Another dominant performance in either department helped England maintain their ascendancy over the struggling Sri Lankan side and go 2-0 up in the three-match ODI series at The Oval this Thursday. The hosts clinched their fifth consecutive victory over the visitors, having earlier pulled off a 3-0 clean sweep in the T20Is.
Maiden five-fer from left-arm paceman Sam Curran and half-centuries by Jason Roy, Joe Root and skipper Eoin Morgan allowed England to retain their supremacy and clinch further crucial points in the ICC Super League.
The three lions won the toss and opted to bowl first and, as they had done in the previous match as well, got off to a brilliant start by dismissing the Sri Lankan top-order very cheaply. With his ability to get the ball to swing and using the left-arm angle to good effect, Curran ran through the Lankan top 3 and got Pathum Nissanka (5), visiting captain Kusal Perera (0) and Avishka Fernando (2) in his very first spell of the day.
Soon, Curran’s bowling partner David Willey, another left-arm quick up England’s sleeves, dismissed Charith Asalanka to also get among the wickets and leave Sri Lanka tottering at 21/4 inside seven overs. At that point, it seemed SL would simply wilt away under pressure, and an early finish is on the cards.
However, middle-order batsman Dhananjaya de Silva, joined by his capable partner Wainindu Hasaranga, led their team’s recovery through a steady 65-run partnership. Though he struck only 26 runs, Hasaranga, as he had done in the last match, played another admirable hand when his team needed it the most. Despite losing his partner at the other end, Dhananjaya remained resolute at the crease and batted magnificently well to cross his fifty.
The player who had come into this match after question marks over his rate of scoring produced a run-a-ball 91 before being out caught off Willey. It was an exceptional knock, reflective of Dhananjaya’s overall ability, which Sri Lanka need to come to the fore more consistently for them.
Following Dhananjaya’s departure, contributions from the lower middle-order by Dasun Shanaka (47), Chamika Karunaratne (21) ensured Sri Lanka finished 241/9, which seemed a long distance away when they were 21/4 before Dhananjaya and Hasaranga’s resurrection act.
Having added Hasaranga’s wicket to his tally after the first spell, Curran also scalped Karunaratne to earn his maiden five-wicket haul (5/48) in ODIs. At the other end, Willey ended with four wickets (4/64) off his 10-over quota.
England set the ball rolling with some explosive ball-striking in the run-chase by opening batsman Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow in their 76-run stand. And though Bairstow got out in the process after making 29, Roy continued to exert great pressure on the Lankan bowling attack and scored 60 off just 52 balls.
Following Roy’s departure in the 18th over of the chase, in-form England anchor Root and skipper Morgan consolidated things at a decent tempo. The duo batted brilliantly to take England home via a responsible 138-run stand, with Root (68*) adding calm and composed half-century to his series kitty after the last match and Morgan showing encouraging signs of return to form with an unbeaten knock of 75 off 83 deliveries. After a slightly indifferent batting performance last match, England were back to their best.
For Sri Lanka, it was another painful defeat on a disappointing tour, as they further slipped below in the ICC Super League points table and are nearing a position where they might have to win every game to make the 2023 World Cup directly.
Brief scores
Sri Lanka 241/9 in 50 overs (Dhananjaya de Silva 91, Dasun Shanaka 47; Sam Curran 5/48, David Willey 4/64) lost to England 244/2 in 43 overs (Eoin Morgan 75*, Joe Root 68*; Chamika Karunaratne 1/34) by 8 wickets
