanka while Jofra Archer had the ball in hand for England. The Lankans made a steady start in the powerplay as they wanted to keep wickets in hand for the latter part of the innings. The duo put on 45 for the first wicket in 9 overs, with Nissanka and Kamindu looking decent before Nissanka fell for 25 off 33 balls with 3 fours and one six to his name to Gus Atkinson.
Captain and keeper-batter Kusal Mendis walked out to bat next as Sri Lanka were 46/1 in 10 overs of the powerplay. It was the Mendis’ show at Leeds in the middle phase as Kusal became the aggressor while Kamindu played his part as the second fiddle. The captain led from the front and showed his team how to bat in these conditions. Kusal got a lifeline when Gus Atkinson dropped him on 17* off Jamie Overton, and Kusal made the team pay for the missed chance.
The Mendis brothers put on an amazing partnership of 137 runs for the second wicket to set the platform for a big score before Kamindu fell for 54 off 65 balls with 4 fours and 3 sixes to his name to Gus Atkinson. Kamindu scored a half-century and then got out. Pavan Rathnayake came out to bat next. Kusal continued to grow from strength to strength as he scored a masterful 7th ODI ton and his first in England and against England. The duo added 40 runs for the third wicket before Kusal the captain fell for 121 off 100 balls with 14 fours and 3 sixes to his name to Rehan Ahmed.
Charith Asalanka came out to bat next and started playing in a positive manner. Rathnayake and Asalanka could add another 14 runs to the score before Asalanka fell for 11 off 18 fours with 2 fours to his name to Rehan Ahmed. Janith Liyanage came out to bat next. Rathnayake then joined forces with Liyanage as the duo put on another important stand between them. The duo added 46 runs for the 5th wicket before Rathnayake fell for a well-made 48 off 39 balls with 2 fours and a maximum to his name via a run out by Joe Root.
Dunith Wellalage came out to bat next. The duo of Liyanage and Wellalage added 30 runs for the 6th wicket before Liyanage fell for 32 off 26 balls with 4 fours to his name to Jofra Archer. Sachindu Colombage came out to bat next. The duo of Wellalage and Colombage added 9 runs for the last wicket in 10 balls as the visitors finished with 321/6 in 50 overs. Wellalage was unbeaten on 16 off 15 balls with one four to his name alongside Colombage, unbeaten on 3 off 4 balls. 11 extras were given by the fielding side as Sri Lanka finished with 321/6 in 50 overs. 11 extras were given by the fielding side.
England had a mixed day with the ball in hand. Gus Atkinson was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/55 in 10 overs. Rehan Ahmed finished with 2/48 in 8 overs. Jofra Archer finished with 1/68 in 10 overs. Josh Tongue finished with 0/50 in 7 overs. Will Jacks finished with 0/33 in 5 overs. Jamie Overton finished the day with 0/63 in 10 overs. This meant England had a challenging target of 322 runs to win off 50 overs.
Dunith Wellalage’s 3-wicket haul helps Sri Lanka level the series 1-1
Chasing 322 for an improbable win, Tom Banton and Ben Duckett came out to open the batting for England while Asitha Fernando had the ball in hand for Sri Lanka. England got off to a racing start courtesy of their openers as both the openers matched shot for shot and took the attack to the Lankan bowlers, who were poor initially. The duo set the chase up and played for nearly 20 overs. The duo got to their fifties and looked unstoppable at one stage. They put on a whopping 143 runs inside 20 overs before Duckett was the first one to depart for 73 off 62 balls with 7 fours and 3 sixes to his name to Dunith Wellalage.
Joe Root came out to bat next. Sri Lanka got another wicket soon, as just 10 runs were added between Root and Banton before Banton fell for 73 off 62 balls with 7 fours and 3 sixes to his name to Wellalage. Captain Harry Brook came out to bat next. Just 4 runs were added to the score before Captain Brook fell for 1 off 6 balls to Wellalage and the Lankans were back in the game now.
Keeper-batter Jos Buttler joined Root at the crease, and the keeper-batter meant business and came out all guns blazing. It was the Jos Buttler show as Root played second fiddle in the partnership. The duo added 43 runs for the 4th wicket before Root fell for 15 off 17 balls with one four to his name to Sachindu Colombage. Will Jacks came out to bat next. Buttler’s flow did not change despite losing Root, as he was dominating the Sri Lankan bowling. Buttler, batting on 63* and the score at 245, was dropped by Wellalage of his own bowling.
Thereafter, a few balls later, the partnership between the duo had crossed 52 before Buttler hurt his hamstring and possibly tore it, and so he walked back into the hut, retired hurt in pain. Rehan Ahmed came out to bat next. But Buttler’s retirement hurt turned out to be the turning point of the match. The run scoring stopped and stalled, and it was a struggle for the English batters in the end overs.
The score reached 259 before Rehan fell for a 5-ball duck to Dilshan Madushanka. Gus Atkinson was sent up the order ahead of Jamie Overton. Atkinson failed to find the boundary at all, and it was a struggle for him. The duo took their time and added 29 runs before Atkinson finally fell for 16 off 28 balls to Eshan Malinga. Jack was fighting and got to his fifty soon. Jamie Overton came out to bat next.
Overton did not last long at all. Just 7 runs were added to the tally before Overton fell for 2 off 3 balls to Asitha Fernando. Jos Buttler, on one leg, came back to try and help England. Jack got a maximum away here and there to keep his team in it, but it was to no avail. The team crossed 300. 8 runs were added to the score before Jack fell in the 49th over to Malinga for 52 off 61 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes to his name. Jofra Archer came out to bat with the writing on the wall now.
The score remained at 303 when Buttler tried in vain to clear the boundary but found the man in the deep in the final over as he fell for 69 off 49 balls with 5 fours and 5 sixes to his name to Dilshan Madushanka. Josh Tongue came out to the middle to join Archer in the middle and the duo scored 2 runs off the remaining balls as England finished with 305/9 in 50 overs. Archer was unbeaten on 0 off 6 balls while Tongue was unbeaten on 1 off 1 ball. 9 extras were given by the fielding side.
The Sri Lankan bowlers came back well after the first 20 overs to strangle England. Dunith Wellalage was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/49 in 10 overs. Eshan Malinga chipped in with 2/50 in 9 overs. Dilshan Madushanka chipped in with 2/54 in 8 overs. Asitha Fernando chipped in with 1/68 in 10 overs. Sachindu Colombage chipped in with 1/55 in 6 overs. Charith Asalanka finished with figures of 0/29 in 6 overs. So, Sri Lanka win this by 16 runs to level the series 1-1. Captain Kusal Mendis was adjudged the Player of the Match.
What Lies Ahead
Right, Sri Lanka have done outstandingly well to level the series 1-1 at Leeds, Headingley. It sets us up for a series decider on Super Sunday at the Oval, in London. It will be a winner-takes-all match. Which team will come out on top? Remember, there may be no Jos Buttler for that match, looking at his injury status. So, a lot to ponder for both teams.
Super Sunday is set, and we can’t wait for it to arrive.
Also Read: ENG vs SL: Kusal Mendis’ 7th ODI Ton Powers Sri Lanka To 321/6