England v Sri Lanka, 2014-15
Wisden's review of the second ODI, England v Sri Lanka, 2014-15
15-Apr-2015
At Colombo (RPS), November 29, 2014. Sri Lanka won by eight wickets. Toss: England.
Flags flew at half-mast above the Premadasa as the teams mourned the death of Australian batsman Phillip Hughes. A postponement had been discussed, but Cook said the match would go ahead "out of respect"; the players wore black armbands, and lined up their bats outside the dressing-rooms as part of the Twitter-led #putoutyourbats initiative. The stadium observed a minute's silence before the start. All this was only partial mitigation for a dismal England performance. They were brushed aside with more than ten overs to spare, and a dominant Sri Lanka display was capped by Sangakkara and Jayawardene, who shared their 15th hundred partnership in one-day internationals. For the second match running, England won the toss following a rain delay - which reduced the match to 45 overs a side - then squandered the theoretical advantage. Dilshan's off-spin accounted for both England's left-handed openers, and Sri Lanka's attack was perfectly suited to the pitch already used for the first match. England aimed too high and went too hard at the bowling early on, slipping to 75 for four. Only Bopara adjusted to the conditions; his stand of 42 with Root, who bobbed and weaved like a boxer, was the highest of the innings. As long as Bopara remained, England had hopes of a competitive score, but the wiles of Ajantha Mendis helped wrap up the tail as the last four fell for 12 runs, with two overs left unbowled. The returning Finn provided an early breakthrough, but the decisive strokes came from Sri Lanka's old masters.
Man of the Match: D. P. M. D. Jayawardene.
Flags flew at half-mast above the Premadasa as the teams mourned the death of Australian batsman Phillip Hughes. A postponement had been discussed, but Cook said the match would go ahead "out of respect"; the players wore black armbands, and lined up their bats outside the dressing-rooms as part of the Twitter-led #putoutyourbats initiative. The stadium observed a minute's silence before the start. All this was only partial mitigation for a dismal England performance. They were brushed aside with more than ten overs to spare, and a dominant Sri Lanka display was capped by Sangakkara and Jayawardene, who shared their 15th hundred partnership in one-day internationals. For the second match running, England won the toss following a rain delay - which reduced the match to 45 overs a side - then squandered the theoretical advantage. Dilshan's off-spin accounted for both England's left-handed openers, and Sri Lanka's attack was perfectly suited to the pitch already used for the first match. England aimed too high and went too hard at the bowling early on, slipping to 75 for four. Only Bopara adjusted to the conditions; his stand of 42 with Root, who bobbed and weaved like a boxer, was the highest of the innings. As long as Bopara remained, England had hopes of a competitive score, but the wiles of Ajantha Mendis helped wrap up the tail as the last four fell for 12 runs, with two overs left unbowled. The returning Finn provided an early breakthrough, but the decisive strokes came from Sri Lanka's old masters.
Man of the Match: D. P. M. D. Jayawardene.