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19th over: Sri Lanka 76-3 (Dhananjaya 12, Asalanka 3) Five dots from Will Jacks but a full one is pounced on by Dhananjaya and driven through the off side for a welcome boundary.
18th over: Sri Lanka 72-3 (Dhananjaya 8, Asalanka 3) Charith Asalanka is the new batter with plenty of work to do for the home side. He’s off the mark with a hard sweep, England looking to apply the clamps.
WICKET! Kusal Mendis run out (Jacks/Buttler) 26 (Sri Lanka 68-3)
GoneGoneGone! Big brain fade from Kusal Mendis and he BBQs himself! He rocked back to cut Dawson straight to Will Jacks at point and inexplicably hared off for a single that plainly didn’t exist. By the time he’s applied the brakes and tried to dive back into his ground Jacks’ throw had been collected by Buttler and the bails were in the sky. Sri Lanka’s key man has self immolated!
17th over: Sri Lanka 68-2 (Mendis 26, Dhananjaya 7) Just two off Rashid’s over, he’s into his groove now, tossing one up beautifully and deceiving Kusal Mendis with drift and turn.
16th over: Sri Lanka 66-2 (Mendis 25, Dhananjaya 6) Liam Dawson recalled after his first two miserly overs. Copybook blotted slightly by Dhananjaya as a clip into the deep is fumbled onto the rope by a combinayshun of Root and Overton. See ya later innovator! That’s four.
15th over: Sri Lanka 60-2 (Mendis 24, Dhananjaya 1) Dhananjaya de Silva is the new man, he works his first ball into the leg side for a single. England have a spring in their sky blue step.
WICKET! Pathum Nissanka c Jacks b Rashid 26 (Sri Lanka 58-2)
Rashid strikes and breaks the burgeoning partnership! A loose shot from Nissanka, his hand came off the blade as he misjudged the length and spooned to Will Jacks at mid off.
14th over: Sri Lanka 57-1 (Nissanka 26, Mendis 23) Bethell is slapped through the off side behind point by Mendis, too short and wide and duly dispatched. He straightens up and is swept fine for four more. Fifty up for Sri Lanka, Mendis coming to the party.
13th over: Sri Lanka 49-1 (Nissanka 26, Mendis 15) Rashid hasn’t looked that threatening so far but nearly squeaks a quicker ball under Nissanka’s bat with his final delivery. Sri Lanka rebuilding nicely, not a rocketing run rate so far, this pitch looks lower and slower than the one in the first match.
12th over: Sri Lanka 45-1 (Nissanka 25, Mendis 12) Brook shuffles again and tosses the ball to Jacob Bethell, resplendent with bleached mullet. Nissanka and Mendis are watchful and pick off five from the over.
11th over: Sri Lanka 40-1 (Nissanka 23, Mendis 9) Harry Brook introduces the Ace in his pack – Adil Rashid, four singles off his first over.
10th over: Sri Lanka 36-1 (Nissanka 21, Mendis 7) Will Jacks in introduced for the final over of the powerplay. He drops short and is hammered away for four by Nissanka. I think I’ve just come out in a cold sweat, memories of Brisbane and Adelaide far too fresh in my addled mind.
9th over: Sri Lanka 29-1 (Nissanka 16, Mendis 5) Dawson is nudged and nurdled for three singles but also finds a bit of bite off the surface, beating Nissanka’s forward poke with his final ball. I know what you are thinking and you’d be right.
8th over: Sri Lanka 26-1 (Nissanka 15, Mendis 3) Curran attempts his loopy moon ball and it is spotted and whacked for SIX over long on by Nissanka. That was a bit like the old donkey dropper your nan used to serve up in the back yard. Duly dispatched, take no prisoners. Octogenarian or otherwise.
7th over: Sri Lanka 18-1 (Nissanka 8, Mendis 2) Liam Dawson is given an early twirl and sends down a probing maiden. Could have done with that sort of thing in The Ash.. don’t say it don’t say it don’t even think about it…
“Morning Jim.” Hello Simon McMahon!
“Been raining incessantly here in Dundee all week, and no sign of a let up today, so following the OBO and dreaming of sunny Columbo is just the ticket. Let’s hope it’s a good ‘un. You can tell your pal Nick that parenthood does get easier. It’s just the first thirty years that are the hardest.”
Ah ha. A favourite saying of my own dear old pa. He’ll be tuning in no doubt, making sure I haven’t slept through my alarm or said anything career endingly libellous. Never off the clock, hello Pops!
6th over: Sri Lanka 18-1 (Nissanka 8, Mendis 2) Curran stitches together five dots in a row to Mendis who manages to break the shackles off the final ball, albeit only with a single through midwicket which sees him keep strike.
My four year old has just burst into the room with a question:
“If human beings die why don’t cuddly toys die?”
How’s your morning going?
5th over: Sri Lanka 17-1 (Nissanka 8, Mendis 1) The key man for Sri Lanka - Kusal Mendis - arrives at first drop. His 93 not out anchored his side to victory in the first match. He punches a single into the covers off Overton to get off the mark.
WICKET! Kamil Mishara c Duckett b Overton 5 (Sri Lanka 16-1)
Soft dismissal but England won’t care a jot, they’ve got an early one. Mishara picked Overton off his pads for a boundary at the start of the over but then plinked a catch to Duckett in the covers, who takes the catch at the second attempt.
4th over: Sri Lanka 12-0 (Nissanka 8, Mishara 1) Curran hasn’t got his line right yet, he’s picked off for a couple of twos through the off side by Nissanka and spears down a leg side wide to boot.
3rd over: Sri Lanka 7-0 (Nissanka 4, Mishara 1) A decent maiden from Overton who beats a driving Mishara with one that jags away late off the seam. Bright sunshine beating down in Colombo, it looks a scorcher. If England have to chase leather for 50 overs they could be a bit cooked later on.
2nd over: Sri Lanka 7-0 (Nissanka 4, Mishara 1) Sam Curran zips in from t’other end. He starts with a wide outside off and then is too straight, flicked off the hip by Mishara for a single.
1st over: Sri Lanka 5-0 (Nissanka 4, Mishara 0) Oh. Don’t bowl there Jamie old son. Overton serves up a full and wide half volley with a little Alice in Wonderland label saying ‘HIT ME’ and Nissanka duly does, spanking a drive away through the covers for four off the first ball of the game. Overton tightens up for the rest of the over but does send down a leg side wide. Five off the first.
Shout out to my pal Nick who *might* be tuning in through the fug of early fatherhood. What more could you want after a sleepless night than Jamie Overton thundering in and hammering away back of a length on a biscuit coloured Colombo wicket? These truly are the days my friend. Well, better than white noise at least?
Righto, the players are out there. It’s 30 degrees in Colombo, only 23 degrees warmer than here in deepest Sussex. Pah! Jamie Overton is going to start with the new ball, Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara open up for the hosts. Play!
I’ve just read this and am now exhausted. Puts your piffling Saturday morning Park Run in to perspective doesn’t it?
We’ve got just under ten minutes until the start of play/ the ‘travelling circus rolls on’.
England will need to take some early wickets with the new ball and keep their target manageable.
Teams:
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka (c) , Janith Liyanage, Pavan Rathnayake, Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan, Jeffrey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando
England: Rehan Ahmed, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid
Sri Lanka field the same XI from the first match, England have the one change, Jacks in for the injured Crawley. We’ll have to wait to see Rehan Ahmed carving it up at the top of the order for England, he has done the job before for Leicestershire, last summer he scored 203 runs at 67.66 a makeshift opener for a few matches when teammate Rishi Patel was out with injury. He’s certainly got all the shots, girds loinded for that later on.
Taha Hashim is our man on the ground in Colombo. I imagine he’s looking sumptuous in linen as I type this in my crumb flecked joggers.
This was penned before Crawley did his knee, still counts.
Sri Lanka win the toss and will bat first
Harry Brook just can’t catch a break eh… the coin falls Charith Asalanka and Sri Lanka’s way and they will have first use. It will be trial by spin for England later on once again.
Preamble
James Wallace
L L L L L L L L W L L W L L
England’s ODI results away from home since the 2023 World Cup reads the name of an obscure Welsh village. Under Milk Wood? Under A Cloud more like.
Harry Brook’s side need a win, not least to keep this three match series alive after a 19 run loss in the first match. There’s already some bad news from the ground though as Zak Crawley is out of the match with a knee injury meaning Will Jacks comes into the side and Rehan Ahmed is carded to open the batting. As ever with this group of players and with this coach, it won’t be dull.
The toss is incoming and play begins in a little over half an hour – join us!
