Update from Sri Lanka: One-day match

Smith and Livingstone going out to bat, the latter seen wearing Griffith's shirt.

Lancashire made hard work of their 50-over match against a Sri Lankan Navy team but the visitors wrapped-up a three-wicket victory thanks to Tom Smith (35) and Liam Livingstone (31) who played crucial roles at the top of the order.

Jordan Clark claimed 4 for 18 as Lancashire reduced the Sri Lankan Navy team to 136 all out inside 37 overs in Colombo and the visitors finished on 137-7 as Arron Lilley and Stephen Parry scored the winning runs.

The visitors won the toss and elected to field first as their Sri Lankan opponents made a promising start, progressing to 30 for no loss after 5 overs.

The young duo of Gavin Griffiths and Toby Lester opened the bowling for Lancashire and despite a wicketless start to their spells they were soon rewarded with important breakthroughs.

Gurusinghe was caught by Lancashire skipper Tom Smith at mid-on for 20, with the score at 32 for 1 as Griffiths claimed the first wicket of the innings.

Lancashire’s left-arm fast bowler, Blackpool-born Lester, then followed with a wicket of his own to remove Silva LBW for 16, with the hosts now on 48 for 2 from 10 overs.

This brought the hosting captain to the crease, Hasaranga, but he had a very short stay in the middle and was the first of four wickets to be claimed by Clark when he was caught by Karl Brown for 10, the score now 68 for 3 from 15 overs.

Clark then claimed two wickets with the score at 75 as he removed Jayakody (15) to an edge through to Alex Davies and Eranda followed soon after when he was caught by Smith at second slip.

Clark’s figures now made impressive reading at 3 for 18 runs from 5 overs and, having been reduced to 75 for 5, the hosts were now in danger of posting a nominal total.

There was no respite from Clark’s onslaught as he then bowled Leelarathna for 10, as the hosts found themselves 81 for 6 in the 19th over (Clark 4 for 18). Smith took another catch as Arron Lilley removed Paranavithana for no score, giving the Sri Lankan Navy team a score of 87 for 7.

Like Clark before him, Lilley made life even more difficult for the hosts as he dismissed Silva (3) LBW, with the score now 90 for 8 in the 24th over.

Kyle Jarvis enjoyed the opportunity to bowl at the tail enders as he compounded the opposition’s misery with Lancashire’s ninth wicket, encouraging an edge off the glove of Sandamal (9) through to Davies from a bouncing delivery.

Having capitulated to 105/9 the threat of posting an embarrassing total was becoming a reality but the final pairing of Madushanka (21) and Malan (16*) added 31 to give the hosts a score of 136 all out.

The former was the final batsman to fall when he was also caught by Davies as Griffiths finished with figures of 2-19.

Bowling figures: Griffiths 2 for 19. Lester 1 for 31. Clark 4 for 18. Parry 0 for 18. Lilley 2 for 26. Jarvis 1 for 9 from 5 overs. Croft 0 for 12. 16 extras

Liam Livingstone and Tom Smith opened the Lancashire reply and made a good start as the visitors progressed to Lancs 67 for 0 from 7 overs. Smith accelerated his way towards 35 from 27 balls before he was stumped off the bowling of Paranavithana with the score at 67 for 1.

Smith hit two sixes and four fours as the Lancashire skipper played a crucial role at the top of the order. Livingstone, now joined by Karl Brown soon followed Smith when he was caught by Jayakody at mid-wicket off Eranda for 31 from 22 balls after he had hit three maximums in his innings.

Paul Horton (9) became the third Lancashire wicket to fall with the score at 94 when he found a thin edge to Silva off the bowling of Auwardt, trying to force the ball through the off-side. Lancashire lost their fourth wicket for 32 runs when Brown was caught Malan off Eranda for 18.

The visitors made hard work of their relatively straightforward run chase and matters were made worse when Steven Croft was removed by Hasaranga for 16 when he was caught at deep backward point.

Clark had been successful with the ball but only managed to make four before he was removed by Auwardi 4 as Lancashire stumbled to 119/6 in the 18^th over.

Davies was then trapped LBW by Hasaranga for 7 attempting to play a reverse sweep, but Lancashire held their nerve as Parry (6) and Lilley (5) guided the visitors to a three-wicket victory.

Lancs team - Smith, Livingstone, Brown, Croft, Clark, Davies, Parry, Lilley, Griffiths, Jarvis, Lester, Horton (Play 11 from 12 throughout game). Lancs won toss and bowling.

Information courtesy of Neil Adams, scorecard information courtesy of Michael Moore and Phil Clarke.