main events
6 overs: England 35-4 (Buttler 18, Curran 1) Pathirana continued to sling and Brook pushed a slow ball for a four before being fooled by another ball to dolly into short extras and depart in disbelief. The power play ends with all the power in the hands of the Sri Lankan as Buttler plays and misses and almost loses his bail. On the plus side, Sam Curran has come on so early that there will be plenty of time for him to break into his first international top 100.
Wicket!! Brook C Liyanage B Pathirana 4 (England 34-4)
I was fooled by a slow ball!
5 overs: England 28-3 (Buttler 17, Brook 0) Shanaka’s bowling changes still work. He turned to spin and brought on Danis Wellerage, who got another wicket after a tight start as Banton picked the wrong ball and went for six. It is the downfall of our old friend England!
Wicket! Banton B. Wellaraju 7 (England 28-3)
That’s all about Banton’s form!
4 overs: England 25-2 (Buttler 16, Banton 5) Hitters have decided that offense is the best defense, and it’s working. Shanaka’s second over started with Buttler’s fourth over and Banton, who was in good form last night, finished with another four over cover drive. A few singles in between and without much effort they got 11 off the over.
3 overs: England 14-2 (Buttler 10, Banton 0) Chameera was supposed to be stripped of his reward for taking wickets early on, but it worked. Sri Lankan slingshot Matisha Pathirana appeared with a yorker. He almost bowled Buttler and might have broken his toe, but switched to a line long enough and wide enough to keep Bethel out. Deciding that offense is the best defense, Butler got four in a row from a hello drive. SL is on top.
Wicket! Bethel c Kusal Mendis b Pathirana 3 (England 14-2)
One more thing! Pathirana successfully fends off the temptation and Bethel takes the bait.
2 overs: England 7-1 (Buttler 4, Bethel 2) Dasun Shanaka also got off to a strong start. Dot dot dot, Buttler’s single, and two deliveries that broke Bethel’s bat, the first a roar from LBW (outside leg of the pitch), and the second whistled over the outside edge. Butler’s single was also mistimed. Advantage of Sri Lanka!
1 over: England 6-1 (Buttler 3, Bethel 2) When Ben Duckett faced the first ball, the traveling fans were still singing Jerusalem at a rather dirge-like tempo. It was the beauty of Dushmanta Chameera, arching against the left-hander and caught in the crease, looking extremely toned. For some reason it wasn’t given on the field, but the review presented three reds and poor old Duckett had to be sent off. His miserable winter continues.
For Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell, it won’t be such a hassle as they have a few singles in hand.
Wicket! Duckett LBW b Chameera 0 (England 2-1)
Duckett gets the golden duck!
Sri Lanka team: No Hasaranga
Sri Lankans make three changes. After losing Eshan Malinga to a dislocated shoulder, Wanindu Hasaranga, who succumbed to an abscess in his armpit, will also have to miss out. It’s painful for him and a shame for the audience who didn’t see him at his explosive best. His position will go to Manesh Teekshana and Malinga’s position will go to Dushmanta Chameera. ODI captain Charice Asaranka will be rested in favor of Kamindu Mendis, who was not in the original squad for this series. Thanks to our friends at Cricinfo for all these facts, because our friends at TNT replayed the last match instead of telling us about it.
sri lanka 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kami Mishara, 3 Kusal Mendis (week), 4 Pavan Rathnaike, 5 Kamindu Mendis, 6 Dasun Shanaka (captain), 7 Janis Liyanage, 8 Dunis Wellaledge, 9 Mahesh Thekshana, 10 Dushmanta Chameera, 11 Matisha Pathirana.
England team: Duckett for Salt, Wood for Archer
With Phil Salt out with a back injury, Ben Duckett snuck into the eleven without sending off Tom Bunton. England reserve seamer Luke Wood will be sidelined beyond the deadline as Jofra Archer is rested to keep fresh for the World Cup. He may have looked at Jamie Overton’s economy rate and thought he could do better.
england 1 Ben Duckett, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Jacob Bethell, 4 Tom Bunton, 5 Harry Brook (captain), 6 Sam Curran, 7 Will Jacks, 8 Jamie Overton, 9 Liam Dawson, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Luke Wood.
England win the toss and…bat!
Harry Brook made his third call out of three. Like Ben Stokes, he looks like a top-class thrower. He probably chose to bat first to give the team practice setting goals.
pre-game reading
Pakistan cricketers have been ordered by the government not to play against India in the T20 World Cup. We of the subcontinent, the talented Taha Hashim, reflects on the implications of this.
preamble
Welcome everyone to a game you don’t see very often this afternoon. It was a match that I wasn’t too enthusiastic about because England’s white-ball team was playing so well. On Sunday, a calculated blow between Tom Bunton and Harry Brook won the match and spoiled the series.
Sri Lanka played much better in the second match but the weather proved not to be on their side. If they had won, we could have expected a gripping finale today. Rather, the main question is whether England will be ruthless enough to complete the subterfuge or whether the Sri Lankans will be able to give the scoreline the credit they deserve for their efforts. The World Cup begins on Saturday, and both teams will be looking to enter the tournament with a win.
As usual in this multi-layered game, there are plenty of subplots to keep us interested. Will Banton, who replaced the injured Ben Duckett, make the number four spot his own? Will Pavan Rathnaike, who has only faced 233 balls in his international career, be able to continue playing like a prince? Will Sri Lanka’s other young guns find a way to cope with England’s older spinners Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson? Can Jamie Overton and Sam Curran run under 10 runs over the over? Can Brook stop doing anything crazy? Will Brendon McCullum say anything?
You never know if the match will be exciting or not. But it won’t be as boring as the last day of the transfer window.