Kusal Mendis stood tall and fought out there in the middle despite suffering from injury towards the backend of the innings. Kusal Mendis showed great fight and determination batting at 3 when wickets were falling at one end to post a competitive 271/6 in 50 overs with assistance initially from the openers and then from Janith Liyanage and a cameo from Dunith Wellalage that helped Sri Lanka get over 270.
It was a decent bowling performance from England led by that man Adil Rashid yet again as he picked up 3/44 in 10 overs while Liam Dawson bowled well as well. The last over bowled by Jamie Overton was expensive as it went for 23 runs to give momentum to the hosts. This match is nicely poised at the interval.
Sri Lankan openers get off to a solid start inside the first powerplay
Winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara came out to open for Sri Lanka while Jamie Overton had ball in hand for England. Mishara got a boundary away by an inside edge beating the keeper for a boundary. Sam Curran shared the new ball from the other end as Nissanka showed timing by driving the ball through cover point for a boundary. Overton continued and gave away 4 leg byes to the batting side. Sam continued as Mishara drove him through the covers for a boundary.
Overton continued and bowled a miserly over. Spin was introduced after 5 overs as Liam Dawson came into the attack now. He bowled a decent first over. Overton continued as Mishara whacked him by pulling over deep backward square leg for the maximum. Dawson continued and bowled another tight over. Sam Curran changed ends and bowled a decent over.
Dawson bowled the last over of the powerplay as Nissanka crunched him hard past backward point for a boundary. At the end of 10 overs, Sri Lanka were 49/0 and off to a solid start with Nissanka batting on 21* off 28 balls and Mishara on 24* off 32 balls.
Adil Rashid’s double strike helps England chip away at wickets and come back in the match
Sam Curran continued after the powerplay as the 50-run partnership came up between the two players and for the team in 10.1 overs. Sam then struck for England as he removed the dangerous Nissanka for 21 off 30 balls with 2 fours to his name as the batter slogged it to Liam Dawson at mid-on. Kusal Mendis came out to bat next. Adil Rashid came into the attack for the first time. He bowled a tight first over.
Rehan Ahmed came into the attack next. He bowled a decent first over as well. Rashid continued and struck for England removing the other opener Mishara for 27 off 37 balls with 2 fours and one six to his name as the batter was clean bowled around his legs while trying to play the slog sweep. Dhananjaya de Silva came out to bat next and got off the mark as well. Rehan continued as Kusal cut him late through backward point for a boundary. Kusal cut him again this time through short third man for a boundary.
Adil Rashid continued as de Silva smashed him down the ground over mid-off for a boundary. Dawson returned to the attack and gifted five wides to the batting side and then bowled short and wide which Kusal cut him again past Rashid at backward point for a boundary. Rashid continued as Kusal was in the zone as he played the late cut between slip and short third man for a boundary. Dawson continued and bowled a tight over with Drinks being taken at 90/2 in 19 overs.
Rashid continued after the break as Kusal swept hard square of the wicket as the ball went away to the deep square leg fence. Sri Lanka were 97/2 in 20 overs. Dawson bowled a maiden. Rashid then struck again as he removed de Silva for 10 off 21 balls with one four to his name as he was trapped in front LBW. Captain Charith Asalanka came to the crease next. Asalanka survived a close LBW appeal as the ball hit his gloves while trying to sweep.
Rehan came back into the attack as the 100 came up for Sri Lanka in 22.3 overs. Rashid continued as Kusal punished the short and wide ball by clearing his front leg and pulled it to midwicket region for a boundary. Rehan continued and bowled a decent over. At the end of 25 overs, at the halfway stage of the innings Sri Lanka were 111/3 in 25 overs with Kusal Mendis batting on 38* off 52 balls and captain Charith Asalanka on 6* off 10 balls.
Charith Asalanka falls but Kusal Mendis and Janith Liyanage drives Sri Lanka forward in this phase
Jamie Overton came back into the attack as Asalanka got a boundary away under streaky circumstances as the outside edge went wide of the keeper for a boundary. Asalanka slashed away by slicing it behind square for a boundary. Rehan continued and he struck for England removing Asalanka for 17 off 16 balls with 2 fours to his name as the sweep shot got the top edge and Brook took the catch. Janith Liyanage came to the crease next.
Liyanage hammered Rehan over the bowler’s head for a boundary. Overton continued and bowled a quiet over. Rehan continued as Kusal drove it past the cover fielder for a boundary. Kusal once again lofted the bowler downtown for another boundary as the fifty came up for Kusal Mendis in 61 balls. Overton continued and bowled another decent over as Sri Lanka were 143/4 in 30 overs.
Jacob Bethell came into the attack next and bowled a very good first over. Liam Dawson returned for another spell and bowled a tight over. Bethell continued and bowled another decent over. Dawson continued and kept things tight. Rashid returned to the attack and bowled a miserly over as usual. Jacob Bethell came back into the attack as Liyanage broke the shackles and smashed the bowler down the ground straight as an arrow for the maximum. Liyanage went big again as he pulled it away in front of square for a boundary.
Sam Curran returned to the attack as Liyanage slapped him down the ground for a boundary. Sri Lanka were 175/4 in 37 overs when we paused for another Drinks Break, the second of the innings. Rehan returned after the break and gave away 4 leg byes to the batting side. Liyanage went down on one knee and swept it behind square for a boundary past short fine leg. Sam continued as Kusal drove him through the covers for a boundary past deep cover.
Liam Dawson returned to the attack and bowled a quiet over. Sri Lanka were 191/4 in 40 overs with Janith Liyanage unbeaten on 33 off 44 balls while Kusal Mendis was unbeaten on 68 off 92 balls.
Late Flourish amidst the fall of wickets takes Sri Lanka to 271/6 in 50 overs
Rehan Ahmed continued as Kusal Mendis survived a close stumping call. Kusal then guided the ball past Root at backward point for a boundary. Sam Curran came back into the attack as Liyanage launched him down the ground over the bowler’s head for the maximum as the 200 came up for Sri Lanka in 42 overs. Adil Rashid returned to the attack as Liyanage swept it hard to the square leg fence. Rashid had the last laugh though as he dismissed Liyanage for 46 off 53 balls with 5 fours and 2 sixes to his name as the batter hit it back to the bowler who juggled and took the catch.
Pavan Rathnayake came to the crease next. He got off the mark straightaway. Rehan returned to the attack and bowled another tight over. Rashid bowled another tight over. Sri Lanka were 223/5 in 45 overs. Rehan continued and bowled a decent over. Jamie Overton came back into the attack as Kusal shuffled across and scooped it over fine leg for a boundary.
Dawson returned to the attack and removed Rathnayake for 12 off 14 balls as he went for the big one and miscued it to Jamie Overton at deep long-off. Dunith Wellalage came out to bat next. He got off the mark soon. Sam Curran came to bowl the 49th over and bowled a decent over as Sri Lanka were now 248/6 in 49 overs. Jamie Overton had the responsibility of bowling the final over of the innings.
Wellalage took on Overton and launched it down the ground for the maximum to start the over. He survived a run out call as well. Wellalage took on Overton and hit him for a hat-trick of boundaries first by slapping through the deep cover region and then hit the ball through fine leg for a boundary. The third boundary was hit towards deep midwicket. Wellalage took a brace to end the innings as 23 runs came off the final over of the innings. Sri Lanka finished with a competitive 271/6 in 50 overs with Mendis unbeaten on 93 off 117 balls with 11 fours to his name while Wellalage played a cameo of 25 runs unbeaten off 12 balls with 3 fours and one six to his name. 20 extras given by the fielding side.
Adil Rashid was as usual the pick of the bowlers for England with figures of 3/44 in 10 overs. He was ably assisted by Liam Dawson who bowled well for his 1/31 in 10 overs. Sam Curran finished with 1/40 in 8 overs. Rehan Ahmed finished with 1/61 in 10 overs. Jamie Overton went for 66 runs in 9 overs. Jacob Bethell bowled 3 overs for 19 runs. This means that England needs 272 to win off 50 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match ODI series.
Who’s Winning, Sri Lanka or England?Â
Sri Lanka ended with a flourish to finish on a competitive total. This is not a winning total but the pitch has help for the spinners. England will have to bat well to win this game. Slight edge to Sri Lanka, but the game is open at this stage. This match can go either ways and the start will be crucial for both sides. Let’s see how the chase evolves under the lights in Colombo.
Also Read:Â SL vs ENG: England Aims To Get Winning Start In ODI Series