England canter to easy victory over Colts XI

This futile limited overs game may have lacked tension, but there was sufficient drama to entertain the cricket loving spectators of Kurunegala. Marcus Trescothick alarmed the English management by limping off the field in the morning only to return in the afternoon to score a blistering 85 from just 68 balls and Darren Gough became embroiled in his second ugly confrontation of the tour.

England defeated a Sri Lankan board Colts XI, which included eight players with full International experience, with ease in spite of the home side scoring 249 in their innings. England eventually overhauled their target with 6.1 overs and eight wickets remaining.

The Darren Gough incident occurred on the last ball of the 37th over. The Yorkshire fast bowler collided into Indika de Saram and tumbled onto the ground as he tried to prevent a single. Clearly furious he marched up to de Saram wagging his finger and apparently swore at the batsman for blocking him. He then snatched his sunglasses from umpire T.M. Samarasinghe.

As he returned to his fielding position at third man Nasser Hussain pulled his premier fast bowler to the side and appeared to suggest that Gough leave the field to cool down. Gough denies this in a statement released to the media.

"Although it may have appeared otherwise to the spectators, I can honestly say that Nasser Hussain did not send me off the field following the incident. I had always intended to leave the field at the end of my spell as I was suffering from a stiff back and needed to get some treatment."

As Gough left the field he had words with umpire Samarasinghe. According to Gough: "I asked the umpire to warn the player because I did not want to get into a dispute with him."

Nasser Hussain played down the incident: "As far as I am concerned there was not an incident. I am amazed that there has been a statement released."

He also denied that he had sent Gough off to cool down: "Goughie was unhappy with bowling into the wind and was complaining of a stiff back. I had, anyway, singled to the dressing room that he would be coming off at the end of the over."

He then ended the press conference on a passionate note: "The media can have a go at Darren in the press tomorrow, but they will be barking up the wrong tree and you will be upsetting a lad that tries his heart out for England every day. Give me ten Darren Goughs because I love captaining the lad."

The match umpires also played down the incident afterwards and will not be taking up the matter further. The Sri Lanka coach, however, Hemantha Devapriya said he would discuss the matter with the Sri Lankan board Chief Executive, Anura Tennekoon.

Earlier in the innings Marcus Trescothick scared the management when he failed to complete his third over and hobbled off the field clutching his left knee. However, he returned to the field to open the innings with Nasser Hussain.

The pair added 138 for the first wicket in 24.4 overs. Trescothick was the main aggressor, hitting 13 fours in his 85. He reached fifty off just 35 balls and punished a wayward Eric Upashantha for four successive boundaries in the tenth over of the innings.

When Trescothick was finally caught at long-on off Rangana Herath, Hussain carried on the momentum with a fluent 73 from 99 balls that included two lofted sixes off the spinners before he was stumped. Graham Thorpe (32*) and Graeme Hick (38*) then guided the tourists home.

Earlier in the day the Colts XI scored 249 on an excellent batting pitch and on a lightening outfield after England had won the toss and, strangely, elected to field in the midday heat. Avishka Gunawardene and Test reject, Romesh Kaluwitharana, added 68 for the first wicket in 14 overs.

Craig White then pulled England back into the match as he snapped up two quick wickets; Gunawardene caught behind off his eighth delivery and Romesh Kaluwitharana caught at short extra-cover in his fourth over.

Lanka de Silva, another Test reject, then scored a composed 49 and Indika de Saram, who has recovered from an elbow injury, made an entertaining 62 from 64 balls. Nevertheless, the Sri Lanka innings fell away towards the close as they lost four wickets in the last ten overs.

There is, of course, little value in England's victory, nor little sense in playing the match at all. Hussain admitted as much afterwards, but believed the decision to not play the scheduled three-day game was justified.

"It was not ideal playing a one-day game here, but it was the right thing to do," he said. "Trescothick took a blow to the knee and there are a few niggles in the team. They will all hopefully be fine before the Test Match but it could have been different if we had played in this heat, on this hard outfield, with all the travel for three days."