Sri Lanka v England: Alastair Cook suspended for fourth ODI due to slow over-rate
Thursday 4 December 2014 13:35, UK
Alastair Cook has been banned for one match due to England’s slow over-rate in their win over Sri Lanka in the third one-day international.
Cook has also been fined 20 per cent of his match fee by match referee David Boon, while his players have lost 10 per cent after England were ruled to be one over short of their target at the end of Wednesday's rain-affected match.
It is the second time Cook has been found guilty of a minor over-rate offence in ODIs in the last 12 months - he also fell foul in Cardiff against India in the summer - prompting an automatic one-match ban and forcing him out of the fourth ODI in Colombo on Sunday.
The news is a blow for Cook after he helped his side keep the seven-match series alive with a five-wicket win in Hambantota to reduce the hosts' lead to 2-1.
Speaking of his potential ban after the game, he said: "It is incredibly tough on a big ground, the ball going everywhere in the last few overs, and also how long it takes the batsman to come out."
England coach Peter Moores confirmed Eoin Morgan will deputise for Cook at the weekend and is not worried about Morgan's own indifferent form.
"Eoin Morgan will captain the next game," he said. "He's a good player, crikey.
"He'll have been through periods when he's not quite hitting it (as he'd like). But he's the sort of player we're very excited about.
"The key is to believe in yourself, and go out and play - and Eoin will do that, I'm sure."
Jos Buttler’s unbeaten 55 saw the tourists home with eight balls to spare after Moeen Ali's (58) quick-fire half-century at the top of the order alongside Cook (34) got them off to a solid start.
"It is just great to get one on the board, and (to be) back in the series," added Cook.
"A lot of credit to the lads. I don't think we played our best today but to get over the line, after not doing that in the first two, will give the lads a lot of confidence.
Confidence
"I think a side full of confidence, and winning a lot, would probably have found it a bit easier than we did. In an absolute ideal world, we'd have cruised it with two or three down. On that wicket, we probably should have done."
After three wickets fell for eight runs, much depended on Joe Root (48no) and Buttler and they shared an unbroken 84-run stand off 64 balls.
"You probably saw a side not used to winning on this tour," said Cook, "but that doesn't take anything away from the way Jos and Rooty played – from 150-5. The way they responded was fantastic.
"For 'Jose' to get himself in, it takes a lot of bravery to do that – because the rate was going up and up.
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"But when you can hit the ball like that, when you're in, even 10 an over – we scored the last 50 off four overs, when we needed it off five."
Cook was also discomforted while batting with a stiff back, a chronic ailment for him.
"It wasn't great today. Sometimes it flares up," he said. "It didn't really restrict me too much. We'll keep managing like we've been doing. It's been a lot better actually, over the last few weeks."
He is still searching for an overdue half-century, or better, after just one in his last 19 ODI attempts.
"I hit the ball nicely today,” he added. “Obviously, it helps when Mo is batting as well as he is.
"I do feel as if I'm hitting the ball better and better. It's more frustrating for me more than anyone else, the 20s and 30s I've been getting. But I just have to keep being patient."
Cook's opposite number Angelo Mathews needed the same quality after his bowlers had failed to defend a total which owed much to half-centuries from Kumar Sangakkara (63) and Lahiru Thirimanne (62no).
He said: "I am pretty disappointed. We put up a fighting score, (but) we were pretty poor in the field - and our bowlers were not up to the mark.
"That's why we lost the game."
