now this is short outside off and slapped past short third man
England vs Sri Lanka, 5th ODI at Birmingham, Jun 03 2014 - Ball by Ball Commentary
That's all she wrote for this one-day series, Sri Lanka the winniners 3-2 in what has been really a pretty exciting series with batting collapses galore followed by two pretty tight matches. But now we turn to the real stuff with the Test matches to come at Lord's and Headingley, the first at HQ on June 12. England's eagerly anticipated squad is set to be announced on Thursday, so look out for that, and we'll see you for the Test matches, bye for now...
Presentation time, with some interesting issues to deal with for the captains. Here's Alastair Cook: "We were 20 or 30 short. On that wicket, it turned a bit and was quite slow which suited them. It dewed up a bit and came on a bit at the end which was okay to chase. We got off to a good start, everyone got 20s and 30s. The Buttler dismissal, I think you're going to ask Angelo why he did it, I was disappointed with it. You don't know in the spur of the moment what you would do but you hope you wouldn't do it. There were some good things about the series and some progress made - Chris Jordan and Harry Gurney - but still plenty of areas to work on with 20 games until the World Cup."
The winning captain is Angelo Mathews: "After 2006 it's a great moment for us, it's a great achievement for the team. It started of pretty slowly but our bowlers did a brilliant job to pull them back to 220. Buttler was taking unfair starts so we gave him two warnings and after that I didn't know what to do to stop him from doing it. It's within the rules and in the spirit of cricket we gave him chances in this game and the last game."
Man of the Match is the Sri Lanka vice-captain Lahiru Thirimanne for his excellent half-century which helped Sri Lanka home very comfortably in the end.
Man of the Series is Lasith Malinga for his excellence with the ball at the start of the innings and especially at the death.
Once again it's been nice to have a close match, this wasn't quite the thriller of Saturday but a contest that had some edge after the Makadding earlier on - more on that to come I'm sure. England were set on making Sri Lanka pay with three quick wickets but missed their chance to dismiss Mahela Jayawardene, he made a steady half-century and added almost a hundred with vice-captain Lahiru Thirimanne, who went on to make his own fifty to steer the chase. Just when it was getting close, Angelo Mathews chanced his arm to good effect and the tourists go over the line to come back from 2-1 down to take the series.
Sri Lanka get home pretty comfortably in the end and win by six wickets to take the series 3-2. They've been the better side here, restricted England in the middle overs, bowled them out for a total just below par and then recovered nicely with a strong partnership in the chase and found a kick when they needed it to get over the line with 10 balls to spare.
absolute dirt from Bopara, back of a length sliding on the leg side and it's easily turned around the corner backward of square
Mathews has played a lovely hand here, acceleration at the right time to just push Sri Lanka along here, ridden his luck but fortune favours the brave and now Sri Lanka just need one hit, can Mathews provide it? Bopara to bowl...
firm drive to just wide of mid-off for a sharp single
short and slapped hard down to third man but it's wide of the fielder for a once-bounce four, once again, Mathews get the run of the ball with that just evading the fielder
down the wicket this time but again Thirimanne manages to find third man, this time reaching for a drive and opening the face
step to leg, Jordan follows him, Mathews able to angle it down to third man
Will Mathews try something here...
yorker just outside off but again Thirimanne manages to dig it out down to third man
short of a length, tucked around the corner for a single to long leg
It needs something Malinga-esque now, can Jordan provide it...
Excellent over from Anderson who has just brought England back into it slightly, another fine set from Anderson...
excellent yorker, dug out back to the bowler
full on the stumps, driven in the air back to the bowler and dropped he got a solid right hand to it at shoulder height but couldn't cling on, tough chance but England needed that
cracking drive with Anderson offering width but Root makes a handy save at cover point
full on the off stump, pushed up back to the bowler
length ball just blocked in the crease
back of a length, slower ball, and Thirimanne back quickly, picks the delivery, and lifts it over midwicket, a controlled stroke and it's well timed enough to go for four
Anderson back for his last over, England need something special here...
over the wicket, full length, driven back on the bounce to the bowler
Sri Lanka closing in now with those two fours...
a step to leg and cracked over cover, powerfully struck and the power of Mathews evident again
full on off stump, played forward back to the bowler
down the track and goes for the big shot again and this time nails it over mid-on, clubbed for a one bounce four, just what the tourists needed
whatdoyaknow, Thirimanne sits in the crease and uses the pace to take a single to third man
around the wicket, low full toss, clipped out to deep midwicket but just a single