Second ODI - England v Sri Lanka (Chester-le-street) 2014

England collapse as Sri Lanka level Series 1-1

Sri Lanka 256-8 (50 overs) beat England 99 (26.1) by 157 runs (Series level at 1-1)

A major batting collapse from England saw them lose the second ODI by 157 runs as Sri Lanka levelled the Series 1-1. Dilshan top scored for SL with 88 off 101 balls as they reached 256-8 from their fifty overs. However, England made a terrible start to their innings as they were reduced to 46-5 after 15 overs. The game only lasted another eleven overs after that as England were bowled out for as little as 99.

 

My Opinion:

Sri Lanka made a solid start to their innings as they reached 104-1 from their first 25 overs which saw Dilshan pass his fifty off 53 balls. However, England got back into the game after taking two quick wickets, dismissing the dangerous Sangakkara (40) and Jayawardene (2) which reduced SL to 136-3. Dilshan (88) was sent back to the pavilion five overs later but a fifty partnership between Mathews (30) and Priyanjan (43) pushed SL over the 200 run mark. Gurney took three late wickets but SL managed to reach a respectable score of 256-8 after 50 overs.

England started their innings in horrific fashion as Carberry (6), Bell (12), Root (0) and Balance (5) were dismissed inside the first seven overs as Kulasekara bagged three of those wickets. It only got worse as England could only produce a further fifty runs to their total before losing their last six wickets as Senanayake claimed four.

Overall, Sri Lanka were the much better team today with bat and ball. Dilshan played an important innings to get them off to a good start whilst contributions from Sangakkara, Mathews and Priyanjan pushed their total over 250. Kulasekara did the damage with the ball early in the England innings, taking three wickets whilst Senanayake took four wickets from the English tail. A very good performance from Sri Lanka who now have the momentum going into the third ODI and they will take plenty of confidence going into it after such a convincing victory.

On the other hand, England batted horrendously. Bell was the best out of the top order but only scored 12 runs. Morgan at least gave it a real go but just kept on seeing wickets fall down the other end. He made it to 40 but was the penultimate wicket to fall. A hugely disappointing effort from a batting point of view and 99 all out from only 26 overs is just not good enough. Places may be in doubt, especially for the top order after that shocker but at least Gurney shined with the ball after taking three wickets. Hopefully, we’ll see a response in the next match because that was simply embarrassing. 

Match Guide: Key Moments

England won the toss and elected to field.

Sri Lanka Innings:
(9) 33-1, Thirimanne 10 (37), 1 six, caught Tredwell, Anderson.
(14) 53-1, Dilshan 25*, Sangakkara 8*.
(22) 83-1, 50 partnership between Dilshan 41* and Sangakkara 22* off 78 balls.
(25) 104-1, Fifty for Dilshan off 53 balls.
(30.4) 129-2, Sangakkara 40 (67), 2 fours, caught Buttler, Tredwell.
(32.5) 136-3, Jayawardene 2 (8), run out by Ballance.
(36) 152-3, Dilshan 83*, Mathews 2*.
(37.1) 159-4, Dilshan 88 (101), 7 fours, bowled by Jordan.
(44) 209-4, 50 partnership between Mathews 24* and Priyanjan 27* off 44 balls.
(46.2) 225-5, Mathews 30 (35), 2 fours, caught Bopara, Gurney.
(47.2) 236-6, Priyanjan 43 (33), 2 fours, 2 sixes, caught Morgan, Anderson.
(48.3) 247-7, Chandimal 14 (9), 2 fours, caught Bopara, Gurney.
(48.5) 248-8, Kulasekara 0 (2), caught Root, Gurney.
(50) 256-8, Senanayake 2*(2) and Prasad 7*(6).

Batsman of the Innings: Dilshan 88 (101)
Bowler of the Innings: Gurney 3-59 from 10 overs

England Innings:
(2.4) 19-1, Carberry 6 (8), caught Senanayake, Kulasekara.
(4.4) 26-2, Bell 12 (17), 1 four, caught Senanayake, Kulasekara.
(5.2) 27-3, Root 0 (3), bowled by Malinga.
(6.2) 29-4, Ballance 5 (7), 1 four, lbw Kulasekara.
(15) 46-5, Bopara 7 (24), 1 four, bowled by Senanayake.
(16) 53-5, Morgan 12*, Buttler 4*.
(17.1) 55-6, Buttler 4 (6), 1 four, caught Senanayake, Mathews.
(18.2) 63-7, Jordan 1 (3), lbw Senanayake.
(22.1) 73-8, Tredwell 4 (14), caught Kulasekara, Senanayake.
(25.2) 95-9, Morgan 40 (58), 3 fours, 2 sixes, caught Chandimal, Prasad.
(26.1) 99 all out, Anderson 7 (14), 1 four, bowled by Senanayake. Gurney 4*(4), 1 four.
Sri Lanka win by 157 runs and level the Series at 1-1.

Batsman of the Innings: Morgan 40 (58)
Bowler of the Innings: Senanayake 4-13 from 7.1 overs

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First ODI - England v Sri Lanka (The Oval) 2014

England thrash Sri Lanka in rain-hit first ODI

England 247-6 (39 overs) defeat Sri Lanka 144 (27.5 overs) by 81 runs (Duckworth-Lewis Method). England lead ODI Series 1-0.

Sri Lanka chose to field first after winning the toss in what proved to be a poor decision. England started really well, reaching 101-1 from their first twenty overs as Bell and Ballance put on a fifty partnership from 59 balls. Bell then went on to reach a fifty of his own from 52 balls before being caught in the field. Rain stopped play for quite some time which meant that the game was reduced from 50 to 39 overs. Morgan (3) was bowled by Senanayake shortly after play resumed as England fell to 104-3. Ballance went on to pass fifty before being dismissed for 64. Bopara and Root were the next two wickets to fall as England were reduced to 193-6 in the 37th over. However, Buttler (26*) and Jordan (38*) put on a quick-fire fifty from the last 21 balls to push England up to 247-6.

Sri Lanka lost their first wicket inside the first over as Thirimanne (0) was caught lbw by Anderson. Thus, their innings didn’t get off to the best start and it only got worse. Rain stopped play after the 11th with Sri Lanka struggling at 50-2. When play eventually resumed, Sri Lanka fell apart and suffered quite a disastrous batting collapse. Dilshan (33) and Jayawardene (35) were dismissed as Sri Lanka were reduced to 88-4 in the 18th over. Jordan and Tredwell took two wickets apiece as Sri Lanka were only able to score a further 56 runs as they lost six wickets in the space of ten overs as they were bowled out for 144. That meant that England secured a crushing 81 run victory in what was a strong start to the ODI Series.

My Opinion:

That was more like it from England who impressively whittled Sri Lanka all out for 144. It was a really strong batting display in the first place that heaped plenty of pressure onto the Sri Lankans and they crumbled. Bell and Ballance both passed fifty whilst there were some key contributions from Root, Buttler and especially Jordan at the end. Senanayake was the key wicket taker, dismissing Morgan, Ballance and Bopara. Cook, Morgan and Bopara all failed to make an impact as they all fell early in their innings. However, 247-6 from 39 overs was a decent effort and gave the bowlers something to work with. Jordan starred with the bat earlier in the day and was the best bowler with three wickets. The Sri Lankan innings started terribly and they found themselves 19-2 in the sixth over. It didn’t get too much better as they fell to 88-4. Their remaining six wickets could only produce a further 56 runs as they suffered a crushing batting collapse in what was a disappointing batting display for the visitors. Overall, a great start to the Series for England who will have gained a lot of confidence from that performance and hopefully can go on to become stronger throughout the next four games.

Match Guide: Key Moments

Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field.

England Innings:
(5.2) 22-1, Cook 11 (23), 1 four, caught Sangakkara, Kulasekara.
(11.3) 50-1, Bell 20*, Ballance 18*.
(15.1) 72-1, 50 partnership between Bell 35* and Ballance off 59 balls.
(19.3) 100-1, Bell 49*, Ballance 37*.
(20) 101-1, Fifty for Bell off 52 balls.
(20.4) 101-2, Bell 50 (56), 4 fours, 1 six, caught Malinga, Mathews.
Rain Stops Play.
(21.2) 104-3, Morgan 3 (3), bowled by Senanayake.
(25.3) 120-3, Fifty for Ballance off 62 balls.
(29.2) 147-4, Ballance 64 (32), 5 fours, 1 six, caught Chandimal, Senanayake.
(30.5)150-4, Root 16*, Bopara 3*.
(31.2) 152-5, Bopara 3 (6), lbw Senanayake.
(36.3) 193-6, Root 45 (41), 2 fours, 1 six, lbw Kulasekara.
(37) 201-6, Buttler 12*, Jordan 8*.
(39) 247-6, Fifty partnership between Buttler 26*(20), 1 four, 1 six and Jordan 38*(13), 5 fours, 2 sixes off 21 balls.

Batsman of the Innings: Ballance 64 (72)
Bowler of the Innings: Senanayake 3-30 from 8 overs.

Sri Lanka Innings:
(0.5) 0-1, Thirimanne 0 (5), lbw Anderson.
(5.3) 19-2, Sangakkara 8 (13), 2 fours, bowled by Gurney.
(11) 50-2, Dilshan 27*, Jayawardene 12*.
Rain Stops Play.
(13.3) 60-2.
(14.1) 63-3, Dilshan 33 (40), 5 fours, caught Ballance, Jordan.
(17.3) 88-4, Jayawardene 35 (41), 4 fours, caught Morgan, Tredwell.
(19.1) 100-4, Chandimal 8*, Mathews 5*.
(20.3) 108-5, Chandimal 8 (8), 1 four, caught Buttler, Jordan.
(21) 108-6, Kulasekara 0 (3), caught Buttler, Jordan.
(22) 114-7, Mathews 18 (21), 2 fours, caught Cook, Tredwell.
(23.2) 118-8, T. Perera 2 (6), caught Root, Tredwell.
(26.3) 138-9, Senanayake 11 (11), 1 four, caught Bell, Gurney.
(27.5) 144 all out, Malinga 10 (16), 1 four, bowled by Bopara. Lakmal 4*(5).
England win by 81 runs (Duckworth/Lewis Method) and lead the ODI Series 1-0.

Batsman of the Innings:  Jayawardene 35 (41)
Bowler of the Innings: Jordan 3-25 from 6 overs.

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Australia v England First ODI (Melbourne)

Finch century thwarts England

Australia 270-4 (45.4) beat England 269-7 (50) by 6 wickets (Australia lead Series 1-0)

Australia thrashed England in the first one day international as Finch scored 121 off 128 balls. England won the toss and chose to bat first but made a slow start as they were reduced to 62-3 after 18 overs. Ballance and Morgan both passed fifty to out England back on track but it didn't last for long. Morgan and Bopara were both sent back to the pavilion to leave England 173-5. Ballance and Stokes scored some quick runs but departed in quick succession to leave the team 228-7. Buttler and Bresnan scored some vital runs towards the end of the fifty overs as England scrambled their way to 269-7.
However, Australia got off to the perfect start in their innings as Finch and Warner put on an opening 150 run partnership. Eventually, Root dismissed Warner for 65 as Australia were reduced to 163-1 after 27.5 overs. Watson only lasted two balls before being bowled by Jordan. Finch went on to complete his century before putting on a fifty partnership with Clarke as Australia eased to 218-2 after 37 overs. Stokes dismissed Finch before Clarke fell soon after to Bresnan as Australia were cut back to 237-4. It was left to Bailey and Maxwell to score the winning runs as Australia crossed the line at 270-4 after 45.4 overs to claim a dominant six wicket victory. Australia lead the ODI Series 1-0.



My Opinion:
After being thrashed in the Test Matches, England have now been thrashed in the first ODI. It was a poor start from the English batting order as the team were reduced to 62-3. I was impressed by Ballance, Morgan Buttler but disappointed by the rest. It was a case of players playing themselves into their innings but failing to capitalise and score heavily. All in all, England scrambled their way up to 269-7 after 50 overs. What really went against England was their inability to take an early Aussie wicket. They raced their way to 163-0 before losing their first wicket which put them in a very strong position. Finch, Warner and Clarke all batted England out of the game. Jordan managed to bowl Watson out for 0 after two balls but that was the only bright moment for the English bowlers. Australia then crawled over the line with four overs to go but with six wickets left to humiliate England once again. This looks as though it could be an ominous sign of things to come for England unless they actually start to change things around. Here's hoping they can win the next game.

Match Guide: Key Moments

England win the toss and elect to bat

England Innings
0.3: 4-1, Cook 4 (4), caught Haddin, Mckay.
6.5: 22-2, Root 3 (23), lbw Mckay.
15: 57-2, Bell 39*, Ballance 8*.
17.3: 62-3, Bell 41 (56), 2 fours, 1 six, bowled by Doherty.
25: 102-3, Ballance 26*, Morgan 24*.
27: 114-3, 50 partnership between Ballance 30* and Morgan 32*.
31.2: 144-3, 50 for Morgan.
31.4: 145-4, Morgan 50 (47), 5 fours, 1 six, caught Coulter Nile, Maxwell.
33: 154-4, Ballance 47*, Bopara 5*.
37.5: 173-5, Bopara 17 (21), 1 four, caught Haddin, Coulter Nile.
42.1: 202-5, Ballance 66*, Stokes 17*.
43: 206-6, Stokes 21 (20), 2 fours, bowled by Faulkner.
45.4: 228-7, Ballance 79 (96), 6 fours, caught Doherty, Mckay.
49: 257-7, Buttler 23*, Bresnan 15*.
50: 269-7, Buttler 34*(24), 1 four, 1 six and Bresnan 16*(9), 1 four, 1 six.

Batsman of the Innings: Ballance 79 (96)
Bowler of the Innings: Mckay 3-44

Australia Innings:
9: 58-0, 50 partnership between Finch 43* and Warner 10*.
14: 82-0, 50 for Finch.
18: 106-0, 100 partnership between Finch  60* and Warner 39*.
22: 128-0, 50 for Warner.
27: 158-0, 150 partnership between Finch 85* and Warner 64*.
27.5: 163-1, Warner 65 (72), 5 fours, 1 six, caught Stokes, Root.
28.4: 165-2, Watson 0 (2), bowled by Jordan.
33: 191-2, 100 for Finch.
34: 201-2, Finch 103*, Clarke 22*.
37: 218-2, 50 partnership between Finch 111* and Clarke 31*.
39.3: 237-3, Finch 121 (128), 12 fours, caught Ballance, Stokes.
42: 237-4, Clarke 43 (42), 6 fours, caught Cook, Bresnan.
43: 252-4, Bailey 8*, Maxwell 1*.
45.4: 270-4, Bailey 17*(18), 1 four and Maxwell 9*(12), Australia win by 6 wickets. Australia lead ODI Series 1-0.

Batsman of the Innings: Finch 121 (128)
Bowler of the Innings: Jordan 1-50

Batsman of the ODI: Finch 121 (128)
Bowler of the ODI: Mckay 3-44