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Key events
39th over: England 172-3 ( Root 72, Brook 35) Frustration for Sri Lanka after that miserly over from Asitha is followed by a leg side wide from Wellalage which rolls away for four.
38th over: England 164-3 ( Root 71, Brook 33) The dog offers me her snout as Asitha bowls three dots which is enough for Brook to try and fail to scoop him for four. He’s unimpressed when a fifth isn’t called wide, gets a single from the sixth.
37th over: England 163-3 ( Root 71, Brook 32) But, ah, Wellalage has safely returned, quickly enough to whistle through an over that goes for four. Root’s calm seems to have manifested itself into Brook – who is batting completely without that frantic urgency that we saw in Australia.
36th over: England 159-3 ( Root 68, Brook 31) During drinks, Wellalage went off the field with some kind of injury – he’s bowled seven overs of his spell. Five from Asalanka’s over as the target drops into the low sixties.
35th over: England 154-3 ( Root 66, Brook 28) Jayasuriya and Lasitha Malinga, now in coaching roles, look on from the sidelines, unimpressed. They take DRINKS with England looking favourites to stroll to victory.
34th over: England 150-3 ( Root 64, Brook 26) Root is frustrated after missing a reverse sweep – these are not conditions where you want to waste any energy. Each Yorkshireman’s face is shiny with sweat. A couple of singles off Asalanka’s seventh over
33rd over: England 148-3 ( Root 63, Brook 25) A cracking bit of fielding denies Brook a boundary from a reverse sweep off the excellent Vandersay.
32nd over: England 146-3 ( Root 62, Brook 24) That’s what we were waiting for! Brook gambols up the pitch, feet perfectly to the pitch and, with wristy abandon, drives the ball through extra-cover to the rope. In the commentary box, David Gower purrs.
31st over: England 141-3 ( Root 62, Brook 19) Yet suddenly, there’s some fizz as Vandersay gets one to rip off the pitch and past Brook’s outside edge.
30th over: England 140-3 ( Root 62, Brook 17) There’s not huge energy out there in the middle – England quietly weeding the garden, while Sri Lanka bowl around them . England need 80 off 120 balls to win.
29th over: England 135-3 ( Root 60, Brook 15) Four more runs in the bag without too much exertion needed.
28th over: England 131-3 ( Root 59, Brook 13) England should cruise this, the target is very gettable, Root is in gorgeous touch, the others just need to stick around. The conditions are tough though, Root is breathing heavily.
27th over: England 124-3 ( Root 53, Brook 11) A stat flashes up on the television – Root has the highest average of non-Asian batters in Sri Lanka (69.44) – followed by Brian Lara. I presume that’s just in ODIs but I’ll try and check when I have a moment. Tip, tap, a trio of singles from Asalanka.
Fifty for Joe Root!
26th over: England 121-3 ( Root 51, Brook 10) A pushed single brings Root his fifty, which he acknowledges with a gentle nod of the head and quick raise of the bat. Wellalage, shirt sharply tucked into his trousers, is parsimonous until the last when Brook cuts him to the rope for four.
25th over: England 114-3 ( Root 49, Brook 5) A single from the last ball of the previous over leaves Brook to face once more. Manages a single from the third ball, but just two from Asalanka’s over. Luckily England have money in the run-bank.
24th over: England 112-3 ( Root 48, Brook 4) Brook isn’t finding this easy. Lovely bowling by Wellalage with his young man’s shadow moustache, Brook almost chops on, saved, I think, by his boot.
23rd over: England 111-3 ( Root 48, Brook 3) Root reverse sweeps, with no risk, for four. Vandersay wheels in off four paces, swinging arms from his follow through. His last ball is a ripper that beats the forward defending Root.
22nd over: England 104-3 ( Root 42, Brook 2) Root’s face is shiny with sweat, he’s wearing thick navy blue wrist bands on both wrists. Just a couple off the returning Wellalage’s over.
21st over: England 102-3 ( Root 41, Brook 1) Vandersay keeps it tight.
“Re your framing of the Baz decision,” taps Gary Naylor, “I fear you’re selling Brutus when the crowd have already bought Mark Antony.”
20th over: England 101-3 ( Root 40, Brook 1) A familiar middle-innings wobble settles into place. Root, though, looks in perky form – pockets three from a sweep that brushes all along the ground.
WICKET! Bethell c Asalanka b Dhananjaya 6 (England 97-3)
Bethell gets through the shot a hand early and chips straight to cover.
19th over: England 96-2 ( Root 37, Bethell 4) A gentle shuffle of the strike ticking over.
18th over: England 90-2 ( Root 34, Bethell 2) Master and apprentice at the crease. Bethell is watchful through a Dhananjaya over.
17th over: England 89-2 ( Root 34, Bethell 1) A beaut of a legbreak for Vandersay; Duckett never looked totally at ease but kept at it.
WICKET! Duckett b Vandersay 39 (England 88-2)
Wrist spin does the job! Duckett, deep in his crease, goes to cut only to watch the ball rip into his stumps.
Breaking news: Scotland replace Bangladesh in the World Cup
Bangladesh have been replaced by Scotland for next month’s Twenty20 World Cup after Bangladesh refused to travel to co-hosts India, according to reports. The decision follows weeks of uncertainty, with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) repeatedly insisting it would not play its scheduled matches in India, citing safety concerns after soured political relations between the countries.
Bangladesh had asked the International Cricket Council to move their games to the other co-hosts, Sri Lanka, but the governing body rejected the demand, dismissing any security threat to the team, the BBC has reported. The full story below.
16th over: England 81-1 (Duckett 37, Root 29) England continued in an unhurried way to the accompaniment of a call to prayer.
15th over: England 79-1 (Duckett 36, Root 28) Wellalage whizizng through these overs. Duckett ramps three, England otherwise very happy to pick up singles. Coach Jayasuriya looks unimpressed.
14th over: England 73-1 (Duckett 32, Root 26) More tip and run, this time off Asalanka.
13th over: England 69-1 (Duckett 27, Root 21) The slight figure of Wellalage is tapped for a single a ball.
Darryl Accone “Further to Andrew Benton (13.07) and John Starbuck (13.32) on “Coach Baz”: All other cricket-playing nations will be hoping that the myopia and parsimony of the ECB ensure that McCullum keeps his job as England coach in all three formats. Nothing like knowing you’re up against a sure-fire loser.”
Whether or not McCullum “deserves” to lose his job after the Ashes is a different thing to whether he can still make England a better team – in the way that we saw improvement over the first couple of years. That’s the big question that the ECB have to work out. Is he a one-trick pony?
12th over: England 63-1 (Duckett 27, Root 21) Asalanka hurries through his first over. At the same stage, Sri Lanka were 45-1. Root and Duckett in control was very much the story of the first ODI – and then things went wrong.
11th over: England 60-1 (Duckett 26, Root 19) Sri Lanka bring on Wellalage at the end of the power play and Duckett’s eyes light up. His first ball is crunched to the rope, his third clubbed over extra cover for four more. England are now ahead of the rate.
10th over: England 52-1 (Duckett 18, Root 19) Duckett plays a reverse sweep, with front leg balletically stretched in front of him, and picks up a couple; finishes the over in the same way but only for a half-brushed single.
9th over: England 47-1 (Duckett 14, Root 18) Sri Lanka think they’ve got Root lbw. The umpire says no, but Pramod is very keen, and they go for the review – missing the top of off stump by the width of a January yawn. The stadium seems to have filled out a bit now, certainly plenty of music, and now something for the England fans to feast on as Root turns Pramod off his laces and behind square for four.
8th over: England 39-1 (Duckett 13, Root 12) Duckett re-overtakes Root with a backfoot cudgel over wide long-on for six off Dhananjaya’s last ball.
7th over: England 31-1 (Duckett 6, Root 11) Asitha stays on for his fourth over, Root sends him trilling away for another boundary, through midwicket with style. Picks up another couple but is beaten late in the over.
John Starbuck, hello! “Tanya, I agree. The T20 World Cup is the last chance saloon for bazball. If it’s going to have any future England need to at least reach the semi-finals and even that is being generous. Mind you, there’s still plenty of time for players to get injured, throwing umpteen spanners in.”
I don’t actually know what happens in the scenario that England have a shocking WC, as McCullum has only just been made white-ball coach. I read a piece somewhere – apologies, I can’t remember where – saying that perhaps England will get rid of him via nudge tactics, bringing in a curfew, more coaches etc, in the hope that he throws in the towel.
6th over: England 25-1 (Duckett 6, Root 5) And here is our first sight of spin, in the tall figure of Dhananjaya, right arm, slightly slingy – and here’s the breakthrough! Rehan shuffles off, scolding his gloves; Root comes in and picks up four first ball, on-driving past the clumpy fielder.
WICKET! Rehan Ahmed b Dhananjaya 13 (England 20-1)
Rehan, rooted back in his stumps like a farmer in a ditch, is done by a quicker inswinger from the spinner. Goes to cut, but misses.
5th over: England 18-0 (Rehan 12, Duckett 5) A throw from extra cover ricochets off the stumps meaning that England have four handy overthrows early in Asitha’s over. Four dots in the over, England aren’t hurrying into this run chase, and we haven’t even had any spin yet.
4th over: England 13-0 (Rehan 7, Duckett 5) Pramod again. Rehan looks composed, a couple here, a single there. Duckett shimmies a couple off his boots. Pramod finishing with a swinging yorker that Duckett closes the door on.
3rd over: England 8-0 (Rehan 4, Duckett 3) Asitha bustles in. Duckett shimmies sideways and tries to flick him behind but misses – Asitha saw him coming. But Duckett picks up runs next ball with a hearty-sounding square thrash.
Good afternoon Andrew Benton! “I hope England lose this one, and the series, then we’ll see the back of McCullum. His remaining in place so far already says that failure is acceptable to the ECB. You’d hope he has a clause in his agreement allowing them to fire him if performances are not up to scratch. I do despair…”
I think McCullum’s fate will probably lie with the World Cup performances – this series is a bit of a place holder.
2nd over: England 3-0 (Rehan 2, Duckett 0) Duckett survives being given out lbw to Pramod Madushan – leg absolutely in the right/wrong place, but hit too high – then misses a ramp. A wide helps the scoreboard.
England need 220 to win
1st over: England 1-0 (Rehan 1, Duckett 0) Asitha Fernando with the ball, bright white hanky hanging out of his back pocket. Lights are on, trumpets blaring in a pretty empty stadium. Rehan bats his first ball carefully back, before picking up a single. Duckett plays and misses.
Another shout out for the sublime Adil Rashid (2-34) – who has quietly managed his career in a way that works for him. Stepped away from Test cricket, preserved his shoulder, and at 37 is still a magician, as well as being England’s best spinner.
The lights are on in Colombo, and the players are out in the middle for the second innings. England need 220 at 4.4 runs an over to draw level in the series.
Thanks Jim! A very entertaining read of a slow-burn first innings. Now we see how England deal with Sri Lanka’s big hand of spinners. I’m excited to see how Rehan Ahmed does at the top of the innings – he played so well for Leicestershire last year, and seasoned watchers said that he had really matured in all aspects of his game. His batting was beautiful, a pure balance of defence and attack.
James Wallace
Game on. England need 220 to win and level the series 1-1.
After losing the toss England would likely have taken that. They used six spinners in total and kept plugging away on a stodgy surface. Sri Lanka couldn’t really break the shackles all innings but they have posted a reasonable score. 220 will take some getting on this surface with Sri Lanka’s experienced and talented spin attack. It could be something of a griper.
Time for me to skedaddle. Tanya Aldred will be along very shortly to expertly call England’s chase. Thanks for tuning in and enjoy your Saturday. Ta-ra!
WICKET! Asitha Fernando c & b Root 0 (Sri Lanka 219 all out)
Root has two in two and finishes off the Sri Lanka innings! A toe ender is poked back and Root gleefully swallows it before unleashing that boyish grin.
WICKET! Dunith Wellalage c Curran b Root 20 (Sri Lanka 219-9)
Joe Root to bowl the last over… Wellalage goes for the big one down the ground but can’t clear Sam Curran. Close but no Havana.
49th over: Sri Lanka 218-8 (Wellalage 20, Pramod 1) The wonderfully named Jeffrey Vandersay arrives in the middle, he survives an appeal for caught behind first ball, was there glove in it? England send it upstairs but it comes back down again. Not Out. Wellalage swishes Rehan’s final ball away for four to keep Sri Lanka ticking into the final over.
WICKET! Pramod Madushan st Buttler b Rehan Ahmed 8 (Sri Lanka 213-8)
Rehan Ahmed lures Madhusan out of his crease with a flighted leggie and Jos Buttler does the rest. Textbook.
48th over: Sri Lanka 212-7 (Wellalage 15, Pramod 8) Seven off the over as the batters try to put Dawson off his length with some Martha and the Vandellas – dancing in the crease. The old pro keeps his cool and finishes with 1-41 off his ten overs.
47th over: Sri Lanka 205-7 (Wellalage 12, Pramod 4) Wellalage deploys the reverse-sweep off the red face Jacks and picks up four, Sri Lanka move beyond 200.
“Surely this is already a challenging score…we are talking about England away from home in an ODI.”
Brendon Large holds me immediately accountable. Quite right.
