A brilliant 104 not out from Joe Root helped England home as they chased 240 to beat Sri Lanka by five wickets and keep the ODI series alive at 3-2
And that’s yer lot. The series is alive, alive, alive, with Sri Lanka 3-2 up with two to play. There’s another in Pallekele on Saturday, then it’s to Colombo for the final match on Tuesday, before everyone can come home and forget everything that happened on this tour. Cheers for reading.
Joe Root joins Ian Bell on three ODI centuries for England. From 109 fewer matches.
So, a belting performance from Joe Root, who smacked a terrific and perfectly-judged century, even if there was a slight wobble towards the end there. Excellent supporting roles by Taylor and Bopara too, and let us not forget those six wickets from Chris Woakes too, which seems like a long, long time ago. Even though it was yesterday. Which is still quite weird for a one-dayer.
Well that was needlessly stressful. Buttler comes in, sweeps two runs from the first ball of the final and there you go. England win. Never in doubt. Dunno why you were getting so excited...
Morgan tries to win it with one heave...but it’s caught on the boundary!
Right, the power’s gone. There are no pictures from the ground, and we’re not even sure if there’s power on the floodlights. The game may or may not have finished. Ah hell.
48.3 overs: England 237-4 (Root 103, Morgan 5) Another pushed single England require 3 runs to win
48.2 overs: England 236-4 (Root 103, Morgan 4) Pushed single England require 4 runs to win
48.1 overs: England 235-4 (Root 102, Morgan 4) SIX! A century for Root as he goes over the top with a slog-sweep. Never in doubt England require 5 runs to win
47.6 overs: England 229-4 (Root 96, Morgan 4) Dot, defended down the pitch England require 11 runs to win
47.5 overs: England 229-4 (Root 96, Morgan 4) FOUR! Morgan reverse-sweeps his first to the third man boundary England require 11 runs to win
Going ball by ball now. Think of it as penance. I’m so, so sorry.
Anothertop-edged sweep from Root, a little higher this one but again it just drops in front of the fine leg fielder. Getting a bit nervy now as England are down to a run a ball...and Bopara goes for a big shot down the ground but it goes straight to the fielder at long-on. Christ, I’ve jinxed this. I’ve actually jinxed this.
47th over: England 224-3 (Root 95, Bopara 28) England require 16 runs to win
Bopara slaps one down the ground for one, then Root seems to panic a little, playing two big hoys that he misses, the first straight that somehow didn’t hit the stumps, the second wide of off stump. He gets hold of a sweep though, but it’s a bit top-edgy and bounces five-odd yards in front of fine leg. Steady on, Rootles.
46th over: England 221-3 (Root 93, Bopara 27) England require 19 runs to win
Just the three from that over. DJ update: ‘Return Of the Mack’. Not posting a clip of that one.
45th over: England 218-3 (Root 91, Bopara 26) England require 22 runs to win
Ian Palmer is making plans: ‘Taylor for Captain, Opening spot as well as the number 3 spot and in every form of cricket team we have. Then we can start shooting him down!’ Singles all the way - four of them to be precise - from that over, and England are edging closer and closer. DJ update: Ride On Time by Black Box.
44th over: England 214-3 (Root 89, Bopara 24) England require 26 runs to win
Good sweep down fine from Root for a couple, then he punches another pair out to the cover boundary fielder, before collecting two more after getting an under-edge on another cut. Two-by-two-by-two.
That’s Senanayake done, and while he bowled pretty well (35-2 from his ten overs), he didn’t Mankad anyone, which is pretty much all we want from him.
Drop Cook and England's strongest XI is just about good enough for an agonising semi-final defeat at the World Cup.
43rd over: England 208-3 (Root 83, Bopara 24) England require 32 runs to win
Lennie isn’t happy, and with good reason:‘‘They will have to make a fairly special effort to guff this one up from here’ Why. Why would you even say that’ Sorry Lennie, sorry everyone. Three singles from the over.
42nd over: England 205-3 (Root 81, Bopara 23) England require 35 runs to win
Senanayake tries a new approach, coming around the wicket, but it doesn’t do much good as England collect four of the simplest runs you ever did see from the over.
41st over: England 201-3 (Root 79, Bopara 21) England require 39 runs to win
Woof! Root shashays down the track then absolutely whelps a pull that shoots out to the boundary just in front of mid-wicket. Looks like England have decided to put their collective foot down now. Some alert running brings up the 200 for England, and they will have to make a fairly special effort to guff this one up from here.
40th over: England 193-3 (Root 72, Bopara 20) England require 47 runs to win
Two singles from the over, which is fine, but England need to be careful to just up things a little bit from here.
39th over: England 191-3 (Root 71, Bopara 19) England require 49 runs to win
To quote Mark Nicholas: oh yah, what a lovely shot that is from Bopara, guiding one nicely through the covers and to the ropes. Delightful stuff. Bopara ends the over with a single to mid-on that he might have been struggling with had the throw been any good, but for reasons passing understanding the throw went to the keeper’s end, rather than bowler’s. Not helping themselves here, are Sri Lanka.
38th over: England 184-3 (Root 70, Bopara 13) England require 56 runs to win
Eeek, Bopara nearly gets himself run out in rather shambolic fashion, starting off for a run after a dab to the leg side, but the throw from Jayawardene isn’t powerful enough despite a fine stop. Four singles from the over.
37th over: England 180-3 (Root 68, Bopara 11) England require 60 runs to win
England trying a few more expansive shots but the boundaries aren’t exactly flowing. Still, Root skips down t’ track and gathers two, and there are three more singles from that over.
36th over: England 175-3 (Root 64, Bopara 10) England require 65 runs to win
Here’s the batting powerplay, and here’s Senanayake again.Bopara turns a single square, then Root gets the same result to the same place, but with a sweep. Good comeback over from Senanayake, keeping England down to just a pair of runs in the first powerplay over.
35th over: England 173-3 (Root 63, Bopara 9) England require 67 runs to win
A rather more fortunate four from Root, going for a full-blooded cut but edging and it flies just to Sangakkara’s right. Runs is runs is runs. Root connects with exactly the same shot from more or less the same ball next up, but only gets a single out to deep extra-cover. Bopara plays a nice drive off the front foot, out for a couple just to the right of the same fielder.
34th over: England 165-3 (Root 58, Bopara 7) England require 75 runs to win
Root goes to his 50 with a triffic sweep shot, getting down low and whacking between long-on and deep mid-wicket with a sweep from just outside off stump. He gets another four the next ball with a cracking whip to exactly the same spot from a full toss by J.Mendis, back in the attack to no great success. A single makes it nine from the over.
33rd over: England 156-3 (Root 49, Bopara 6) England require 84 runs to win
Oh boy, Bumble’s talking about retro ice-creams on commentary now. Merciful lord, please take us soon to end this. More comfortable stuff, with singles dabbled and paddled all around the field. DJ update: non-specific Europop. Here’s a lovely song by the band ‘Dark Dark Dark’ as an antidote...
32nd over: England 153-3 (Root 47, Bopara 5) England require 87 runs to win
A no-ball, and it’s a massive one from Mendis. Oi vey that was abysmal from Mendis, and it’s a free hit that Root will take after Bopara took the single. Root skips down the track but it was a decent ball under the circumstances from Mendis, down the leg side and they can only get a couple of runs.
31st over: England 147-3 (Root 43, Bopara 3) England require 93 runs to win
Another three singles from the over, but that’s perfectly fine given the wickets in hand and the hitting available down the order.
30th over: England 144-3 (Root 41, Bopara 3) England require 96 runs to win
Hopefully this doesn’t take the impetus out of the England innings, but with Boppers at the crease one suspects it won’t. The pair continue where Taylor left off, working themselves three singles form the over.
29th over: England 141-3 (Root 39, Bopara 2)
Ravi Bops is the new man, coming in ahead of Eoin Morgan, which is interesting. He gets started with a turn down to fine leg for a couple.
Ah heck. After playing so beautifully, Taylor loses control of a pull from a shortish ball from Perera, takes one hand off the bat and skies it down fine-leg’s throat. Shame.
28th over: England 135-2 (Root 38, Taylor 65)
It’s been quite notable how little spin there’s been, and how inconsistent it’s been when it has arrived. That said, A.Mendis, back into the attack for his namesake, gets one to turn but it’s far to short and Root jumps all over it, pulling just in front of square for a boundary. Taylor pushes another quick single to a deepish mid-off, and that’s an absolutely terrific hundred partnership between these two. Incidentally, there’s a job going round these parts. Anyone fancy vouching for me?
27th over: England 128-2 (Root 33, Taylor 63)
The lights are coming on as it gets a tad gloomy in Pallekele, but there’s been no suggestion of any rain. Yet. Taylor then Root play a couple of firm old shots that could have been worth more but only find fielders, then Taylor’s all over the shop in his crease again, dabbing down to third man.
26th over: England 125-2 (Root 32, Taylor 61)
Taylor plays an absolutely terrific shot after darting down the track, catching the ball on the half-volley and whipping it past mid-on for four. Mendis follows with a slightly shorter one that pitches around middle-off and absolutely rags, so much so that Taylor can’t reach with a full attempt at a cut. More singles, more progress for England.
25th over: England 118-2 (Root 31, Taylor 55)
A first bowl of the innings for Thisara Perera, but it’s largely same old, same old, as the England batsman play some smart cricket. Just three runs from the over, but England are will be perfectly comfortable with that. The D/L par score at the moment is 92, by the way, to give an idea of how far ahead England are.
James Taylor has scored more fifties in ODIs in the last two innings that Alastair Cook has managed in 2014
24th over: England 115-2 (Root 30, Taylor 53)
Even when J.Mendis gets some turn, Taylor is in such good nick that he can pick and go with it, as he did there to bring up his 50, guiding a thick edge past short third man for a pair o’ runs. A second successive half-century for the Notts man, and he’s grabbing this chance of his with a couple of mitts. More rapid running bags runs, including Taylor sprinting through after Root dabbed a sweep directly to short fine leg that shouldn’t have been a run in most circumstances. Still, slow fielding + speedy funsters = profit for England.
Remember when England wouldn't pick James Taylor? Hard to imagine now, isn't it...
23nd over: England 108-2 (Root 27, Taylor 49)
Bang! Dilshan offers a deeply friendly long-hop, to which Taylor rocks back and slaps with some oomph with a horizontal bat, down for four to the straight fence. A few more singles from the over.
22nd over: England 101-2 (Root 26, Taylor 43)
Milk, milky milky milk. More singles, one rather donated by some shoddy fielding, prompting Mathews to bring in a man at short cover. Still, this is very smart play from a couple of smart batsmen, and Root brings up England’s century with a nice dabbed reverse sweep for two.Six from that over, no alarms, no surprises.
21st over: England 95-2 (Root 22, Taylor 41)
Dilshan gets one to rip, but it’s a little bit short while Taylor’s attempt to turn it round the corner misses, it comes off his thigh pad for two. Taylor then drops to a knee and plays a splendid sweep/pseudo-Dilscoop thing that goes fine, and goes to the boundary. Shot, wee man. DJ update: Chumbawumba.
20th over: England 87-2 (Root 21, Taylor 36)
England are milking this bowling like it’s a big cow...until J.Mendis gets one to rip away from a middle stump line, beating Root’s outside edge. Three singles from the over.
They’re having drinks in Sri Lanka, so why not enjoy this. Alec Stewart bowled 20 balls in Test cricket, and one of them was a fierce bumper.
19th over: England 84-2 (Root 20, Taylor 34)
FYI, obviously we need 20 overs to constitute a game, but unless a stack of wickets fall in the next over, England are miles ahead on Duckworth Lewis, although the weather doesn’t really look like that will be a problem. Just a single from that over, though.
18th over: England 83-2 (Root 20, Taylor 33)
And here’s Ajantha Mendis. Interesting to see how he gets on, as there’s been word that he’s been having some back troubles. The first is dropped short and Taylor is awfully cross with himself after slapping it straight to the fielder on the fence. Missed opportunity there. Root opens himself out and drives another couple, before dabbing for three out to third man. Another few are milked with some nice shots and good running, but it has to be said that these Sri Lanka spinners have been - to use some abrupt vernacular - toss so far.
17th over: England 74-2 (Root 13, Taylor 31)
J.Mendis drags one short that Root sort of misses out on, pulling straight to deep mid-wicket just for a single. Taylor punches another for one, then Root goes down on one knee and slogs a full-toss down to long-on, where it bounces probably a centimetre before the rope and that’s four runs. Not too many have spun, but Mendis finally gets one to rip a bit, Root dealing with it adroitly by following the turn and driving out to deep extra-cover for a single.
16th over: England 66-2 (Root 7, Taylor 29)
Prasad errs down the leg side, and it flicks off Taylor’s thigh pad and makes its merry way down to the fine boundary for four. A single gets Root on strike, who collects his first boundary with what was probably intended to be a mere dab down to third man, but Perera runs past it and his token effort to bend down and stop it fails. Prasad is irked, ticked and vexed.
15th over: England 56-2 (Root 2, Taylor 28)
A bowling change, and we’ve got some leg spin from Jeevan Mendis. Not a huge amount of spin, but despite some creative footwork Taylor has trouble getting him away. He rocks back to one and cuts strongly, but a diving Dilshan stops any damage there. Taylor finally gets one after coming down the pitch and driving out to long-off.
14th over: England 55-2 (Root 2, Taylor 27)
A four for Taylor, but it’s one of those that an uber-generous interpretation would call a ‘guide’ to third man’, but a more realistic verdict would be a flash outside off and a thick edge. Still, as said before, runs is runs.
13th over: England 50-2 (Root 2, Taylor 22)
Kevin Wilson is turning his attention to Tests: ‘If Taylor has a good couple of months in the one dayers, what does that mean for poor Sam Robson? Root’s last go at opening didn’t work out, and I’d be much happier with him at 5/6. Would there be a temptation to give Ali a go at opening and playing Taylor in the middle order? Would this affect Ali’s bowling? Or is Lyth nailed on for the revolving opening slot?’ Two singles from the over, one for each batsman, England’s 50 is up.
12th over: England 48-2 (Root 1, Taylor 21)
Dhammika Prasad is into the attack, and from the off looks like he’s on a one-man crusade to level up the wide count in this match/series, sending down two of the things in his first three balls.Prasad improves slightly with a couple of decent-ish lines, but then serves up a short, wide one, and Taylor gratefully cuts to the fence. DJ update: Wham.
11th over: England 42-2 (Root 1, Taylor 17)
Taylor guides one to third man, then Root is damn near run out while going for his first single, a push to a deepish mid-on and the throw misses the stumps by a hair, with the Yorkshire man a foot or so out of his ground. Taylor finishes the over with a single, but the ever-eccentric stadium DJ plays ‘Wannabe’ by the Spice Girls, which must take the edge off the runs scored a little.
10th over: England 39-2 (Root 0, Taylor 15)
The busy Taylor is down the strip again, and uses them wrists to whip a couple out to deep mid-wicket, then firmly clips another out to a sort of wide long-on. Always looks like he’s working hard, does Taylor.
9th over: England 36-2 (Root 0, Taylor 12)
Bowling change for Sri Lanka, and Mathews brings himself into the attack. Taylor moves a couple of steps down the track but plays a hideous sort of lapped-pull thing and completely misses, eventually ending up with his toes pointing towards fine leg. A better shot comes with a dabbed single down to third man, and Root defends his first two balls on the back foot.
Still seems entirely wrong James Taylor isn't left handed. He's short, nuggetty. And yet he's a righty. England farce
8th over: England 35-2 (Root 0, Taylor 11)
The replays showed that was merely umpire’s call, clipping leg peg, but that’s enough. Joe Root is the new batsman.
Taylor sweeps into the deep for one, then after the world’s most optimistic lbw shout (it might have hit a second set) Cook shovels a couple out to near the mid-wicket ropes. He perhaps should’ve run three there, and next ball he suffers for that as he misses a straight one from Senanyake (no pun, etc), balls his pad and umpire’s finger points to the sky. Looked dead, that.
7th over: England 32-1 (Cook 18, Taylor 10)
Ach, Dilshan bowls an absolute stinker of a short, wide long-hop but this time Cook cuts it straight at cover - missed opportunity there. He makes up for it a couple of balls later with a vaguely unconvincing-looking helped sweep around the corner, but runs is runs and there’s four of them.
6th over: England 28-1 (Cook 14, Taylor 10)
Short-leg’s in now for Cook, who sits back and whips one just wide of said fielder to collect another single. Taylor scampers around the crease like a dog trying to get out of a porch, turns so he’s basically face-on and slaps another single down to fine leg. Cook nabs one more with a flick just behind short-leg, and England proceed nicely.
5th over: England 25-1 (Cook 12, Taylor 9)
Maybe the theory with the long-off is to get Cook playing that jabby forward push/defensive/drive thing he does so much, and hope for an edge to slip. Either way, Dilshan drifts onto his pads and another single is pushed to mid-wicket, then Taylor nearly, nearly chips the thing straight back to the bowler with an indeterminate prod, but it falls short. Then he seemingly decides ‘Sod this for a game o’ soldiers’, comes down the track and gently lifts one down the ground and over the long-on boundary for six. Good batting.
4th over: England 18-1 (Cook 11, Taylor 3)
Cook shoves another single down to long-off, a fielding position that seems a little odd as you suspect the lefty will be perfectly happy to pat the thing down there all day. Taylor again dances down the track and works another into the leg side, then Cook picks up one more single with an inside edge, out to square-leg. Solid start from England.
3rd over: England 15-1 (Cook 9, Taylor 2)
Taylor scampers around the crease in that cheeky wee manner of his, and manufactures a single for himself. Cook then helps himself to a rather more donated one, pushing down to long-on and he ambles through. Incidentally, we have the whole day to get these overs in, which while it does take the pressure off Sri Lanka, over-rate wise, seems sensible.
2nd over: England 13-1 (Cook 8, Taylor 1)
Mini James Taylor is the new man at crease, and he starts off with a scampered single clipped to mid-on. Cook then survives a bloody loud lbw shout, a ball from Senanayake straightening and thudding his pad in a very, very out-looking manner. No DRS review though, even though replays say it was hitting leg stump, and we continue. The in-stadium DJ plays ‘YMCA’, obviously.
Ho! Look who it is to bowl the second over! It’s ol’ straight arm himself, Sachithra Senanayake. Ali greets the chastened spinner with a lovely inside-out drive just backward of point for four, but a couple of balls later tries an altogether less attractive/advisable shot, hoiking an ugly slog-sweep across the line and he loses his off stump. England giveth, and England taketh away.
1st over: England 8-0 (Cook 8, Ali 0)
Good start for England, helped along nicely by Dilshan serving up the buffetest of buffet balls to Cook first up, a wide long-hop that the England skipper snaffles greedily, cutting to the cover fence. Another boundary comes in the over with a lovely shot, again by Cook, with a late cut to a better ball. Be done in no time if they carry on like this...
The players are out, Moeen Ali will open the batting for England, and first up with the ball for Sri Lanka is Tillakaratne Dilshan. “Come on Dilly!” cries Sangakkara from behind the stumps. Come on indeed, come on indeed.
Apparently the last England TDI was in 2004, in the Champions Trophy against...Sri Lanka. And England won that day, by 49 runs via Duckworth Lewis. An omen? No. On that day, Andrew Flintoff hoyed one of those centuries of his and, perhaps the bigger story, one Alex Wharf bowled a very tidy five overs for 20 runs.
Word is that it’s sunny in Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon! Excellent news. Let us celebrate with a tale from that mystical land, as told by one Derek Preston.
Right, let’s try this again, shall we? It’s a good job someone, somewhere had the forethought to schedule reserve days for this ODI series, it being in the middle of the rainy season in Sri Lanka, and as you can see, when it rains in Sri Lanka, it rains in Sri Lanka. Indeed, a combination of the precipitation and the big green sheets they put over the field makes it look a little like there’s a big lake of goo out there rather than a cricket ground.
Before the second day of this one day international, read about the first day, with Vic Marks’ report:
It was too much to hope that this tour would proceed without the use of the reserve days. Just as the first innings of the fifth ODI came to a conclusion it started raining in Pallekele and it did not stop for the rest of the evening. Assuming fine weather on Thursday England know what they have to do to stay in the series: they must score 240 in 50 overs.
It sounds simple enough. However, batting will not be straightforward on a surprisingly dry pitch against a Sri Lanka side who are very keen to finish off the series so that they can conduct their own World Cup experiments.
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