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Key events
6th over: England 50-2 (Brook 5, Banton 4) One brings two, both openers now gone, but can Sri Lanka keep up the pressure? England need 91 off 88 balls, but they’re not going to try getting them in singles … though they do add two, before Banton goes hard at a bouncer, his pull landing safe and they run two more. A further single follows, and that’s the end of the powerplay; England will be satisfied because unlike Sri Lanka, despite being two down, they’ve loads of batting to come.
WICKET! Buttler c Mishara b Chameera 30 (England 55-2)
Buttler looks to pull but the ball skids on and he top-edges to short third where the keeper announces it as his and claims.
5th over: England 51-1 (Buttler 30, Brook 4) In comes Malinga and Brook brooks no nonsense, swaying back to ease away four through third man; that is absurd behaviour, a touch-shot like that first up, but it’s also what we’ve become used to with this freakish genius.
WICKET! Donald c Hasaranga b Malinga 21 (England 51-1)
Ohhh, well bowled, another slower one tossed wide of off, and Donald chases it, flaying high to mid-on where Hasaranga pouches.
5th over: England 51-0 (Buttler 30, Donald 21) At this stage, Sri Lanka were 38-0, and Malinga is next to be ravaged, Buttler now level with Kieron Pollard on 14,999 T20i runs … and he pokes to point for one, going out alone as the highest run-scorer in history. Well batted, Joseph. Donald then goes hard at a slowerb all but hits nothing, before top-edging a bumper between fielders for two.
4th over: England 48-0 (Buttler 29, Donald 19) Hasaranga into the attack; good luck, old mate. His first three balls go for singles, the fourth is a dot … then Buttler goes back to a short one … and devastates it down and out of the ground, splish-splosh into the river. This is some beautiful violence, and a single from the final ball means eight more to the total.
3rd over: England 38-0 (Buttler 21, Donald 17) Buttler waits for one, leaning into it and stroking Madushanka for four inside of mid-on’s dive. Then, the bowler sees Buttler preparing to scoop, pulls back his pace … and is reverse-scooped for four morel the speed of eye, the speed of hand, the speed of thought are frankly indecent. You don’t envy these bowlers, all the less so when Buttler shimmies down and punishes a cover-drive to the fence, in glorious oneness with his game, then cross-bats the next delivery over deep-backward; it looks like another boundary but plugs when it hits the ground, so England make do with two. A dot follows, but it’s brief respite, Buttler making room to slam four more over the top and to wide long-off. Sri Lanka need about 300 fielders here, and that’s 18 from the over, all of them to the most softly-spoken assassin you’ve ever seen.
2nd over: England 20-0 (Buttler 3, Donald 17) Chameera opens from the other end and Donald, having punished him in the warm-up game, steps away to off, then flips over his own head for six; pressure for the bowler. More pressure! Donald cuffs over a head again, this time Chameera’s, and though he doesn’t get all of it, he gets enough, given the short boundary, to add four; that’s 10 off two … soon 14 off three, again not middled but muscled through midwicket for four more. In the field, Shanaka is already chasing the ball with his placings, Donald then stepping away and missing before helping a ball around the corner to fine leg and running one; Buttler dabs the final delivery into the off-side for one more, and that’s 16 off the over.
1st over: England 4-0 (Buttler 2, Donald 2) Madushanka has the ball and Buttler dabs his loosener into the ground for one; he’s finding some bounce, his second ball contacting Donald’s splice, before a cut to backward point adds another single and sets him away. Buttler then turns into the on-side, coming down the track, before Shanaka turns none into one, shying at the stumps for no reason and ceding buzzers.
Out come Buttler and Donald, the Welshman playing on his home ground. What a moment this is for him and his family; can he honour it with a telling contribution?
Things changed when Liam Dawson came on in the fifth over; the two wickets he took changed the flow and from there, his teammates capitalised. We’ll see how the reply goes, but England are a decent outfit these days and it’s unfortunate for them that there’s no World Cup until 2028.
A decent job from England, the bowlers bowling well and Harry Brook managing them with enterprise and intelligence. Sri Lanka started well, but once they started losing wickets, they just didn’t have the ability to get going again.
England need 146 to beat Sri Lanka and secure the three-match series
It’ll take an almighty effort from the tourists to save themselves from here.
WICKET! Ratnayake c Brook b Archer 4 (Sri Lanka 145-9)
Mid-on is up, a good call from the captain, who’s there to benefit when Ratnayake picks him out.
20th over: Sri Lanka 149-8 (Ratnayake 4, Malinga 0) Malinga tries a run-down but misses and Buttler first misfields then misses with his shy; he won’t be happy with that. Next, when Ratnayake flays high, Baker is too slow to run in, unable to dive into the catch; one ball to go.
WICKET! Chameera b Archer 0 (Sri Lanka 142-8)
Full, straight, and far too good for Chammera, who loses his middle peg. From 55-0 to 142-8, and this is another disappointing knock from the tourists.
20th over: Sri Lanka 142-7 (Ratnayake 1, Chameera 0) Archer begins with a dot, then Rathnayake just about forces a yorker to third man for one.
19th over: Sri Lanka 141-7 (Ratnayake 1, Chameera 0) Baker is taking his chance superbly, sending down two dots before Chameera slices to Jacks on the 45 … the ball bouncing just shy of fingers sliding underneath it. Another dot follows, and Baker finishes with a wicket maiden and 1-15 off his four. That’s terrific work, the challenge laid down in the fight for places, and Sri Lanka badly need to go big off Archer’s final over.
WICKET! Hasaranga c Dawson b Baker 27 (Sri Lanka 141-7)
Hasaranga goes hard at more of the same, sending the ball an epoch into the air at cover. It’s up for a while but Dawson takes responsibility for a minger, shooing away his teammates to hold a decent catch on the fall.
19th over: Sri Lanka 141-6 (Hasaranga 27, Ratnayake 1) Baker, who’s been excellent, continues, and the Lankans have struggled with his pace-off back-of-a-length balls; Hasaranga misses the first of them.
18th over: Sri Lanka 141-6 (Hasaranga 27, Ratnayake 1) Two dots, the ambidextrous Rathnayake trying to switch-hit his second ball and barely tickling it. Hasaranga then cuts to Archer at point and runs; had Archer not misfielded, the run out was on. Instead, they run one, the final delivery also costs just one, and Sri Lanka need to assault these last two overs need to set something challenging.
WICKET! Asalanka c Overton b Rashid 31 (Sri Lanka 139-6)
Even on this ground, Rashid is the man you want at the death and Asalanka, looking to hit over the top, doesn’t get enough of him, offering up to Overton coming in from long-off.
18th over: Sri Lanka 138-5 (Asalanka 31, Hasaranga 26) Rashid returns and his first ball costs one.
17th over: Sri Lanka 138-5 (Asalanka 31, Hasaranga 25) Baker returns and after ceding a single, tries a slower one at cost of a leg-bye. Hasaranga then middles a drive so runs, but he’s picked out Dawson at mid-off and here comes the shy, gone by aeons if it hits … it misses. Asalanka then goes after a cutter and doesn’t get anywhere near enough of it, a top-edge dropping shot of deep backward square. Baker then slips in his delivery stride – he’s fine – then Hasaranga flays and manages to land the ball between two converging fielders. That yields just one, then a dot completes the over, Asalanka unloading the suitcase at a quick one that bounces, hammering fresh air into oblivion. Good over, five from it.
16th over: Sri Lanka 133-5 (Asalanka 30, Hasaranga 22) Dawson returns and Asalanka has waiting long enough, playing the anchor because he’s had to, but now he goes down on one knee to flay four through square-leg. He goes again next ball too, but this time picks out Cox at midwicket and they run one; no matter. Hasaranga skips down towards leg, opening the space to free his arms and swing six to long-on, Banton running around the fence unable to do anything. This is more like it, is this, the next ba walloped over the bowler’s bonce and down the ground for four; the comeback is decent, two singles – no, a single and a two because Cox misfields – completing an over that yields 18. Sri Lanka needed that, but they also need another like it, and another.
15th over: Sri Lanka 115-5 (Asalanka 23, Hasaranga 11) Now Archer returns; there’s not much respite out there. But after two dots, Hasaranga uses the pace to uppercut over the man at 45 for four, then forces uppishly down the ground for two more; two singles follow, making it eight off the over, and even another 60 or 70 from here wouldn’t feel like enough on a good pitch.
14th over: Sri Lanka 107-5 (Asalanka 22, Hasaranga 4) On the one hand, Sri Lanka badly need to up the tempo but, on the other, they need to see out the 20 overs. Three singles start the returning Rashid’s second over, a wide and three further singles following. We’ll see how it goes, but with England’s firepower, it’s hard not to see them making light work of whatever target they’re set from here.
13th over: Sri Lanka 101-5 (Asalanka 20, Hasaranga 1) Asalanka top-edges a pull … but it eludes the diving Donald, dropping short of him and running away for four. Two dots follow, then a turn into the leg-side for one, then another dot then a bump down the ground for a further single. Overton finishes with 2-23 off his four overs.
12th over: Sri Lanka 95-5 (Asalanka 15, Hasaranga 0) Another good over from Dawson, four runs and a wicket from it.
WICKET! Shanaka c Donald b Dawson 4 (Sri Lanka 95-5)
Shanaka heaves high and there’s plenty of time for Donald, underneath it, to swallow the vomit up his insides as he contemplates a second drop of the over. But, on the run, he hangs on, just about, trapping ball between thumbs for relief and redemption all mixed. This match is running away from Sri Lanka now.
12th over: Sri Lanka 95-4 (Asalanka 15, Shanaka 4) Dawson back into the attack and his first ball sits up, so Shanakaflays into the on side, Donald is running in … and he misjudges the flight so has to dive forward … grassing a chance he made harder than it needed to be. They run two, and two singles follow.
11th over: Sri Lanka 91-4 (Asalanka 14, Shanaka 1) A wide welcomes Shanaka to the crease, then he bumps to midwicket and is off the mark with a single.
WICKET! Mendis b Overton 12 (Sri Lanka 89-4)
Slower-ball cutter cramps Mendis who thinks he’s got room. He doesn’t, and his run-down runs into his off-stump. Wickets are coming quickly now.
11th over: Sri Lanka 89-3 (Asalanka 14, Mendis 12) Overton resumes and Asalanka hauls him wide of mid-off for one, then Mendis slashes a short one, both feet off the ground, to the fence for four.
10th over: Sri Lanka 84-3 (Asalanka 13, Mendis 8) Just what Sri Lanka need, Rashid into the attack. His first three balls go for one, but then Mendis lowers on to one knee and watches the ball well, a step ands a reverse turning the delivery into a half-volley for four. Next, a well-run two, then a drive down the ground that Overton cuts off on the fence; they run two more, making it nine from the over; that’s drinks.
9th over: Sri Lanka 75-6 (Asalanka 12, Mendis 0) Brook was behind that dismissal, instructing Oberton not to bowl full, thereby inciting the batter to take him on down the ground. He did, but he couldn’t.
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