Sri Lanka v England, 2000-01
At Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo, March 27
15-Apr-2002
At Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo, March 27. Sri Lanka won by ten wickets. Toss: Sri Lanka.
England's largely triumphant tour ended in embarrassment: for the first time, they lost a limited-overs international by ten wickets. Vaas bowled an exemplary opening spell of 7-5-5-2, and the four off-spinners kept things tight throughout. Sangakkara's breathtaking catch at cover point to dismiss Thorpe typified Sri Lanka's flawless fielding. England's belated decision to play one-day specialists Knight and Ealham gave some sense to their flight from Britain. Knight, like the openers, dragged a wide ball on to his stumps, but Ealham did support an off-colour Hick, who in searing heat battled cramp to reach 46 from 114 balls. Kaluwitharana and Atapattu, captain in place of the injured Jayasuriya, were 81 after 15 overs, almost halfway to their target, and with Kaluwitharana cutting and pulling his way to 102 from 116 balls, including 20 fours, the end came with almost indecent haste.
Man of the Match: R. S. Kaluwitharana.
Man of the Series: M. S. Atapattu.
England's largely triumphant tour ended in embarrassment: for the first time, they lost a limited-overs international by ten wickets. Vaas bowled an exemplary opening spell of 7-5-5-2, and the four off-spinners kept things tight throughout. Sangakkara's breathtaking catch at cover point to dismiss Thorpe typified Sri Lanka's flawless fielding. England's belated decision to play one-day specialists Knight and Ealham gave some sense to their flight from Britain. Knight, like the openers, dragged a wide ball on to his stumps, but Ealham did support an off-colour Hick, who in searing heat battled cramp to reach 46 from 114 balls. Kaluwitharana and Atapattu, captain in place of the injured Jayasuriya, were 81 after 15 overs, almost halfway to their target, and with Kaluwitharana cutting and pulling his way to 102 from 116 balls, including 20 fours, the end came with almost indecent haste.
Man of the Match: R. S. Kaluwitharana.
Man of the Series: M. S. Atapattu.