england cricket tour sri lanka

SRH need 105 runs in 32 balls.

WI Women need 27 runs in 32 balls.

RCB won by 9 wickets (with 24 balls remaining)

IND Women won by 44 runs

Sri Lanka A won by 8 runs (DLS method)

W. Indies A won by 10 runs

Day 3 - Essex trail by 44 runs.

Day 3 - Hampshire trail by 101 runs.

Day 3 - Warwickshire trail by 232 runs.

Day 3 - Worcester lead by 126 runs.

Day 3 - Middlesex lead by 76 runs.

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Sri Lanka A won by 6 wickets (with 107 balls remaining)

Sri Lanka A won by 86 runs

Eng Lions won by 4 wickets (with 58 balls remaining)

Match drawn

SLC-BP-XI won by 4 wickets

Jamie Smith: England's next wicketkeeper off the rank ready to put his hand up

After record-breaking Lions knock, Smith is hoping to push for higher recognition

Uncapped Tom Abell ruled out of England's Bangladesh tour due to side strain

England don't name replacement, but Will Jacks could arrive in Bangladesh for the ODIs if not selected for second Test in NZ

Saqib Mahmood marks injury comeback with three wickets in Lions win

Lancashire fast bowler "chuffed" with return ahead of England's upcoming Bangladesh tour

Jamie Smith's 71-ball century gives England Lions a victory glimmer

Fastest hundred in Lions history secures useful lead as Sri Lanka reply strongly

Tom Haines hundred puts England Lions in control against Sri Lanka A

Sussex batter shows benefit of work with Ian Bell on first Lions tour

Matthew Fisher lands a five-for as England Lions make strides against Sri Lanka A

Hameed impresses with the bat as visitors take control in first unofficial Test

Nishan Madushka 150 sets up SL President's XI reply against England Lions

Opener underpins strong showing before Lions lose regular wickets in second innings

Alex Lees strikes 94-ball century as England Lions take the Bazball approach against Sri Lanka XI

Tourists declare on 413 after 67-over innings on opening day of tour in Colombo

ENG-L in SL 2023 Top Wicket Takers

Eng-l in sl 2023 top run scorers.

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England tour of sri lanka.

Sri Lanka beat England by 25 runs

Tillakaratne Dilshan

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Sri Lanka beat England by 8 wickets

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County Championship Division Two

Miles hammond, graeme van buuren fifties fire gloucestershire.

Responding to Middlesex's first-innings 203, the home side advanced to 271 for 6, a lead of 68

Joe Root, Harry Brook find century form for Yorkshire

Wayne Madsen defies injury to lead Derbyshire's reply with unbeaten 88

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Khushi, browne have essex eyeing first-innings lead.

Khushi produced a chanceless ton while Browne is 94 not out with Essex just 44 runs behind

Jake Libby makes progress between the Kidderminster showers

Only 26 overs possible as Worcestershire reply to Somerset's first innings

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Hosts took first-innings lead of 208 when they were bowled out for 359 on stroke of tea

Top Run Scorers

Nishan Madushka , SL-A, Right-hand bat

Average 91.00

Nipun Dhananjaya , SL-A, Left-hand bat

Average 54.75

Jamie Smith , LIONS, Right-hand bat

Average 67.33

Sadeera Samarawickrama , SL-A, Right-hand bat

Average 45.66

Jacob Bethell , LIONS, Left-hand bat

Average 39.66

Tom Prest , LIONS, Right-hand bat

Average 35.33

Top Wicket Takers

Lakshitha Manasinghe , SL-A, Right-arm offbreak

Average 28.33

Jack Carson , LIONS, Right-arm offbreak

Average 34.77

Josh Tongue , LIONS, Right-arm fast-medium

Average 19.12

Dushan Hemantha , SL-A, Legbreak

Average 11.45

Mason Crane , LIONS, Legbreak googly

Average 19.2

Jacob Bethell , LIONS, Slow left-arm orthodox

Average 31.5

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Top Run Scorers

Joe Root , ENG, Right-hand bat

Wanindu Hasaranga , SL, Right-hand bat

Average 33.33

Dasun Shanaka , SL, Right-hand bat

Average 48.00

Dawid Malan , ENG, Left-hand bat

Average 29.00

Jos Buttler , ENG, Right-hand bat

Average 21.66

Top Wicket Takers

David Willey , ENG, Left-arm fast-medium

Chris Woakes , ENG, Right-arm fast-medium

Average 7.66

Sam Curran , ENG, Left-arm medium-fast

Average 24.6

Dushmantha Chameera , SL, Right-arm fast

Average 11.66

Average 9.4

Adil Rashid , ENG, Legbreak

Average 12.5

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England beat Sri Lanka by five wickets: first ODI – as it happened

England beat Sri Lanka by five wickets in the first one-day international at Durham to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series

• 29 Jun 2021 England win by five wickets
• 29 Jun 2021 WICKET! Moeen b Chameera 28, England 171-5
• 29 Jun 2021 Half century! Root 50 from 58 balls
• 29 Jun 2021 WICKET! Billings c Hasaranga b Chameera 3, England 80-4
• 29 Jun 2021 WICKET! Morgan c Perera b Chameera 6, England 74-3
• 29 Jun 2021 WICKET! Bairstow b Fernando 43, England 59-2
• 29 Jun 2021 WICKET! Livingstone c Chameera b Karunaratne 9, England 54-1
• 29 Jun 2021 England require 186 to win
• 29 Jun 2021 SRI LANKA ALL OUT 185! Jayawickrama run out [Billings - direct] 4
• 29 Jun 2021 WICKET! Chameera run out [Billings to Curran] 7 (Sri Lanka 170-9)
• 29 Jun 2021 WICKET! Fernando c Moeen b Willey 2 (Sri Lanka 160-8)
• 29 Jun 2021 WICKETS! Perera c Billings b Willey 73 (Sri Lanka 152-7)
• 29 Jun 2021 WICKET! Mendis lbw b Moeen 1 (Sri Lanka 152-6)
• 29 Jun 2021 WICKET! Lakshan c Root b Woakes 2 (Sri Lanka 149-5)
• 29 Jun 2021 WICKET! Hasaranga c Livingstone b Woakes 54 (Sri Lanka 145-4)
• 29 Jun 2021 Hasaranga brings up his 50
• 29 Jun 2021 Perera passes 50
• 29 Jun 2021 WICKET! Shanaka c Bairstow b Woakes 1 (Sri Lanka 46-3)
• 29 Jun 2021 WICKET! Asalanka c Root b Willey 0 (Sri Lanka 24-2)
• 29 Jun 2021 WICKET! Nissanka c Moeen b Woakes 5 (Sri Lanka 23-1)
• 29 Jun 2021 England are bowling
• 29 Jun 2021 Preamble

England win by five wickets

But that’s a bit flattering. Five wickets, yes, but also 15 overs to go. There was the one wobble, and had the catch from Moeen been held then Sri Lanka might have been a chance. But as long as Root stayed around, he had so much time to gather the runs.

When Sri Lanka batted, it was all about Hasaranga, batting way up the order, and the captain Kusal Perera. Bear in mind that this is a team with injuries, absentees, and now three first-choice batsmen sent home for breaching covid rules. It’s a shell of a squad now, barely able to field a team. So with Hasaranga forced up to No5 to fill a gap, that 99-run partnership meant something. As did Perera making 73 while trying to lead this shambolic tour as someone new to the captaincy, and now having to keep wicket as well because his gloveman has been booted out of the country.

So the Sri Lankans got to 185, something to bowl at, and the seamers Chameera, Fernando and Karunaratne did a good job to put a lid on it after Bairstow’s lightning start. Slowed the scoring, took four wickets, and twice dropped chances for a fifth. Bairstow was very good, Chris Woakes took 4 for 16, and David Willey 3 for 44.

The stats on Woakes from Richard O’Hagan: “Only Jimmy Anderson has bowled more maidens in an ODI spell for England – 10-6-12-1 against Australia in (remarkably) 2003. Only Mark Ealham (5-15 against Zimbabwe in 2000) has taken more wickets for fewer runs in a 10 over ODI spell.”

That’s four losses on the bounce for Sri Lanka. Two more ODIs to go. We’ll be there to see if they can put the pieces together.

35th over: England 189-5 (Root 79, Curran 9) Can’t say this is a vibe-heavy affair by this late stage. What sounds like three drunks are trying to do the beer song, which is rapidly becoming the least whimsical part of cricket in England. Root drives a run, Curran glides one. Root darts through with a shot to mid on, tying the scores. And Curran gets a gift from Fernando, a full toss to whack through midwicket for four.

34th over: England 182-5 (Root 77, Curran 4) More grunt from Chameera, more effort, and as is so often the case in this format, he’s punished with an edge for four. Root was aiming through the off side. He gets off strike and Curran goes nowhere, setting off for a mad single and being sent back, then evading Chameera’s short balls again. Four to win.

33rd over: England 176-5 (Root 72, Curran 3) Dribbling towards this result in singles, as Fernando bowls his ninth.

Full circle. “Cane Williamson was not the first so-named!” exclaims Andrew Benton. “Here’s Rattan Jaidka of Gloucestershire in 1927, no less.”

32nd over: England 173-5 (Root 71, Curran 1) It wasn’t a pretty innings from Moeen, but in the context that 28 off 57 balls was valuable. Supported the more fluent Root, calmed the waters, and saw England to within reach of their target. Chameera tries another bouncer against Sam Curran, gets wided for it, then sees the left-handed Curran dab a single to deep third.

WICKET! Moeen b Chameera 28, England 171-5

Terrific bowling. Dushmantha Chameera comes back for one last burst, seeing if he can add to his two wickets. He keeps Moeen on the back foot with a couple of bouncers that rifle over the left-hander’s leg stump from over the wicket. Real grunt-producing short balls with some proper velocity. Moeen knows the next ball has to be fuller because the bowler can’t send down more bouncers, and perhaps that preempting does Moeen in. Chameera does pitch up but not too far. Hits a length that would just take the top of the stumps. Moeen has a big straight drive and it goes through him, into the stumps off the edge. Pace, too. Very well executed.

31st over: England 170-4 (Root 70, Moeen 28) Short from Fernando to Root, who pulls four. Shouldn’t have been four but a mix-up between the two outfielders behind square: Chameera approaching made Lakshan hold back a second before throwing in the slide, so he parries it into the rope. Fernando thinks he’s finished the over but the third umpire calls him back after class for a no ball. Root tries to power the free hit, but only half gets it for a single to deep square.

30th over: England 162-4 (Root 64, Moeen 27) Hasaranga tries the wrong ‘un, and it nearly gets Root. Turning in, aimed at the pad, but he gets an inside edge on it for a single. Seven overs conceding 26 now for the leggie.

29th over: England 159-4 (Root 62, Moeen 26) Binura Fernando bowls a hard length at the body, concedes a few singles, few alarms. In the meantime Harry Lang is getting excited.

“As a marketing nerd, I was rather taken by the suggestion by Brian Withington of a 3-faced bat, legal or otherwise. It would be the perfect complement to the disruptive nature of Twenty20 or the purist’s nemesis, The Hundred. Such a design would not only allow Root, Smith et al to cut with various degrees of nuance and clout – but also lend itself to a number of absurd names – perfectly suited to a game in which a googly and silly mid something are the norm:

• The Tri-Bat
• The Triangle
• The Deltoid
• The Triumvirate
• The Triptych
• Pyramid of Cheops (has 4 faces, but whatevs)”

I can see it now, Harry.

WICKET! Bowled, he Cheops onto his stumps!

28th over: England 155-4 (Root 60, Moeen 24) Really enjoy watching Hasaranga bowl. Lovely arc to his wrist spin, and makes the ball drop. On surfaces less blameless than this one he could be (and has been) a handful. By this stage of today’s innings they’re milking him competently enough. 31 to win.

27th over: England 149-4 (Root 56, Moeen 22) Lakshan tries a slower ball, Root cuts a single. But the bowler gets one to spit at Moeen, there have been a few that have done that today. An unsure defensive prod from Mo. Nothing unsure at the end of the over though: Lakshan tries the bouncer, Moeen stands up and swats it away well in front of square for four!

I don’t think we’ll have to countenance John Starbuck’s concern from earlier, that would require “Wood, who didn’t take any wickets, to bring it home with a powerful knock.”

Half century! Root 50 from 58 balls

26th over: England 142-4 (Root 52, Moeen 17) A pull down the ground for one and there’s the milestone: his 34th fifty in this format to go with 16 centuries, so that’s 50 scores above 50 in his 150th match. Very good consistency. And this one was scored at a very good clip. Praveen Jayawickrama is the new bowler with his left-arm darts not hitting the bullseye. Runs from every ball for 7 off the over.

25th over: England 135-4 (Root 49, Moeen 15) First over of the day for Dhananjaya Lakshan, who is not a portmanteau of compatriots Dhananjaya de Silva and Lakshan Sandakan. Root and Moeen get a touch more expansive against the seamer, Moeen playing a crisp swivel-pull to a not very short ball, Root driving well enough to beat cover for two, then square driving down on one knee for one. Boundary riders in this format do mean that a lot of good shots only get a run or two.

Halfway mark, 51 runs to go.

24th over: England 130-4 (Root 45, Moeen 14)

“Greetings from Chicago, USA!” writes Matt McGillen. “The England collapse here calls to mind the World Cup 2019 match vs. Sri Lanka at Headingly. I was in the stands that day, commiserating with fellow fans that Sri Lanka’s feeble effort with the bat was certain to deprive us of an exciting run chase with the mighty England batting lineup. Only to then see England all out for 212, 20 runs short. No Ben Stokes today to make it close, either. I fear the worst.”

I hope that Young Joe Root, if I may, has soothed your fraying nerves somewhat. He even gets out the pull shot in this Karunaratne over, for one run, after a comedy routine in which one Sri Lankan throw cleared the keeper before a subsequent throw missed the stumps, turning one run into three via two overthrows.

23rd over: England 124-4 (Root 41, Moeen 12) Hasaranga has bowled five overs for 17, good stuff, but don’t balls won’t do it. Wickets required.

22nd over: England 117-4 (Root 37, Moeen 10) Another dropped catch! Joe Root this time, playing a pull shot against Karunaratne that was miles outside his off stump. No way he could have pulled that around to the leg side in control. He gets a big top edge, Chameera runs in from the long leg boundary, and the bowler who had a catch dropped earlier now drops one himself. Diving forward, tricky chance but barely gets a hand on it, the ball going between his hands and into the dirt. Followed by four leg byes off Moeen’s pad.

21st over: England 110-4 (Root 36, Moeen 8) Moeen is happy to block out the first four balls of Hasaranga’s spin, then misses with a cut before driving a single.

20th over: England 109-4 (Root 36, Moeen 7) Fernando keeps them quiet for only two runs, but more importantly for England this batting pair has settled down the worry after a few wickets in quick succession. From here they only need 77 runs and they have 30 overs - 180 deliveries - in which to do it.

19th over: England 107-4 (Root 35, Moeen 6) Hasaranga bowling with lots of loop to Root, looking to lure him into the drive. Root mixes up his footwork between coming forward and going back. Three singles from the over.

18th over: England 104-4 (Root 33, Moeen 5) Binura Fernando is back, his height immediately causing problems with bounce, and Root edges for two! Genuine nick in between the very wide slip and the keeper. Then Fernando goes fuller, gets it swinging into Root’s pad, and convinces Perera to go to DRS. Looked like it was pitching fractionally outside leg, maybe hitting just outside leg too.

And that’s what DRS shows.

Root celebrates with another single run down to third man. He’s 33 from 38 balls and doing it easily.

17th over: England 101-4 (Root 30, Moeen 5) Joe Root is playing well when he’s sweeping well. Gets Hasaranga away fine and picks up three runs, before Moeen edges away a single to raise England’s 100.

16th over: England 91-4 (Root 26, Moeen 4) Chameera goes into his sixth over, Perera desperate to have him add to the two wickets he’s taken so far. Root keeps using deep third for singles. Mo drives nicely through cover but the rope is protected. Five singles from the over, easy done. England only need 90 more to win.

15th over: England 91-4 (Root 23, Moeen 2) Wanindu Hasaranga’s turn now. He’s got runs, he’s got a catch, and Sri Lanka need him to round out the set with some wickets. Not a bad start for the leg-spinner, giving flight against Moeen Ali and then trying the flatter dart at the stumps looking for Joe Root’s pad.

14th over: England 89-4 (Root 22, Moeen 1) All seamers so far today for Sri Lanka, the same three, as Chameera carries on. Moeen opens his account with a glide behind point. Root plays a version that’s a bit stabby, more of a push at the ball. Gets a second run on a misfield.

13th over: England 85-4 (Root 19, Moeen 0) Root manufactures a little bit of calm by driving Karunaratne to the cover boundary for four. That wicket could have made this just about Sri Lanka’s game. Still England’s game for now.

12th over: England 80-4 (Root 14, Moeen 0) And dropped! Nearly two wickets in two balls for Sri Lanka. Moeen comes out, pushes defensively at another good-length ball, it takes the edge high on the bat and goes low to Kusal Perera’s right behind the stumps. He doesn’t pick it up quickly enough, and in the end throws one glove where a sharper keeper would comfortably have caught it with two. The chance vanishes.

WICKET! Billings c Hasaranga b Chameera 3, England 80-4

Another one down! Perhaps England won’t be romping to this modest target after all? Plenty of batting left but all of it in the all-round category: Moeen, Woakes, Curran, Willey, Rashid. Billings drives at a very wide ball, on the up, the length not there for the shot. Thick outside edge to the gully where the man who batted so well earlier takes the catch.

11th over: England 77-3 (Root 13, Billings 1) Karunaratne, runs to the crease like he’s late for a bus. Billings in one of his sporadic appearances in this England shirt gets off the mark with a pull.

10th over: England 74-3 (Root 11, Billings 0) Root started that over being fed for a classic Root shot, quiet and sensible, off the pads through midwicket for four. But Chameera was the one who profited more from the over in the end.

WICKET! Morgan c Perera b Chameera 6, England 74-3

Not a memorable innings for Morgan. He tries the charge-swat one more time, aiming off side this time like a left-handed Brendon McCullum, minus the bit where the ball flies into the stands. Misses that, stays home to a shorter length ball angling across him. Plays a half this, half that sort of flirt at the line, nicks it through to the Sri Lankan captain who is playing stand-in keeper.

9th over: England 69-2 (Root 6, Morgan 6) Wants to get on, Morgan. Charges down at Karunaratne and plays a real smear across the line and across the turf to the midwicket fence. Bottom hand strong.

8th over: England 64-2 (Root 5, Morgan 2) Having taken the wicket, Fenando enjoys the reward, sending down six dot balls to Morgan. The over is only blemished by a wide, and Morgan’s strong off-drive from the final ball is well saved at mid off to stop any score.

“It seems to me that JB has a perfect opportunity to make a point with the bat today,” wrote Charles Sheldrick earlier before we got underway. “No pressure on the rate, he can play positively but does not have to go mad. England overlooked him for Bracey (didn’t that go well) in the recent Tests. Is this a chance for him to give Silverwood a nudge?”

I think Bairstow may have done that even in his brief stay at the crease. He looked so clean in his striking. We know his best at Test level, it’s really a question of whether Silverwood thinks he’s the coach to help rediscover it.

7th over: England 63-2 (Root 5, Morgan 2) Shall we expect things to slow up a bit here? Root back into the side and generally its most sober member, Morgan fairly light on for runs for a while. They still manage to work four singles while sizing up Karunaratne’s work.

WICKET! Bairstow b Fernando 43, England 59-2

6th over: England 59-2 (Root 3) Binura Fernando looks a great prospect. Swings a yorker in at Bairstow’s boots and even a player in such good touch can only squeeze out a single. Makes Root mistime a cut shot that dribbles for three. Which brings Bairstow back for the sixth ball of the over, and for the first time today he goes too hard at a ball angled across him, chopping it onto his stumps rather than guiding another boundary. A sad end to the entertainment, with 43 from 21 balls.

5th over: England 54-1 (Bairstow 42, Root 0) One ball to Joe Root, and thus ends an 8-ball over that included 13 runs, a wicket, and a leave outside the off stump.

WICKET! Livingstone c Chameera b Karunaratne 9, England 54-1

Change of bowling and Chamika Karunaratne has the ball. He’s a different style of right-armer: relatively short, jerky, chest-on, muscling the ball down. Doesn’t get his line though, too far outside off, and the umpire takes toll of one delivery before Bairstow takes toll of the next, with the square cut again.

Even worse, the next ball is an overstep! No ball. Free hit. But Bairstow has lost the strike with a single. Finally Livingstone gets to stop being left quite so far in the dust. He leans back and pounds it over deep midwicket for six. A real heave, but why not make like a sailor.

But why not keep us guessing? Karunaratne gets a bit of bounce, Livingstone tries to demolish the shorter ball, and only splices it gently to mid on.

4th over: England 41-0 (Bairstow 37, Livingstone 3) My year of Livingstone dangerously. He edges the tall left-armer Fernando short of second slip, then plays a thrashing pull shot that draws a single via a dangerous top edge towards square leg. Again Bairstow shows him how it’s done, playing a little pick-up pull shot for six! Into the crowd over deep square. Then a savage cut that should have been another boundary but for a brilliant stop at backward point... but that lets Bairstow keep the strike. He’s 37 off 15 balls!

3rd over: England 31-0 (Bairstow 29, Livingstone 2) Purrrrring! Bairstow warms up with a nice straight drive that Chameera picks up on the bounce in his follow-through, then the batsman delivers on that promise with an even better on-drive, just to the on side of straight, past the stumps for four. Tucks three more across the line to midwicket. Livingstone has been put up the order as a hitter, but is mostly a spectator will Bairstow plays with utter style from the other end. Finally able to hit a ball, Livingstone throw the kitchen sink at width and edges a run to deep third. “Nah, this is how you do it,” says Bairstow, returning to strike to place a sweet cut between two fielders square of the wicket.

2nd over: England 18-0 (Bairstow 17, Livingstone 1) The left-armer Binura Fernando has a bit more success initially, tucking up both the right-handers with a bit of inswing and giving them no room to do anything but tuck singles off their pads. But the bowler can’t sustain the line, and as soon as he offers a sliver of daylight between the line of the ball and off stump, Bairstow punches square as efficiently as earlier for four.

1st over: England 11-0 (Bairstow 11, Livingstone 0) Dushmantha Chameera has the ball, a whippy right-armer with a bit of pace. But he’s not ready for the way that Jonny Bairstow starts. So often in this form of cricket Young Jonny is imperious. Two checked drives from the first two balls, minimum of follow-through, and they both go through the off side for four. Then he pulls three runs over midwicket. Easy.

Attention Brian: while you could try your enter-a-pig-in-a-sheepdog-contest approach by arguing that the Laws don’t say whether a bat can have more than once face, they’ve got you covered on depth and the gauge. Law 5.7.2:

The blade of the bat shall not exceed the following dimensions: Width: 4.25in / 10.8 cm Depth: 2.64in / 6.7 cm Edges: 1.56in / 4.0cm. Furthermore, it should also be able to pass through a bat gauge as described in Appendix B.8 .

I’m totally in agreement about the name, Brian, good suggestion. I suspect it would fall foul of current regulations about the width of an edge, though a mathematician could argue that a triangle has no edge.

As for materials, Andrew, I spent some time with master maker of bats Lachlan Fisher in the Victorian countryside a couple of years ago, and can confirm that the material of choice is still a length of high-grade cane. Intensely strong yet supple and powerful: perhaps there is a reason the New Zealand captain is named after it.

Brian Withington is easing me into my OBO day with this correspondence. “My belated enquiries in response to Andrew Benton’s pressing question (over 24) regarding cricket bat handle materials has led me to an interesting paper called ‘Critical Analysis on The Design and Use of Materials in Cricket Bat Handles’ by Ashish Kumar Katiyar and colleagues of Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University. The paper cites a number of innovations and patents that include the use of various composite materials including carbon fibre that Newbery, GM and Puma have been investigating and variously introducing over the last decade or so.

“Whilst unrelated to choice of handle material, my eye was caught by a reference to a 2011 patent by Ross Weir and Philip Hodgkins concerning a bat with three faces that could be rotated to adjust which struck the ball, although there was no comment about the legality of such a monstrous blade (the Cerberus?).”

If you’re English and you’re just turning on the tube, don’t fret at seeing England wickets – they’re replaying the 2019 World Cup match between these two teams. England 111 for 3 chasing 233. Should be fine.

Thanks, feller me lad. What you can say for Sri Lanka is that today’s effort... wasn’t awful? Some of it was, but at least there was that partnership. After the performances in the T20s and the few days that they’ve had as a touring party, one wouldn’t have been at all surprised to see the Sri Lankans fall in a heap today. Instead it was a partial heap with a couple of people standing up in it. Take what you can get, some days. Hello all.

The remaining question is: do England score these runs quickly and entertainingly, or professionally and boringly?

England require 186 to win

The visitors have been bowled out in just 42.3 overs, losing three wickets during the power play then 5/15 after getting to 145-3 in decent shape by the 29th over with Hasaranga (54) ticking over nicely through the middle overs. But so much relied upon Perera (73), the wheels falling off when the skipper was the seventh to fall, mid-collapse. Woakes was magnificent - those figures again, 10-5-18-4. He did it early, he did it in the middle, he did it at the end. Willey’s 3/44 was an impressive return after a tough start and Wood did everything right across seven wicketless overs, taking 0/19. Sam Curran bowled with zip and Moeen Ali got himself into the book.

All told, a very good day at the office for the home side, who should have this wrapped up in time to watch England later this afternoon.

For the chase, I’ll leave you with Geoff. Thanks for your company!

SRI LANKA ALL OUT 185! Jayawickrama run out [Billings - direct] 4

Brilliant from Billings to finish with a one-handed pick up charing in from mid-on - he doesn’t break stride, direct hit, superb fielding.

42nd over: Sri Lanka 176-9 (Karunaratne 10, Jayawickrama 4) I’m invested in this Woakes over, wanting him to get this fifth. But it isn’t to be with Jayawickrama flicking through midwicket in a manner that belies his position in this batting line up. It doesn’t diminish from Woakes’ contribution, 10-5-18-4. Beautiful numbers.

Can @ECB_cricket confirm choice to bowl first was to ensure match done and dusted before @England kick off 🦁🦁🦁 @bbctms ? @collinsadam ? — Ross Antrobus (@rossantrobus) June 29, 2021

They just need to take this tenth, then over to YJB. I believe.

41st over: Sri Lanka 171-9 (Karunaratne 8, Jayawickrama 0) “Hi Adam.” Hello, Robert Ellson. “I like Izzy’s idea of separate stats for those who carry their team alone and would like to suggest they should be called Atherages, with a proposed exchange rate of 38:50.”

This is very good; I’m sending it to Izzy.

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England Men’s Test tour of Sri Lanka confirmed

Both matches in the two-test series will take place in Galle

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The schedule for England Men’s Test tour of Sri Lanka has been confirmed with two matches being played behind closed doors in Galle next month.

The England and Wales Cricket Board and Sri Lanka Cricket have agreed to biosecurity and travel plans for what is a rearranged tour following the postponement in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first Test will commence on 14-18 January with the second Test on 22-26 January.

The touring party will depart on a chartered flight on 2 January and will be subject to quarantine in Hambantota. During this period, the team will be able to train and prepare for five days from 5-9 January at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium.

The two-match Test series forms part of the ICC World Test Championship. This will be England’s penultimate series in the inaugural tournament, and they hope to conclude their campaign against India in February, subject to confirmation of the India tour schedule.

Tour Schedule

England Tour of Sri Lanka – January 2021

Saturday 2 January: Touring party departs from London to Hambantota

Tuesday 5-9 January: Training and preparation at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota

Thursday 14-18 January: 1st Test match – Sri Lanka v England, Galle International Cricket Stadium, Galle

Friday 22-26 January: 2nd Test match – Sri Lanka v England, Galle International Cricket Stadium, Galle

Wednesday 27 January: Touring party departs Sri Lanka

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