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Key events
45th over: England 203-7 (Buttler 13, Overton 0) Target 272 Vandersay completes a fine spell of 2-39 off 10.
WICKET1 Rehan c Wellalage b Vandersay 27 (England 203-7)
Again, Rehan goes hard with an open face, it goes to long-off but Wellalage is there, taking the catch almost stuck-on so throwing the ball up, stepping over the boundary, leaping backinto play, and completing the catch. What a day out he’s having!
45th over: England 203-6 (Buttler 13, Rehan 27) Target 272 Buttler misses with a reverse then forces two to long-on, but he’s not timing it; when he pulls a single, he’l orobably be relieved to give Rehan the strike.
44th over: England 200-6 (Buttler 10, Rehan 27) Target 272 Fernando returns and Buttler will surely want to use his pace against him. But he goes around the wicket, directs his loosener into the toes; dot. So next ball, the batter tries a ramp, they sprint two abetted by poor fielding, and the umpire signals no ball; can Rehan make something of it? Er, not really, another delivery picking out his body as he makes room, squeezed away for one. A single follows, then a slower-ball full toss is swiped, in theory down the ground … and is sliced over point for four. Oh, and then another low full toss, this time flayed over wide mid-on for four more … and have a look! A half-volley, Rehan goes down, swings hard, and that’s four more over cover! Sixteen off the over – will that fire Buttler? – and England need 72 from 36.
43rd over: England 183-6 (Buttler 8, Rehan 14) Target 272 Singles to start this latest Vandersay over, then one that totally flummoxes Rehan turning and bouncing over his shoulder as he gets down on one knee. Just two from the over, and England need 89 from 42. Don’t laugh.
42nd over: England 181-6 (Buttler 7, Rehan 13) Target 272 A single to Buttler down the ground – I’m surprised he’s not keeping the strike to seek boundaries – but then Rehan lamps four over cover, before adding one to long-on. Again, Buttler contents himself with one, and again, it’s Rehan who does the necessary, forcing back over the bowlers’ head for four before adding a further single. Wellalage finishes with 2-41 off 10l England need 91 from 48.
41st over: England 169-6 (Buttler 5, Rehan 3) Target 272 An inside edge yields a single, the required rate is 11.44 or 103 off 54, and Buttler has no choice now: he’s got to go.
REVIEW! NOT OUT!
it turned so much it was missing off.
41st over: England 168-6 (Buttler 4, Rehan 3) Target 272 Vandersay is enjoying himself, finding lovely turn and top-spin to fox Rehan, then again with a slider which goes straight on. Oh, and after he takes a single to mid-off, Buttler misses a sweep, bat miles from a ball which rattles his pad, and though the umpire says no, it looks extremely suss and Sri Lanka review.
40th over: England 167-6 (Buttler 4, Rehan 2) Target 272 Three singles from four balls and England need 105 off the final 10 overs. How many of them do we think we’ll see?
WICKET! Curran c & b Wellalage 5 (England 164-6)
Curran makes room to drive to off then, for reasons known best to no one, flat-bats back to the bowler, who takes a really good catch just above his tootsies. The umpires want to check it was clean, but they’re just making triple sure.
39th over: England 164-5 (Buttler 3, Curran 5) Target 272 Curran takes two off Wellalage’s first ball.
39th over: England 162-5 (Buttler 3, Curran 3) Target 272 So does Buttler look to stick around, then go wild nearer the end? Or try and get it moving now, so there’s no need for anything crazy? For now, it’s singles, three of them, which makes sense: England have batting left, but it’s mainly lads you hope whack you three or four boundaries, not who’ll take you home from this far out.
38th over: England 159-5 (Buttler 2, Curran 1) Target 272 This is a classic S-Cuzz situation, and he’s off the mark second ball, forcing to cover for one. England need 113 runs off 72 deliveries.
WICKET! Bethell st Mendis b Wellalge 15 (England 158-5)
No need to review this one! Bethell goes at Jeffrey but it’s a bungle, the turn leaving him stretching, off balance. He misses, Mendis whips off the bails, and this is classic subcontinental cricket, slow slow, England losing wickets fast.
38th over: England 158-4 (Bethell 14, Buttler 2) Target 272 This, of course, can be what happens when you bat sensibly: you lose a few wickets and suddenly your thwacking must be done without security. Buttler takes a single to leg…
37th over: England 157-4 (Bethell 14, Buttler 1) Target 272 Buttler takes a Red Bull single to get himself going, and this is boiling nicely now.
WICKET! Brook st Mendis b Asalanka 6 (England 156-4)
Credit to the bowler, who took off more pace than he might’ve dared to, and Sri Lanka are now favourites with 116 required off 79.
37th over: England 156-3 (Bethell 15, Brook 6) Target 272 It’s Bethell who goes first, twinkling down only for the ball to die on him; he toes it into the air, shouts of “Catch!” abound … but it drops shy of the fielder as they run one. Oh, but what’s this? Brook comes down to Asalanka, misses, and the keeper breaks the stumps. The umpire wants a review, but I don’t think it’s close…
36th over: England 154-3 (Bethell 14, Brook 5) Target 272 At some point, we’ll need to see a few more big shots, but Wellalage, now back into the attack, has bowled nicely today, and neither batter has seen him before so might want to get used to him. Three singles from the over and I don’t imagine Brook’s Captain Sensible act will sustain much longer.
35th over: England 151-3 (Bethell 13, Brook 3) Target 272 The first four balls of Dhananjaya’s over yield just a single, so Bethell skips into a pull and gets all of it, adding four. But after two more dots, the required rate is 8.06, England needing 121 runs from 90 deliveries.
34th over: England 146-3 (Bethell 9, Brook 2) Target 272 Oooh, we see footage of Root on his way off, turning back to dispense sentiments; he’s not one to seek confrontation, so I imagine he didn’t like something said to him. Back in the middle, Brook tumps a single to cover, then abandons a cut when turn spits the ball at him; four more dots follow, and that is drinks.
33rd over: England 145-3 (Bethell 9, Brook 1) Target 272 Brook comes to wicket having never been under more pressure in his career; the last thing he needs is a that’s-the-way-I-play dismissal, but he’s the captain and can’t suddenly change who he is because he had a row with a bouncer. This is going to be a fascinating passage, and it begins with a forewrd defensive followed by a single to leg.
WICKET! Root lbw b Dhananjaya 61 (England 144-3)
Now then. Root has controlled this chase, as we suspected he would, but there’s still a long way to go. Can England keep the heid?
Yes it did, just! Was it hitting?
There’s no bat involved, but did it pitch in line?
33rd over: England 144-2 (Root 61, Bethell 9) Target 272 Dhananjaya returns and when Root misses with a sweep, ball hits pad and there’s a shout. The umpire says no, there’s a conference, and eventually Sri Lanka review…
32nd over: England 144-2 (Root 61, Bethell 9) Target 272 Root takes one to long-off and two more singles follow, then Bethell trots down and humps over the top, the ball bouncing just short of the fence and yanked back as they run two. He didn’t middle that, but the intention is noteworthy – I imagine the plan is for Root to bat through and the rest to take advantage of the wickets in-hand to scoreboard thereby removing any pressure to deliver a massive over.
31st over: England 139-2 (Root 59, Bethell 6) Target 272 Bethell retreats, easing to third man, and eventually they run one, helped by a misfield; four singles follow, the required rate now 7,00.
30th over: England 135-2 (Root 57, Bethell 4) Target 272 Jeffrey begins his sixth over with a wide, saving runs when Bethell drives before spinning one across him as he plays and misses. A drive then picks out the fielder, and a single completes the over, just two from it.
29th over: England 133-2 (Root 57, Bethell 3) Target 272 There is part of me thinking yeah, but if Brook sends himself in at four, 10 overs of him finishes this. But he’s all mature and sensible now so, after a break to replace a faulty zing bail, three singles complete Asalanka’s over.
28th over: England 129-2 (Root 56, Bethell 1) Target 272 Bethell is exactly the kind of batter you want coming in now, a natural able to keep it moving and despatch the bad ball. He’s off the mark second ball with a single, then root does really well to move back and across, playing so late he’s almost posthumous to keep the ball from his stumps. Extravagant turn follows, the globule moving away from Root, and suddenly things feel just a little bit different.
REVIEW! OUT!
Looking again, this was a good delivery from the boy Jeffrey, starting wide and straightening, but also a more than useful knock, especially for a batter so out of form. Duckett will be better for it and leaves his team in a very strong position.
Duckett reviews, but it looks pretty good to me.
WICKET! Duckett lbw b Vandersay 62 (England 129-2)
Another sweep, this time no 670(b), Duckett going down to reverse, missing, and the ball hitting him in the midriff.
27th over: England 129-1 (Duckett 62, Root 56) Target 272 Ah, now some pace, Fernando returning, and Duckett, who’s looking more like himself now, looks into his book of sweeps and engages no 80,421, meeting the ball nicely; Nissanka does really well to save a boundary but they run three. Then it’s back to tavareball, two singles and one brilliant save from Rathanayake, before Root waits for a short one and flips four over midwicket.
26th over: England 120-1 (Duckett 58, Root 51) Target 272 The part-time spin of Mishara into the attack, Asalanka hoping to lower England’s guard, and Duckett does indeed fancy eating, jinking down to launch six back over the bowler’s heed. A single follows, making it nine off the over, and I’m surprised Sri Lanka haven’t tried pace from one end, as the sameyness of the bowling is making this easier that it needs to be.
25th over: England 111-1 (Duckett 50, Root 50) Target 272 It’s been a while, but after a single to Root, it’s time for sweep 902, Duckett going down on one knee to flay uppishly to the fence for four. A single then takes him alongside Root on 49, and both complete their half-centuries with ones – in keeping with the tenor of their inningseseseses. And at 111-1, we can only hope David Shepherd is more relaxed celestially than he might’ve been were he standing.
24th over: England 103-1 (Duckett 44, Root 48) Target 272 A decent over from Dhanajaya, just a single to Root from it, and the required rate is now 6.50, but who cares about that when party rock, whatever that is, is in the house tonight.
23rd over: England 102-1 (Duckett 44, Root 47) Target 272 Root drives to point for one, then Duckett reverses and it looks like four, but Liyanage chases, dives, hauls it back just before the rope, lets go just in time, and they run three; great work. Eeesh, then Root watches one pass past his off-stump, eyes never leaving the ball, which misses the peg by the thickness of Rizla blue. A single to leg follows, and though England need to hit out at some point, if these two bat another 10 overs, the wickets in hand will surely get them over the line.
22nd over: England 97-1 (Duckett 41, Root 43) Target 272 England continue to accumulate patiently; why, it’s almost as if they’ve just been battered having treated an Ashes series like a boys’ trip. Two singles off the over, the partnership 85 off 115, and Sri Lanka need a wicket, severely.
21st over: England 95-1 (Duckett 40, Root 42) Target 272 Vandersay returns at the opposite end and the same thing happens, England milking him for singles – and if there was the Dilscoop, surely we can have the Ducksweep which, as evidenced by the shot played to the third delivery, is in much better working order now. Five from the over, its final delivery a dot.
20th over: England 90-1 (Duckett 37, Root 42) Target 272 Dhananjaya replaces Vandersay and Root twizzles his first ball into the on side for one then, after three dots, Duckett cuts away for one more.
19th over: England 88-1 (Duckett 36, Root 41) Target 272 Two more dots for Wellalage, then Duckett leans forward and hauls a sweet to deep square and they decide late they want a second but sprint through; that’s well done. Then, next ball, he tries a glance, misses, and the turn beats the keeper; the call of leg-bye feels a generous one for Mendis, and two further singles make it eight off the over. England are handling this chase well now, so a wild, unnecessary and self-indulgent heave feels imminent.
18th over: England 80-1 (Duckett 33, Root 40) Target 272 Vandersay into the attack and he’s finding a bit of turn but England milk him for singles, six of them which is bang on the required rate.
17th over: England 74-1 (Duckett 30, Root 37) Target 272 England are letting Wellalage bowl, which makes some kind of sense given the situation but feels like something an in-form Duckett would never permit. Three singles off the over and at drinks, the required rate is 6.00.
16th over: England 71-1 (Duckett 29, Root 35) Target 272 Better from Duckett, who’s refrained from wildness in recent overs: after a single to each batter, sweep 456 is unfurled, earning four, then he skips down to hit over the top, and that’s four more, making it 10 off the over.
15th over: England 61-1 (Duckett 20, Root 34) Target 272 Wellalage is bowling nicely, keeping a tight line and fullish length, Root allowing him four dots before a single to him is followed by one to Duckett. Add a couple of wickets to this and England will start worrying, but for now, they – well, Joe Root – look in reasonable control.
14th over: England 59-1 (Duckett 19, Root 33) Target 272 Asalanka sends consecutive deliveries into Root’s pads and there’s an appeal for the first, but I think it pitched outside leg; the second, bat was involved. Three singles follow, and Sri Lanka will be wanting to get this partnership lozzed a-sap.
“A misprint?” wonders John Starbuck. “Shouldn’t that be ‘rootating the strike’?”
Innit. Collingwood was also good at this, a batter you watch bat, see little, then somehow he’s made 30.
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