England v Sri Lanka: males’s tri-series cricket one-day cross-border – stay
Key occasions
14th over: England 76-1 (Duckett 24, Root 1) Joe Root is the brand new batter.
WICKET! England 74-1 (Banton c Liyanaga b Wellalage 50)
Oh expensive. For the second time in three days, Tom Banton is out straight after reaching his fifty. He tried to chip inside-out over additional cowl however screwed the ball in the direction of large long-off and was comfortably caught by Liyanage. A irritating finish to a wonderful innings.
thirteenth over: England 74-0 (Banton 50, Duckett 23) Glory be, Ben Duckett has discovered the center of his bat. He takes 14 from Malinga’s fourth over – three twos to get transferring, then consecutive boundaries to finish the over. Both had been glorious photographs, a thump via additional cowl and a well-timed flick off the pads.
Another fifty for Tom Banton
twelfth over: England 60-0 (Banton 50, Duckett 9) Banton reverse-sweeps a single to carry up a superb half-century from 48 balls. He’s hit 9 fours, though the bulk had been timed quite than hit. It’s Banton’s fourth 50+ rating in 5 innings since he was moved as much as open.
eleventh over: England 57-0 (Banton 49, Duckett 7) Banton pulls Malinga for 2 to maneuver inside one run of one other half-century. He has 49 from 46 balls, Duckett 7 from 20.
tenth over: England 54-0 (Banton 47, Duckett 6) The left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage, recalled in the present day, comes on to bowl the final over of the Powerplay. Banton hoicks a reverse sweep excessive for 4 to carry up an uneven fifty partnership. He’s one hit away from his personal fifty.
“One of the issues with a tri-series is that no person turns up for the impartial video games,” writes Andrew Goudie. “I hope there will probably be extra of a crowd within the night.”
ninth over: England 48-0 (Banton 42, Duckett 5) Duckett slaps Malinga to backward level and is dropped by Arachchige, a fairly simple probability. That might show expensive for Sri Lanka, although proper now Duckett is struggling: he has 5 from 16 balls and a bat with no center.
eighth over: England 47-0 (Banton 41, Duckett 5) Fernando adjustments ends to interchange Madushanka. Banton doesn’t care who’s bowling. He stands tall to slice a drive via backward level for 4, then clatters one other boundary via mid-off.
Two months in the past, Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell had been England’s most well-liked opening partnership for the World Cup; proper now they really feel like rivals for a spot alongside Banton.
“I’m (virtually) concurrently engaged on a Lingala-English dictionary, studying Geoff Lemon describing the climate in South Africa, and taking a look at your Eng vs Sri Lanka OBO,” writes John Stedman. “The latter is by far probably the most boring – not as a consequence of your scintillating commentary, in fact, however as a result of tri-series appear so pointless, whereas the Test match in SA is gripping. Just an opinion.”
I favor tri-series to bilateral fixtures. That apart, I’m nodding like a Wackeldackel.
seventh over: England 37-0 (Banton 32, Duckett 4) Eshan Malinga, nephew of, replaces Asitha Fernando and begins with a large. Banton performs one other stunning stroke, pushing a boundary to the left of mid-on. His timing has been beautiful, and on this kind he seems to be undroppable.
“Good morning,” writes John Starbuck. “Yes, there are a few of us following the motion; you aren’t typing right into a void simply but.”
Yet. (NB: clip comprises some effin’ and jeffin’.)
sixth over: England 31-0 (Banton 28, Duckett 3) Banton continues to go after Madushanka, slapping a brief ball for 4 and timing one other boundary via additional cowl off the again foot. #TopBants
The scorecard seems to be lopsided however Banton has monopolised the strike: Duckett has confronted solely eight of the 36 deliveries.
fifth over: England 23-0 (Banton 20, Duckett 3) Banton takes a pair of twos and a single from Asitha Fernando’s third over. He’s off to a different good begin, 20 from 22 balls, and will probably be eager to money in after throwing away a possible century on Tuesday.
The newest from Gqerberha (spoiler: rain)
4th over: England 18-0 (Banton 15, Duckett 3) Banton jumpstarts the England innings with three successive boundaries: an edge large of slip, an aesthetic off-drive and an excellent higher back-foot punch via additional cowl. Good lad.
third over: England 5-0 (Banton 2, Duckett 3) Duckett survives a run-out probability after taking a fast single on the off facet. He was simply wanting his floor when Arachchige’s throw bounced previous the stumps on the bowler’s finish.
Another quiet over, with just one large stroke from Banton that didn’t beat the quilt fielder. Sri Lanka have bowled a superb size and England seem like they need to get the measure of the pitch earlier than they unsheath the lengthy deal with.
2nd over: England 3-0 (Banton 1, Duckett 2) The left-armer Dilshan Madushanka continues Sri Lanka’s good begin, conceding three singles. England’s openers have began cautiously and are doing their very own pitch inspection.
1st over: England 0-0 (Banton 0, Duckett 0) The stocky Asitha Fernando begins with a maiden to Tom Banton. No actual swing, however no looseners both and Banton was unable to pierce the infield.
Tom Banton and Ben Duckett stroll out to the center. Banton made a blistering maiden hundred towards Sri Lanka on the Oval final month.
This week’s Spin is a beautiful learn
Bradman b Hollies 0
Team information: Rashid dropped
England make two adjustments from the defeat to Pakistan. Josh Tongue and Liam Dawson replaces Sonny Baker and… Adil Rashid, who of late has been nowhere close to his magical finest.
Sri Lanka carry within the left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage for the leggie Sachindu Colombage. Their staff additionally contains the opener Avishka Fernando, who appeared a star of the long run when Sri Lanka shocked England at Headingley within the 2019 World Cup.
Fernando, aged 21, made an audacious 39-ball 49 in that recreation. He’s had a stop-start profession however I’m wanting ahead to seeing him once more.
England Banton, Duckett, Root, Brook (c), Cox (wk), Curran, Jacks, Overton, Dawson, Atkinson, Tongue.
Sri Lanka Kamindu Mendis, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (c/wk), Rathnayake, Arachchige, Liyanage, Shanaka, Wellalage, Malinga, Asitha Fernando, Madushanka.
Sri Lanka win the toss and bowl
That may not be a nasty factor for England, who’re higher at setting targets than chasing them.
At the chance of misquoting Black Grape, it’s an enormous day in Gqeberha, the place Australia have a helluva job on to save lots of the second Test towards South Africa. Geoff Lemon is on OBO obligation.
Preamble
There was just a little lady,
Who had just a little curl,
Right in the course of her brow.
When she was good,
She was very, excellent,
But when she was dangerous she was horrid.
The little lady with the little curl, the topic of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s well-known poem, has lots in frequent with this England staff. They’re a one-day facet with two faces, and we noticed each throughout Tuesday’s defeat towards Pakistan.
England gave the impression to be cruising to victory, solely to flunk a 300+ chase for the second time in three video games. There’s no must get carried away – that’s what social media is for – however detrimental patterns are by no means factor for a cricket staff, particularly after they contain batting collapses. After a largely optimistic 2026, the tame method of Tuesday’s defeat was a setback.
It means in the present day’s match towards Sri Lanka is, if not a must-win, then a minimum of a need-to-win. The losers will probably be backside of the tri-series on the midway stage, with nul factors and plenty of work to do. May the perfect staff not lose.
