3rd ODI: Sri Lanka v England at Colombo (SSC), 27 Mar 2001 CricInfo Live Report

3rd ODI: Sri Lanka v England at Colombo (SSC), 27 Mar 2001
Charlie Austin

Sri Lanka innings: 25 overs,
Pre-game: Toss,
England innings: 25 overs, 50 overs,

SRI LANKAN BATSMEN LIGHTEN THE MOOD

Sri Lanka's opening batsmen, Romesh Kaluwitharana and Marvan Atapattu, have lightened the mood of the Sinhalese Sports Club after a turgid morning's cricket. Even diehard English supporters, fanning themselves in the hot stands, will have enjoyed their exhibition of free flowing strokeplay.

Sri Lanka could have grinded they way towards the target, but they were always likely to play more positively. They have chugged along at five runs per over and after 25 overs are 127 without loss. Romesh Kaluwitharana has been the most dashing of the two batsmen and has scored 81 runs from just 87 balls and has hit 16 boundaries to all corners of the ground. Marvan Atapattu too has played positively in his classically high elbowed way and is on 38 from 67 balls.

England have looked like a side with other thoughts on their mind. When Darren Gough failed to break through in his four over opening burst and Robert Croft had to be called into the attack in just the ninth over of the innings, they knew their time was up.

ENGLAND'S BATSMEN FLOP AGAIN

After a scintillating Test series packed full of tension and controversy, the three-match ODI series has been a huge disappointment, as England’s batsmen have flopped in all three games. The third ODI at the Sinhalese Sport Club today, England could only muster 165 for nine in their fifty overs. It was their third lowest One-Day score against Sri Lanka after the 144 they scored in Dambulla on Friday and the 160 at Premadasa on Sunday.

England struggled from the start. They failed to score their first run until the fourth over and then lost four wickets in the first 14 overs. Three batsmen – Alec Stewart, Marcus Trescothick and Nick Knight – chopped the ball onto their stumps and Graham Thorpe was brilliantly caught first ball by Kumar Sangakkara in the gully. England had slumped to 39 for four and the Sri Lankan band were in full swing.

Graeme Hick and Andrew Flintoff staged a mini recovery as they added 39 runs for the fifth wicket in 16.2 overs. Just when Flintoff looked to be settling, however, he was caught in the deep for 24, as tried to swing an off-break from Thilan Samaraweera over mid-wicket.

Craig White, who had failed to score a run in his previous five limited over innings of the winter, failed once again as he square cut a delivery from Russel Arnold onto his stumps. He had scored four and England were 105 for 6.

Were it not for Graeme Hick, who scored a restrained 46 from 114 balls that included just two boundaries, England would surely have recorded their lowest ever score against Sri Lanka. Hick was well supported by Mark Ealham and the pair added 47 runs for the seventh wicket. Towards the end they clumped a couple of precious boundaries and hit Muralitharan for 10 runs in the 46th over of the innings, but Hick was then caught in the deep by De Saram in the 47th over. Ealham holed out in the penultimate over of the innings having made a useful 28 from 40 deliveries and Robert Croft was caught at cover point in the last over to give Chaminda Vaas his third wicket.

SRI LANKAN FAST BOWLERS GRAB INITIATIVE

Sri Lanka’s opening bowlers, Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Zoysa, grabbed the initiative in the final One-Day International at the Sinhalese Sports Club this morning when they took four English wickets within the first 15 overs. After 25 overs England were still in trouble on 69 for four.

The English openers, Alec Stewart and Marcus Trescothick, started slowly and failed to score their first run until the forth over of the innings as Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Zoysa bowled tightly. Vaas was once again the pick of the two and bowled five maidens in his seven over burst (7-5-5-2).

Alec Stewart then started to flow, hitting three boundaries in the next three overs. Unfortunately for England he played onto his stumps in the seventh over when he tried to cut a ball from Chaminda Vaas that kept low. He had scored 14 and England were 21 for one.

Marcus Trescothick should have been caught at slip by Mahela Jayawardene when he had just seven, but the miss did not prove costly, as he also dragged the ball onto his stumps in the eleventh over of the day. Once again the batsmen was surprised by a lack of bounce.

Nick Knight, who came into bat at number three, played one authoritative square cut to the boundary, before he became the third batsmen to play onto his stumps in the twelfth over. He had scored just seven and England were 39 for three.

They failed to add any further runs before the England captain and premier batsmen, Graham Thorpe, was dismissed first ball by a brilliant diving catch by Kumar Sangakkara in the gully.

Graeme Hick and Andrew Flintoff were forced to consolidate and added just 30 runs in the next 12 overs as Marvan Atapattu turned to his spinners. Sri Lanka are playing four off-spinners in their side.

SRI LANKA WIN THE TOSS AND FIELD FIRST

Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field first in the final One-Day International at the Sinhalese Sports Club this morning. Marvan Atapattu is the Sri Lankan captain for the first time in his career as Sanath Jayasuriya pulled out because of a knee injury. Thilan Samaraweera - a 24-year all rounder, who bowls off spin – comes in as a replacement. This will be his seventh ODI.

England, perhaps belatedly, have given Nick Knight and Mark Ealham an opportunity in place of Michael Vaughan and Andrew Caddick.

Sri Lanka’s decision to field first is based upon the usual nature of the SSC wicket, which tends to offer the fast bowlers some encouragement in the first hour of play before flattening out.