Root and Taylor see off Sri Lanka in fifth ODI

England 240 for 5 (Root 104*, Taylor 68) beat Sri Lanka 239 (Sangakkara 91, Woakes 6-47) by five wickets

Taylor played a superb innings and shared
a vital stand with Root.

Joe Root led a superb run-chase as England kept their hopes of winning their ODI series with Sri Lanka alive with a five-wicket victory in Pallekele.

The Yorkshire batsman reached his third ODI hundred and shared crucial partnerships with Ravi Bopara and James Taylor, who continues to impress despite his tender age, as England chased 240 on the reserve day of this game after heavy rain had intervened yesterday.

Chris Woakes shined with the ball, claiming 6-47 in Sri Lanka’s innings to restrict the hosts to 239 all out from 49 overs. Woakes’ figures proved to be the third best by an Englishman in ODI’s and his second six-wicket-haul in this format of the game.

England’s delayed run-chase was not always as comfortable as it seemed given that the visitors reached 35/2 after Sachithra Senanayake had dismissed both of England’s openers.

But the youthful duo of Taylor and Root put together a composed partnership worth 104 for the third-wicket, England’s highest partnership since June of last year.

Root continued to play well alongside Ravi Bopara (28) adding a further 86 runs as England edged ever closer to their target of 240 in this must-win game.

A nervous conclusion saw Bopara and Eoin Morgan (5) both caught at long-on in an attempt to bring the game to an end, but Root and Jos Buttler (2*) ensured that England made it 3-2 to the hosts with two games remaining.

Not for the first time this series, England made a positive start with the ball by removing Kushal Perera for no score and Sri Lanka soon found themselves 54/2 when Tilikaratne Dilshan (35) was bowled by Chris Jordan.

Dilshan’s record of five hundreds in 11 innings before this game in Pallekele made him a key target for the visitors and England were fortunate to see him drag on after attempting an expansive drive through the covers.

Other Sri Lankan batsmen have not had such a gratifying time on this ground; Jayawardene and Mathews both average a score in the low twenties, and their plight continued when the former found an edge to Jordan at 59/3.

A fourth-consecutive fifty for Kumar Sangakkara (91) led the Sri Lankan recovery and captain Mathews made another vital contribution with the bat to continue his rally as the highest run-scorer in ODI cricket this year.

He added a patient 40 in his 85-run stand with Sangakkara to keep Sri Lanka in check, but it became clear that this wasn’t going to be a particularly high-scoring affair.

Sangakkara’s innings was therefore crucial and he very nearly registered a 20th ODI century before he fell to Woakes at 199/6. After the dismissal of Mathews the hosts struggled to retain their hold on the game, losing their final seven wickets for 95 runs.

Woakes played a key hand in this prodigious collapse, claiming the final five wickets of the innings, including that of Sangakkara who unselfishly forfeited his wicket in an attempt to accelerate.

Lahiru Thirimane had been dismissed by the economical James Tredwell (1-33) before Woakes removed Sangakkara, who had earlier registered a measured fifty in 81 deliveries.

The Warwickshire all-rounder then persisted with the short ball and, despite conceding a number of wides, this tactic made it difficult for the Sri Lankan tail-enders to put their foot on the accelerator.

It also accounted for Jeevan Mendis (12) who top-edged the ball back to Woakes at 202/7 with limited room to play the pull shot as he had intended to. Thusal Perera’s late antics profited a brisk 27 but Woakes collected his fifth victim when he picked out Root on the boundary.

The innings was then brought to a close when Woakes clattered the stumps of Ajantha Mendis, and the rain that stayed clear for the entirety of Sri Lanka’s innings came down in installments, causing England’s run-chase to be pushed back to the reserve day.

Woakes claimed 6-47 as he reduced Sri Lanka to 239 all out.

England needed to chase 240 to be able to stand a chance of winning the series and went on to make it 3-2 to Sri Lanka with two games remaining in what proved to be one of England’s most impressive one-day victories for some time.

The run-chase was made to progress on uncertain foundations after both of England’s opening batsmen failed to make a significant impact. Moeen Ali played an ugly swipe across the line and was bowled by Senanyake (2-35) for 4 and the reintroduced spinner made further inroads by trapping Cook (20) leg before.

Despite this uncertain start England were chasing an achievable target on a pitch which continued to ease for the batsmen as the game progressed, but the visitors would not have won the game without such a key innings from Taylor and later Root.

Taylor’s re-introduction into the international set-up has been a breath of fresh air. His footwork, use of hands, 360 degree striking and strike rotation all left Sri Lanka hapless and when Root started to play with a similar ethic, scoring runs in the middle overs became straightforward for England.

Taylor reached his second half-century in as many matches in 67 deliveries and continued to play an eye-catching innings before he picked out Ajantha Mendis on the fine leg boundary and was dismissed with the score at 139/3.

Root had enjoyed the more passive role in his partnership with Taylor but it was his stand with Bopara which allowed him to truly flourish. The Yorkshire batsman soon followed Taylor’s example by reaching fifty in two fewer deliveries than his old batting partner.

Bopara nurtured Root’s enthusiasm by allowing him the majority of the strike but as the overs began to run out his approach needed to change, although his first attempt to clear the fence resulted in him being caught on the boundary off Dilshan (1-45).

All of a sudden a fairly measured approach had turned into a slightly nervy affair, but England’s reserve of batsmen offered them the rare luxury of being in control at the death.

Morgan hit a trademark reverse-sweep off his first delivery to ease the pressure on Root, who brought up his century with a six through mid-wicket and, despite Morgan falling to Ajantha Mendis (1-49), the visitors went on to win the game with five balls to spare when Buttler guided the ball down to fine leg for two.

The series continues in Pallekele on Saturday. 

Sangakkara shines in Sri Lanka win

Sri Lanka 267 for 4 (Sangakkara 86, Mathews 51*) beat England 265 (Taylor 90, Morgan 62, Herath 3-36) by six wickets

Sri Lanka edged the fourth ODI in Colombo with a six-wicket victory despite a courageous display from England who took the game to the wire.

James Taylor made 90 in his first game for England in over a year and stand-in captain Eoin Morgan added a brisk fifty at the end of the innings to set the hosts a target of 266.

Despite winning with only two balls to spare, Sri Lanka were always in control of their run-chase thanks to Kumar Sangakkara (86) who made his third consecutive half-century and shared a vital partnership with Mahela Jayawardene worth 96.

The dangerous duo antogonised England in the middle overs and, without James Tredwell, the visitors were lacking a front-line spin option to restrict the flow of runs in Sri Lanka’s innings.

England were always just off the pace but managed to take the game to the final over with some impressive seam bowling from Chris Jordan. But, in truth, conditions were better suited to spin and Moeen Ali and Joe Root were unable to match-up to their Sri Lankan counterparts.

The cool head of Angelo Mathews ensured that the hosts would take a 3-1 lead in this seven-match series as he reached his fifty with the boundary which won his side the game.

It was another game where England, as valiant as they appeared, were always playing second fiddle to their hosts. Another batting masterclass from Sangakkara and Jayawardene in the middle overs was complimented by three of Sri Lanka’s spinners claiming three wickets apiece and, in the end, England didn’t have enough runs to play with.

Morgan, standing in as captain for Alastair Cook due to a suspension for slow over rates, decided to bat first in Colombo in the hope that England might give a good account of themselves.

However, both of England’s openers were swiftly back in the pavilion with the score at 29/2 after Alex Hales was removed without scoring and Moeen (19) had fallen to Tilikaratne Dilshan.

This left a weighted responsibility on the shoulders of Taylor, playing in only his third ODI, but those who have seen him play for Nottinghamshire will know that he can be a destructive batsman.

Initially the 5ft 6in batsman led a recovery with Joe Root and the pair went on to add 93 runs for England’s third-wicket stand to put the innings back on track. Taylor brought up his maiden ODI fifty in patient fashion, taking 69 balls to reach this important milestone in his career.

The Nottinghamshire batsman had been able to settle and share responsibility with the more experienced Root as both batsmen ensured that the scoreboard kept ticking over.

England began to accelerate with a steady base now set but the introduction of Ranagana Herath proved vital for Sri Lanka as the left-arm spinner struck with the third ball of his second spell to dismiss Root for 36.

This breakthrough showed no initial signs of damage with Ravi Bopara picking up from where Root had left off. The Essex all-rounder looked in good touch and rotated the strike well in his innings of 22.

He and Taylor had nearly added a fifty partnership but the latter was denied a well deserved century when he was dismissed by Ajantha Mendis at 170/4. With just two more runs on the scoreboard Bopara handed the advantage back to Sri Lanka when he was bowled by Dilshan.

Morgan added 62 in 47 balls.

England went on to lose their final six wickets for 92 runs, with Morgan adding the bulk of these in his innings of 62. Contributions were far and few between with Jos Buttler (15) and Ben Stokes (6) failing to offer long-term support to Morgan’s search for a more impressive total.

Herath proved to be Sri Lanka’s most destructive bowler, finishing with figures of 3-36 with the wicket of Chris Woakes (6) coming in his final over at 238/8. Mendis (3-56) followed his example, also returning with three wickets as he removed Jordan for one.

England’s total at this stage was inadequate and Morgan assumed responsibility, as captain, for enhancing the total. His form has been a concern of late but perhaps the added responsibility of being captain allowed him to thrive as he reached his 22^nd ODI half-century in 42 balls.

Morgan’s innings was instrumental as he took the visitors total to 265, adding 18 runs in the concluding over of the innings before he was out off the final ball to Dilshan (3-64).

Sri Lanka’s positive start with the bat was haulted when a swipe from Dilshan was top-edged and caught well by Morgan to reward Woakes with a wicket at 28/1.

Against most teams the first breakthrough is usually a cause for celebration, but with Sangakkara walking to the middle you could sense dismay amongst England’s early elation.

Kushal Perera (31) led a progressive start to the Sri Lankan run-chase before he found an edge off Moeen at 69/2. Once again, a wicket brought with it concern as the deadly combination of Sangakkara and Jayawardene assumed control of proceedings.

It was testimony to Jordan’s efforts with the ball today that he went on to claim both of their wickets, eventually finishing with economical figures of 2-35 from his ten overs, but not before the pair had taken the game away from the tourists.

With no Tredwell in the England line-up spin options were exhausted fast and Moeen did a steady job, although he has been forced to act as England’s front-line spinner, rather than being picked on such a basis.

England’s bowling was erratic at times and the 12 wides they conceded should be criticized in a game with such fine margins, as well as the selection of Stokes, who leaked 21 runs in the only two overs he was entrusted with.

The visitors struggled to take wickets and when wickets did come they were rather fortunate. Jayawardene (44) played-on with a bottom-edge at 165/3 and Sanagakkara picked out Woakes on the fence as he was denied a 20^th ODI hundred.

But Sangakkara had already played his part, passing 1,000 ODI runs for 2014 with his 90^th fifty in this format and, even at the age of 37, shows no signs of wavering in class.

The responsibility for securing victory fell to a new Sri Lankan hero and Mathews continued a superb calendar year with another vital innings for his side.

Mathews relished the responsibility of knocking-off the remaining runs alongside Lahiru Thirimmane (19) as the pair added an unbeaten partnership worth 53 for the fifth wicket.

If Wednesday’s victory was one step forward then today was, unfortunately, two steps back. England could very well have won this game if their bowling had been more disciplined and if the right players had been selected for the conditions.

As promising as Taylor and Morgan were with the bat, several other England players continue to underwhelm in One-Day cricket, something which has to change rapidly before the World Cup.

The series continues on Wednesday in Pallekele.

Buttler and Root secure victory for England

England 236 for 5 (Moeen 58, Buttler 55*, Root 48*) beat Sri Lanka 242 for 8 (Sangakkara 63, Thirimanne 62*, Woakes 3-41) by 5 wickets (D/L method)

England secured their first win in a One-Day International since September as they defeated Sri Lanka by five wickets.

A superb unbeaten partnership between Jos Buttler and Joe Root worth 84 runs guided the visitors towards their victory target of 236 as England made it 2-1 in the seven-game ODI series.

For a long time it looked as if the hosts would cruise to another convincing victory with England stumbling to 152/5 after a promising start to their run-chase.

But Buttler, who raced to his fifth ODI half-century in 35 balls and Root were on hand to guide England to a rare win in this format with promising signs for captain Alastair Cook who made a strong start with Moeen Ali.

Moeen continued his fine tour of the sub-continent scoring a quickfire 58 including five sixes as England made a fast start to their innings.

England were, however, disappointed to concede as many runs as they did with their hosts adding 62 runs in the final five overs of the innings to set a revised total of 236.

The visitors made a strong start to the third ODI, removing Kushal Perera for no score before the rain came, causing a three-hour delay in play. This caused the game to be reduced to 35 overs per side and it was England who made the better progress when play finally resumed.

Sri Lanka found themselves 31/3 when Steven Finn encouraged an edge from Tilikaratne Dilshan (23) through to Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes soon claimed his second wicket when Thilina Kandamby was caught at first slip for a duck.

The hosts were without Mahela Jayawardne owing to personal reasons (his daughters first birthday) but were unfased by his absence as Sangakkara and captain Angelo Matthews recovered the innings.

Their stand worth 87 runs through the middle overs unsettled England who, up until the start of this partnership, had a rare opportunity to tighten their hold on Sri Lanka.

Sangakkara reached the personal milestone of 13,000 ODI runs as he finished as Sri Lanka’s highest run-scorer and was later aided by an excellent cameo by Lahiru Thirimane who made an unbeaten 62 to deject the visitors.

There were promising signs for England’s bowlers, particularly Woakes and Jordan, but at times the bowling was erratic and the recall of Ben Stokes enabled Sri Lanka to 28 runs in just two overs.

Cook’s lack of faith in Stokes meant that Joe Root and Moeen were used unfavourably towards the end of the innings. Thirimane and Dhammika Prasad (21 from eight balls) capitalised on England’s lack of death bowling options, guiding Sri Lanka to a daunting total in this reduced ODI.

England’s chase started with unusual promise as Cook and Moeen made 84 for the opening partnership. Progress was quick thanks to Moeen, who hit the most sixes by an English batsman in One-Day cricket, but Cook (34) played an equally important role as he saw-off the early danger from the Sri Lankan spinners.

The England captain has been heavily criticised for not being aggressive enough in limited-overs cricket and his last ODI hundred was in June 2012. Although he was unable to break this record he will have been happy with his innings up until the point where he found an edge off Prasad.

A fast start allowed England the rare luxury of keeping the scoreboard ticking over in a more sedated manner, although Moeen continued to launch into the Sri Lankan bowlers with successive sixes.

The Worcestershire all-rounder made his second half-century in four innings after scoring his maiden century for England in the first ODI but his innings came to an end when a mix-up with Alex Hales caused him to be run out.

Hales was looking to impress on his return to the international set-up but failed to kick-on after making 27 with his innings coming to a rather tame end.

The Nottinghamshire batsman hit Matthews (2-34) for six after he had been dropped, but luckily for Sri Lanka he didn’t add too many more runs to the total before Matthews finally got his man.

Having made a healthy start, England’s middle-order was once again called in to question as the visitors lost three wickets for eight runs. Ravi Bopara’s run of form came to an end when he was caught behind off Rangana Herath (1-41) for six and Eoin Morgan’s lack of form continued as he added just one to the total.

This cluster of wickets left England in a spot of bother, with the odds now heavily in Sri Lanka’s favour but Root and Buttler were determined and the duo’s efforts ensured that England won with eight balls to spare.

The pair added 84 in just 64 deliveries, including one over which went for 22 runs, and a reprimand for Root who was called back to the crease for a front-foot no-ball by Prasad.

This proved to be a turning-point for the visitors who smashed anything that was even slightly off-line to the fence. Buttler in particular took charge with nine fours to help take him towards a fifty that went unnoticed amongst the euphoria of England’s success.

The next match takes place on Sunday in Colombo.