The 2nd unofficial ODI in the Limited Over Series between Sri Lanka A and England Lions took place today at the R. Premadasa Grounds in Colombo. The hosts who were trailing in the series after losing the opening clash registered a commanding win to take the series to a decider on the 21st.
After winning the toss, Sri Lanka A Captain Sadeera Samarawickrama opted to bat once again, and the top order responded really well this time. Although Avishka Fernando’s poor run continued, the rest of the top 5 batters managed to score 40 or more for the hosts. Dashing opener Lasith Croospulle top-scored with an aggressive 73 off just 67 balls. Nuwanindu Fernando, who stitched a 108 run stand for the 2nd wicket with Croospulle, also made 57.
After Croospulle and Fernando departed, former Sri Lanka Skipper Angelo Mathews, who is trying to make a comeback to the national white ball setup, put together a solid 87 run stand with Skipper Samarawickrama. Mathews made a top notch 50, but unfortunately got out without adding more runs. Skipper Samarawickrama was unlucky to miss out on back to back fifties as he got out for 40.
Suminda Lakshan provided the finishing touches to an already commanding total as he made a quickfire 35 from 27 balls. The highly exciting 20-year-old Dunith Wellalage also made 15 as the pair took Sri Lanka A over the 300 run mark with a 53-run stand for the 7th wicket, as the hosts ended on 315/7 in their 50 overs.
Mason Crane was the most prolific bowler for the visitors, taking 3 for 55. Jacob Bethell also took 2 wickets for 55.
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Chasing 316 to clinch the series, the England Lions lost both their openers inside the first 15 overs. However, Tom Prest and James Rew looked like they were all set to take the game away from Sri Lanka before the leg-spinning magic of Dushan Hemantha bamboozled the middle order of England Lions. Thanks to Prest and Rew, the Lions were on 164 for the loss of just 2 wickets in 27.2 overs, before Hemantha struck twice in the same over to remove Prest for a well-made 67, and Jordan Cox for a 2nd ball duck.
From then onwards, the pendulum swung completely in favour of Sri Lanka as other spinners Wellalage, Lakshan and Sahan Arachchige supported Hemantha with more wickets. Thanks to the Sri Lanka A spin attack led by Hemantha, the visitors collapsed big time as they were bowled out for 229, giving the hosts a series-levelling 86-run win. The England Lions lost their last 8 wickets for just 65 runs, and they also had 65 more deliveries remaining when they were bowled out.
Hemantha, who made the headlines with his brilliant spell of bowling, ended with figures of 5 for 43 in 8.1 overs, while Wellalage, who supported him well, finished with 2 for 61. The two teams now will face each other with everything to play for in a series deciding encounter on the 21st of February at the same venue.
Result
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lasith Croospulle | c Tom Prest b Mason Crane | 73 | 67 | 12 | 0 | 108.96 |
| Avishka Fernando | lbw b Sam Cook | 11 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 73.33 |
| Nuwanidu Fernando | lbw b Jacob Bethell | 57 | 70 | 5 | 1 | 81.43 |
| Angelo Mathews | c Jacob Bethell b Mason Crane | 50 | 53 | 4 | 0 | 94.34 |
| Sadeera Samarawickrama | c & b Jacob Bethell | 40 | 42 | 2 | 0 | 95.24 |
| Sahan Arachchige | c Matt Fisher b Mason Crane | 9 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Suminda Lakshan | run out () | 35 | 27 | 2 | 1 | 129.63 |
| Dunith Wellalage | not out | 15 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 88.24 |
| Extras | 25 (b 0 , lb 9 , nb 0, w 16, pen 0) |
| Total | 315/7 (50 Overs, RR: 6.3) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Cook | 9 | 1 | 51 | 1 | 5.67 | |
| Matt Fisher | 5 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 7.20 | |
| Brydon Carse | 6 | 0 | 50 | 0 | 8.33 | |
| Tom Hartley | 10 | 0 | 59 | 0 | 5.90 | |
| Mason Crane | 10 | 0 | 55 | 3 | 5.50 | |
| Jacob Bethell | 10 | 0 | 55 | 2 | 5.50 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Haynes | st Sadeera Samarawickrama b Suminda Lakshan | 36 | 43 | 5 | 0 | 83.72 |
| Jacob Bethell | lbw b Dunith Wellalage | 19 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 105.56 |
| Tom Prest | b Dushan Hemantha | 67 | 68 | 6 | 1 | 98.53 |
| James Rew | lbw b Dunith Wellalage | 42 | 46 | 4 | 0 | 91.30 |
| Jordan Cox | c Dunith Wellalage b Dushan Hemantha | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Matt Critchley | st Sadeera Samarawickrama b Dushan Hemantha | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 57.14 |
| Brydon Carse | c Sadeera Samarawickrama b Sahan Arachchige | 17 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 100.00 |
| Tom Hartley | c Dushan Hemantha b Pramod Madushan | 23 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 109.52 |
| Matt Fisher | c & b Dushan Hemantha | 8 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 100.00 |
| Mason Crane | c Sadeera Samarawickrama b Dushan Hemantha | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 60.00 |
| Sam Cook | not out | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Extras | 8 (b 0 , lb 2 , nb 2, w 4, pen 0) |
| Total | 229/10 (39.1 Overs, RR: 5.85) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pramod Madushan | 4 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 5.25 | |
| Kavishka Anjula | 4 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 4.50 | |
| Dunith Wellalage | 10 | 0 | 61 | 2 | 6.10 | |
| Suminda Lakshan | 7 | 0 | 45 | 1 | 6.43 | |
| Sahan Arachchige | 6 | 0 | 39 | 1 | 6.50 | |
| Dushan Hemantha | 8.1 | 0 | 43 | 5 | 5.31 | |
