England seal series win over Sri Lanka after rain-affected victory
Saturday 20 October 2018 13:58, UK
England sealed a ninth bilateral one-day international series win in a row, as they overcame Sri Lanka by 18 runs on DLS in a rain-affected fourth match in Kandy.
Captain Eoin Morgan (31) and Joe Root (32) shared an unbeaten 56-run stand in the visitors' chase of 275 for victory before the weather intervened, as they took an unassailable 3-0 lead in their five-match series.
The hosts had posted a potentially testing target, as Niroshan Dickwella (52) and Dasun Shanaka (66) struck half-centuries to help Sri Lanka to 273-7, with spinners Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid taking 3-91 from their combined 20 overs.
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Alex Hales replaced Jonny Bairstow, who suffered an ankle injury playing football during practice the day before the match, as Morgan opted to give his bowlers a chance to get a full allotment of overs under their belts for the first time in the series.
As has become the norm with the white Kookaburra ball in hand, Woakes sent down a hostile opening spell and was rewarded with the wicket of Sadeera Samarawickrama (1) as the batsman feathered the Warwickshire seamer behind to Buttler in his third over.
One of Sri Lanka's biggest weaknesses over the series has been their inability to build partnerships, so Dickwella and Dinesh Chandimal's 70-run second-wicket stand - their highest across the three completed matches - was a welcome change.
However, Ali and Rashid caused havoc in the middle of the innings as the former bowled Chandimal (33) through the gate and then trapped Dickwella (51) lbw.
Next ball Dhananjaya de Silva should have been stumped for a first-ball duck, after dancing down the track to Ali, but wicketkeeper Buttler missed the ball to give the batsman a reprieve.
However, one ball later Rashid dismissed Kusal Mendis (5) lbw as England claimed 3-18 in six overs to take control of the match.
Unlike in their previous games, the home side managed to rally with Shanaka playing with intent - smashing four fours and five sixes in run-a-ball 66 to register his highest ODI score - but just as he looked to be leading Sri Lanka towards a big total he was run out at the non-striker's end by Morgan.
Thisara Perera (44) and Akila Dananjaya (32 not out) provided vital impetus at the end of the innings, as the home side had half-century partnerships for their fifth, sixth and seventh wickets for the first time in an ODI.
On a slow turning pitch, England openers Jason Roy and Hales did well to negate the Sri Lankan spinners as they put on 52 for the first wicket before wicketkeeper Dickwella's quick hands saw the latter stumped off Dananjaya for 12.
The spinner then trapped Roy (45) lbw, having the original not out decision overturned on review.
And, the decisive moment of the match came a few overs before the rain began fall, as Root swept a full toss from Dhananjaya de Silva to Lasith Malinga at short fine leg - only for the umpire to call no ball as there were too many men outside the circle.
Had England lost that wicket they would have been behind the DLS target and the lapse in concentration ultimately proved costly for Sri Lanka.
The result meant the away side are in imperious form when batting second having won 17 of their last 18 matches chasing, with the only lost coming in the one-off match against Scotland.
Watch the fifth one-day international between England and Sri Lanka live on Sky Sports Cricket from 9.30am on Tuesday.
