Dinesh and Mahela pilot Lanka to victory
Elmo Rodrigopulle - Reporting From England
Sri Lanka beat England by six wickets to win the third one-day
international at Lord’s here on Sunday and take a 2-1 lead in the
five-match series. A scintillating innings of 79 from 77 balls with 9
fours by Mahela Jayawardena who was involved in a stand of 112 for the
second wicket with Dinesh Chandimal set the stage for a Sri Lankan
victory in the third one-day international against England here, today.
Sri Lanka scored 249 for 4 in 48.2 overs with Chandimal unbeaten on
105. After losing Tillekeratne Dilshan at 21, Jayawardena and Chandimal
toyed with the England bowlers hitting the boundaries with consummate
ease. Jayawardena made amends for dropping Alastair Cook early in his
innings. His cover driving was a treat to watch.
Chandimal too took the cue from Jayawardena and played some audacious
strokes to get his 50 in 73 balls with 6 fours.
The sun was shining in all its splendour and glory when captains
Tillekeratne Dilshan and Alastair Cook walked out to toss. Cook won the
toss and this time round wasn’t he delighted to bat first on a wicket
that looked full of runs.
In the second one dayer at Headingley, Leeds, Cook won the toss and
in a bit of poor thinking asked Sri Lanka to bat and saw his side lose
by 69 runs, which helped Sri Lanka level the series one-all. Both teams
went in unchanged.
From morning the tubes and buses were full of spectators Lord’s bound
to watch the cricket. In some tube stations it was chaotic with stations
closed for repairs. Cricket fans were cursing for the inconvenience.
However it was a full house at the holy land of cricket to soak in the
action on glorious summer’s day.
A fighting century from skipper Alastair Cook 119, who was dropped
when on 15, took England to a respectable 246, which at one stage looked
impossible when they were struggling at 85 for 4.
With wickets falling around him, Cook played a captain’s innings and
had his snick been taken, England would not have got half the total that
they finally got. Cook must thank Jayawardena for that.
Lasith Malinga whom cricket fans here love to watch and talk about
because of his peculiar action, drew first blood for Sri Lanka when he
enticed Craig Kieswetter to play early and lob his slower ball to
Suranga Lakmal at mid on for 3.18 for 1.
In the next over bowled by Nuwan Kulasekera, Cook had a lucky escape
when he got a touch to an out swinger from Nuwan Kulasekera and the
usually reliable Mahela Jayawardena dropped a regulation catch at slip.
Cook was on 15. With 12 more runs added to the score, Jonathon Trott who
is utterly stroke less in this style of game and who is lucky to be
playing, going for a dry scooped a catch to Dilshan at mid off, off
Lakmal and went after scratching around for 2 in 13 balls.30 for 2.
Kevin Pietersen joined Cook and with the England scoring pedestrian,
stepped on it and was on the lookout for runs, hitting fours with some
elegant and powerful strokes and went to 41 in 43 balls with 6 fours
before lifting leg spinner Jeevan Mendis to Suraj Randiv at mid wicket.
79 for 3.His wicket was a big one. An even bigger wicket came Lanka’s
way six runs later when Mendis had the big scoring Eoin Morgan LBW for
4.85 for 4.
England were going at snail pace when Ian Bell joined Cook and pushed
the scoring by adding 72 for the 5th wicket in 94 balls. The batsmen
were finding it difficult to find the boundary. Only the singles and
twos were coming most the time.
Bell after making 30 in 46 balls tried to scoop a Lakmal delivery
over third man and holed out to Kulasekera. 157 for 5.The best batting
came when Tim Bresnan and Cook posted 72 in 94 balls for the 6th wicket.
Cook after making his second century in one-day cricket was run out
when Sangakkara threw down the wicket trying to steal a single. He made
119 with 13 fours. 232 for 6. Tim Bresnan who made a quick 26 in 29
balls was bowled by Malinga. 234 for 7.
Greame Swann came in and bludgeoned a six and a four off Malinga in
scoring an unbeaten 11 and took the England score to 246 for 7 in 50
overs.
England was restricted to this score by some accurate bowling
especially the spinners with leg spinner Jeevan Mendis being
outstanding. He bowled a good line and length, varied his deliveries
well and the England batsmen found him difficult to negotiate and score
runs off. His figures of 2 for 40 in 10 overs tells the story.
AFP
ENGLAND
A. Cook run out (Sangakkara) 119
C. Kieswetter c Lakmal b Malinga 3
J. Trott c Dilshan b Lakmal 2
K. Pietersen c Randiv b Mendis 41
E. Morgan lbw b Mendis 4
I. Bell c Kulasekara b Lakmal 30
T. Bresnan b Malinga 26
S. Broad not out 1
G. Swann not out 11
Extras (b4, w5) 9
TOTAL (7 wkts, 50 overs) 246
Did not bat: J Anderson, J Dernbach
Fall of wickets: 1-18 (Kieswetter), 2-30 (Trott), 3-79 (Pietersen), 4-85 (Morgan), 5-157 (Bell), 6-232 (Cook), 7-237 (Bresnan).
Bowling: Mathews 1-0-4-0; Malinga 10-1-54-2 (1w); Kulasekara 10-1-40-0 (3w);
Lakmal 10-0-62-2 (1w); Mendis 10-0-40-2; Randiv 8-0-33-0; Kandamby 1-0-9-0.
SRI LANKA
M. Jayawardene c Morgan b Dernbach 79
T. Dilshan b Bresnan 3
D. Chandimal not out 105
K. Sangakkara c Morgan b Swann 25
T. Kandamby lbw b Swann 11
A. Mathews not out 1
Extras (lb7, w18) 25
TOTAL (4 wkts, 48.2 overs) 249
Did not bat: J Mendis, N Kulasekera, S Lakmal, S Randiv, L Malinga.
Fall of wickets: 1-21 (Dilshan), 2-133 (Jayawardene), 3-194 (Sangakkara), 4-230 (Kandamby).
Bowling: Anderson 9.2-0-55-0 (1w); Bresnan 9-0-48-1; Broad 10-0-52-0 (8w); Dernbach 10-2-55-1 (8w); Swann 10-0-32-2 (1w).
Result: Sri Lanka won by six wickets
Man-of-the-match: Dinesh Chandimal (SRI)
Series: Sri Lanka lead five-match series 2-1. |