Dilshan stars as Sri Lanka close out series

Dec 16, 2014

The seventh ODI began with under-pressure Alastair Cook again taking charge of England. He lost the toss and Sri Lanka batted first•Getty Images

But the fairytale was short-lived as Jayawardene fell for 28 and walked off to a standing ovation•AFP

But a Moeen Ali full toss brought Sangakkara's demise as England managed to keep their hosts in check•Getty Images

A late blast from Thisara Perera, whose 23-ball fifty was the second-quickest for Sri Lanka in an ODI - pushed Sri Lanka up to 302 for 6•Getty Images

Things quickly got worse for England when Suranga Lakmal got some extra bounce to have James Taylor caught behind•Getty Images

Jos Buttler threatened to get going with two boundaries before finding deep cover•Getty Images

Mahela Jayawardene was playing for the final time on Sri Lankan soil and he made a brisk start and looked in good touch•Getty Images

Tillakaratne Dilshan was also playing positively as Sri Lanka took 66 runs from the Powerplay•Getty Images

Just when it looked like England were back in the innings, Sri Lanka found acceleration through Dinesh Chandimal who made an unbeaten 55 in 50 balls•Getty Images

England's chase got off to a miserable start when Moeen was bowled first ball by Dilshan•Getty Images

And the contest was pretty much over as Eoin Morgan was given out lbw on review, Dilshan picking up a third wicket•Getty Images

But after a brief rally from Chris Woakes England tumbled away to lose by 87 runs, Sri Lanka taking the series 5-2•Getty Images

It was also farewell to Kumar Sangakkara and he looked to have carried his good form into the final ODI with three early boundaries•Getty Images

And Dilshan went through to his 18th ODI century in his 300th ODI with nine fours and a six•Getty Images

And after several near-misses Alastair Cook fell for 32, extending his barren run to only one half-century in 22 ODI innings•Getty Images

Amid the wreckage Joe Root played another lovely innings and made his way to 80 in 99 balls before severe cramp hindered his chance of a century•Getty Images

It provided the perfect send off for Jayawardene and Sangakkara, who enjoyed a lap of honour•Getty Images