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That’s all from me. Thanks for your company and emails, both today and throughout the English summer. The great Tim de Lisle will take you through Sri Lanka’s runchase.
Sri Lanka need 356 to win
50th over: England 355-7 (Overton 21) England have done brilliantly to post 355 on a pitch offering plenty to spinners and seamers alike. The star was Tom Banton, who smashes a pulsating maiden century in international cricket. It was an innings of two halves from England: 108-2 in the first 25 overs, 247-5 in the second. Sri Lanka have two chances, and Slim doesn’t do Sundays.
WICKET! England 355-7 (Dawson b Fernando 0)
Liam Dawson is yorked by the final ball of the innings, and why not.
WICKET! England 355-6 (Cox b Fernando 76)
A low full toss from Fernando is lifted behind square for four by Cox, who has played a gem of an innings. It ends when he misses a premeditated scoop at the penulimate delivery and is bowled for 76 from 52 balls, but that’s an apt way to end his breakthrough summer. England have found one.
49th over: England 348-5 (Cox 71, Overton 19) Cox follows a wide delivery from Malinga – it would have been a wide – and reverse scoops it over the keeper’s head for four. The next ball is launched just short of Asalanka at deep midwicket, allowing him to steal two runs. He has 71 from 49 balls, including 40 from the last 18.
48th over: England 337-5 (Cox 62, Overton 17) Overton clips Fernando towards wide mid-on, where a lazy misfield from Asalanka turns two runs into four. The wheels are off now. A series of twos, a front-foot no-ball and a superb scoop for six from Cox allow England to take 20 from the over.
47th over: England 317-5 (Cox 56, Overton 4) Cox works Malinga for a single to reach an accomplished 42-ball fifty. Overton is dropped by Liyanage, a simple chance at long-on. Sri Lanka’s catching has cost them today.
Cox muscles four more into the leg side to complete a good over for England. They’re scored 209 in the last 22 overs.
46th over: England 307-5 (Cox 48, Overton 2) Cox drags a reverse sweep past the fielder at short third and away for four. He keeps strike with a single off the last ball, albeit after running into the abundant unit that is Jamie Overton. Cox is okay and needs two for his first ODI fifty.
45th over: England 298-5 (Cox 40, Overton 1) Back comes Eshan Malinga, whose reverse-swing was so important at Headingley. Cox lashes a low full toss for four, then canes another boundary through the covers. He continues to look the part at this level.
44th over: England 287-5 (Cox 30, Overton 0) That was the last ball of the over. Jamie Overton has come in at No7 ahead of Liam Dawson and Gus Atkinson.
WICKET! England 287-5 (Jacks c Asalanka b Colombage 25)
Jacks flips his bat in frustration and after slicing a legbreak from Colombage high to mid-off. He made a useful 25 from 21 balls.
43rd over: England 279-4 (Cox 24, Jacks 24) After getting his eye in for a few overs, Will Jacks has decided it’s time to have some fun. He heaves Wellalage through mid-on for four, drives six over mid-off and edges another boundary to make it 16 from three balls.
42nd over: England 264-4 (Cox 23, Jacks 10) Good stuff from Colombage, who restricts England to three singles and a two.
41st over: England 259-4 (Cox 21, Jacks 7) Sri Lanka miss a run-out chance when Cox is sent back by Jacks. The throw to the non-striker’s end was on the errant side of hopeless.
A big-spinning delivery from Wellalage goes for four byes. Another finds the edge as Jacks tries to whip to leg, with the ball flying over the fielder for two runs. It’s hard to reconcile England’s score with the amount the pitch is turning.
40th over: England 251-4 (Cox 20, Jacks 4) Colombage turns a peach past Jacks’ forward push, then has an LBW appeal turned down when Jacks is hit outside the line.
With ten overs to go, England’s score feels well above par on a pitch that is still doing plenty. That said, I thought they’d make short work of their run-chase on Thursday. Nobody knows anything.
39th over: England 249-4 (Cox 19, Jacks 3) A boundaryless over from Wellalage; seven from it.
38th over: England 242-4 (Cox 15, Jacks 0) That was the last ball of the over. England have scored 134 from the last 13, having managed 108 from the first 25.
WICKET! England 242-4 (Banton c Malinga b Colombage 126)
Banton hits back-to-back boundaries off Colombage before holing out to long-on to end a memorable, potentially life-changing innings of 126 from 105 balls. It’s his highest List A score and his first century in international cricket. England will have a tough decision to make when Jacob Bethell is fit again.
37th over: England 231-3 (Banton 118, Cox 12) Cox survives an LBW appeal after walking down the track to Fernando. Replays show it would have bounced over the top. Cox, 5 not out from 10 balls, doubles his strike rate by carting Fernando over midwicket for six.
“Highlight of the season,” says Ian Sargeant. “Getting back in the ones for the last couple of games aged 57 and taking 9-54 off 19 in two games.”
What the actual figures? Are you available to tour South Africa in December?
36th over: England 224-3 (Banton 118, Cox 5) The legspinner Colombage returns and causes Cox all sorts of problems during a brilliant over. Cox is beaten three times, twice on the outside and once on the inside. The last of those deliveries bounces away for three, wrongly given as byes rather than runs.
An eventful over also includes a top-edge into the grille from Banton. A concussion check confirms that he knows what time it is.
35th over: England 219-3 (Banton 117, Cox 1) Jordan Cox is the new batter. His only ODI experience to date is a difficult series in the West Indies in 2024, when he was roughed up by Alzarri Joseph.
“If this was the 1990s, we could call him Bato Banton,” says Niall Mullen. “I’ll get my coat.”
What do you mean if this was.
WICKET! England 218-3 (Brook c Wellalage b Fernando 77)
Asitha Fernando returns in an attempt to restore order. Better still, he breaks the partnership when Brook mistimes a lofted slap and is taken by Wellalage at mid-off. Brook made a coruscating 77 from 66 balls, including 60 from the last 34.
34th over: England 213-2 (Banton 117, Brook 73) Oh this is just ridiculous batting. Banton pulls a slower ball from Madushanka for six, drives a stunning six over mid-off and makes it 16 from three balls with a lusty slap through the covers. Twenty-two from the over, 106 from the last nine. Sri Lanka have lost control.
“I enjoyed the contest between Brook and Banton and the intriguing leg-spin of Colombage who approaches the crease with great intensity,” says Colum Fordham. “He gets drift and a lot of turn, bamboozling the batsmen until he overpitches and Brook and Banton crunch him for six, Banton with a KP-style switch hit. Nevertheless, an interesting legspinner with potential.”
I’m surprised he made his debut at 28 because he looks a natural.
Tom Banton’s first century for England!
33rd over: England 192-2 (Banton 101, Brook 68) Wellalage returns to the attack, but the bad news for Sri Lanka is that the horse has done one. Brook smashes his first ball for four, then Banton crashes an extra-cover drive to the fence to reach his first century in international cricket!
The England balcony are all on their feet, and quite right too. It’s been a terrific innings, full of blistering attacking strokes: 95 balls, 13 fours, three sixes, and a moment he’ll never forget.
Brook makes it 17 from the over by smoking another boundary through extra cover. This is seriously good batting from England. They took their medicine for the first half of the innings; since then they’ve scored 84 from eight overs.
South Africa v Australia latest
David Miller 142 with nine sixes; Jack Edwards 5-67 in only his second ODI. Daniel Gallan has more.
Harry Brook had 16 from 30 balls when Wellalage was replaced. He’s now 57 not out from 56.
32nd over: England 175-2 (Banton 96, Brook 57) Brook charges the new bowler Madushanka and mullers a boundary behind square on the off side. Even my hero, The Judge, would have struggled to hit that any harder. Kusal Mendis must be regretting the decision to take Wellalage out of the attack at a time when Brook was dealing in dot balls. Time for drinks.
“I see the YCCC vessel ‘Harry Brook’ has just slipped out of cruising in Impulse Drive and into the Warp Factor range,” says Brian Withington. “
Watch out Sri Lankans (and any cricket playing Romulans) …”
I don’t understand a word of this but I’m here for it. I think.
31st over: England 169-2 (Banton 95, Brook 52) Outrageous skill from Banton, who reverse sweeps Colombage over backward point for six. That takes him into the nineties for the first time in international cricket. There’s no sign of nerves as he belts another reverse sweep for four.
Colombage’s figures of 4-0-31-0 are a head-scratcher because he hasn’t done much wrong.
30th over: England 157-2 (Banton 85, Brook 51) Brook dabs Malinga for a single to reach a 49-ball fifty. He was dropped on 7, a tough chance to the keeper Kusal Mendis.
Banton moves closer to his first international century with a breezy hook for six. After a sticky period, England have scored 49 from the last five overs.
29th over: England 147-2 (Banton 77, Brook 49) Brook, who has run riot since Wellalage was taking out of the attack, slog-sweeps Colombage for six. He’s scored 32 from his last 16 deliveries, having managed 17 from the first 32.
28th over: England 136-2 (Banton 75, Brook 40) “As it’s the last gasp of the season, who are your bets for Wisden Cricketers of the Year?” wonders Robert Razzell. “Josh Tongue must be a shoo-in, Ethan Bamber must have a good chance, Matt Henry perhaps – could Razaullah get it for just one Test match? Who else might be on Booth’s bingo card?”
That’s a great question. My instant guesses are Tongue, Bamber, Henry, Danni Wyatt-Hodge and either Kranti Gaud, Razaullah or Craig Overton. Who am I missing?
27th over: England 130-2 (Banton 74, Brook 35) Another delicious legbreak from Colombage rips past Banton’s outside edge. England might wish they’d picked their own leggie, Rehan Ahmed, because Colombage is turning it prodigiously. But when he errs in line at the end of an otherwise good over, Banton sweeps efficiently for four.
26th over: England 125-2 (Banton 70, Brook 34) At the start of this over, Brook was 17 not out from 32 balls. He’s now 34 from 38 after doubling his score in the space of six deliveries. Not content with pulling and driving Liyanage for successive boundaries, Brook lifts a spectacular six over mid-off. As KP said the other day, it’s a joke how good he is.
25th over: England 108-2 (Banton 70, Brook 17) Like Tom Reagan and Verna, this pitch is doing plenty. The tricky part for England is to work out whether they should be aiming for 240 or 280
Banton is not out To the surprise of almost everyone watching, replays show a very slight outside edge from Banton onto the pad.
Sri Lanka review for LBW against Banton! Time for the legspin of Sachindu Colombage, who had a fine debut at Chester-le-Street but took some hammer in Leeds. Sri Lanka plead unsuccessfully for LBW when Banton is hit on the pad by a gorgeous legbreak, then go for a review. This is really close.
24th over: England 104-2 (Banton 67, Brook 16) Brook uses the extra pace (ish) of Liyanage to leather a drive behind square for four. Sri Lanka consider an LBW review when Brook makes a mess of an attempted lap; I think he inside edged it onto the pad.
“Wotcha, Bob,” writes Mr Mac Millings. “I’m trying to decide between two highlights of the year, neither cricket based. One was earlier this week, when a student start crying her eyes out at the end of Nineteen Eighty-Four. The other will be tomorrow, when I read my list of 20 armadillo jokes to a student who thought she could out-stupid-joke me.”
23rd over: England 97-2 (Banton 66, Brook 11) Wellalage continues to tie Brook down, with one run from four balls in that over. But Banton jumps into a superb reverse sweep for four off the last ball. “Kevin would have been proud,” says Mark Butcher on commentary.
What a commentator and pundit Butch is, by the way.
22nd over: England 92-2 (Banton 62, Brook 10) Sri Lanka have bowled very accurately, so much so that a wide from Liyanange in that over is the first of the innings. England look like they don’t know what they’re doing, or rather what they’re trying to achieve: it’s really hard to know what a par score might be.
Brook dropped on 7
21st over: England 87-2 (Banton 61, Brook 7) Now it’s Brook who is struggling to rotate strike. He faces the entirety of a maiden from Wellalage – and he’s dropped off the final delivery when a big edge is spilled by the keeper Kusal Mendis. Tough chance, and a potentially big moment.
20th over: England 87-2 (Banton 61, Brook 7) Another good over of wicket-to-wicket hustle from Liyanage, who has figures of 3-0-8-1. The change in ODI regulations, with only one ball being used after the 34th over, has altered the balance between bat and ball. Sri Lanka are noticeably throwing the ball in on the bounce, to enable reverse swing later in the innings. All of which is to say that, on this pitch, a par score feels closer to 250 than 300.
19th over: England 86-2 (Banton 61, Brook 6) Banton skids back to batter Wellalage through extra cover for four. That’s an outstanding shot because there was nothing wrong with the ball. He looks a completely different batter under Brendon McCullum, a coach with the innate ability to empower players.
“Can we talk about the umpire’s shield?” says Mark Hooper. “Is that a thing now?”
I’m mildly embarrassed to say I hadn’t noticed.
#England #Sri #Lanka #deciding #mens #oneday #cricket #international #live #Cricket
