The England Lions got off to a winning start in their Triangular Series against a Sri Lanka A side who were, quite simply, outmuscled. That it was so comprehensive owes much to a fine hundred from Alex Hales and brutal cameos of 50 and 51 from Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow, respectively.
It was by no means a complete performance. The fielding on both sides left a lot to be desired and, at times, the bowling would have drawn grimaces on a village green, with England accruing 19 wides. However, there can be no faulting the display with the bat.
Lions games have long had a feel of 11 bridesmaids taking centre stage in very off-white. The red-badged helmets were there but rarely will a team of essentially the country’s outsiders pack as much of a punch as those on show here. Only three of this side had never represented the full England side, with four of those eight having donned Test whites, too.
As ever, this was a team full of cult favourites; players that many insist should be in the England team proper. Players who many adore through their domestic worth and will defend to the hilt their capacity to take English cricket back to where it once was.
More than ever these games matter. As well as Andy Flower on hand as coach, Mick Newell was present in his guise as an England selector. No doubt everything, from attention in meetings to diligent backing up will be recorded for selection conversations.
England’s ODI squad for the series against India will be named after the fifth and final Test at The Oval. Good impressions made here will go a long way. For Hales and Roy, their winter itinerary may already be mapped out for them.
“I’m really hungry,” said Hales when asked of his World Cup and 50-over ambitions. “One of my aims at the start of the year was to perform well in the Championship for Notts, and I’ve done that. My next challenge is to put pressure and get into that senior 50-over side.”
With 819 runs in first-class cricket, it is evident that Hales’s technique is in good order, and it was with such a tight game that he was able to accumulate runs during a 22-over period where Sri Lanka offered nothing but spin, after the early loss of his opening partner James Vince.
Hales and Ravi Bopara put on 165 for the second wicket, with some smart batting that was full of running and devoid of risk. Hales in particular nailed his sweeps well enough to scatter men on the legside fence, before working away for runs down the ground and through the offside. His century, reached from 104 balls, was brought up with a crisp drive down the ground for his 13th four.
Any panic when both he and Bopara fell in the same Lahiru Gamage over – the pick of the Sri Lanka bowlers – was then offset by Roy, who reached a blitzing half century in just 21 balls. In all, he struck six maximums, five of which came in one Sachith Pathirana over – all down the ground, four of them out of it. It featured one dot – the fifth ball – which was nudged back to the bowler, eliciting boos.
Even on a batting pitch as good as this, Sri Lanka were always up against it but, as England ceded control with the ball, a partnership between the captain Dinesh Chandimal and the opener Danushka Gunathilaka threatened to be a platform for an audacious chase. However, once those two had been removed, Sri Lanka found themselves unable to keep up with the rate. Having to take more risks, they eventually folded with an over to spare.”
England Lions 339-5; Sri Lanka A 288
England Lions won by 51 runs
