And that’s that from Pallekele. Thanks for sticking with us despite the downpour. Another good win for England, with Buttler, Banton and Brook bringing England home with two balls to spare. It was a closer game than Friday’s but Sri Lanka lost crucial momentum in the last half of their innings.
We’ll be back on Tuesday for the final T20 of this World Cup warm-up. Till then, goodbye and have a lovely evening.
Captain talk
Dasun Shanaka: “We did lots right. It’s not the rain... Eshan got injured and he’s a good death bowler. Rathnayake was impressive... every batsman got starts. We couldn’t capitalise for a few overs. Adil Rashid bowled well. We could have respected him more. We play on spin tracks, it’s our home advantage. But teams playing here are getting used to playing with spin. Outside the country is totally different.”
Harry Brook: “I thought we played outstanding, adapted to the conditions well. I think the more time we get out in the middle the better, and thought Tom Banton was outstanding. Our spinners have been awesome.”
Player of the match - Tom Banton
I like the fact the series is sponsored by lemonade. Anyway, the player of the match is Tom Banton. He grins, “I think, most of my career I’ve been opening, there was a little bit of turn and hold and they’ve got such good spinners, you have to assess. I want to play all formats and take my chance when I can. On wickets like this, the sweep is such a central shot to play.”
Another morale-boosting win for England and a fluent and impressive fifty from Tom Banton, who has made the most of Ben Duckett’s inopportune finger injury.
England 173-4 win by six wickets (D/L) and lead the series 2-0
16.4 overs: England 173-4 (Banton 54, Curran 20) Between two tension-building dots, Banton ticks a single, then Curran two, with Banton making his ground courtesy of a full body slide. And with two balls to spare, Curran seals the deal with a dismissive six over long off.
16th over: England 165-4 (Banton 54, Curran 12) England need 3 from 6 balls Nothing silly, just some comfortable singles, a very well run two and an outrageous wide from Pathirana. Can Liyanage pull off a heist in the final over?
Fifty for Tom Banton!
15th over: England 157-4 (Banton 50, Curran 9) England need 11 from 12 balls Shanaka brings a little order to proceedings, but his penultimate ball is flicked for four by Banton, for his third T20 fifty (off 29 balls). It’s so good to see him succeed after some ups and downs – not forgetting that epic 371 for Somerset last spring.
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14th over: England 149-4 (Banton 45, Curran 6) England need 19 from 18 balls Three fours, two wides and the target drops to just over one a ball. Hasaranga is unlucky that a legbreak picks up an edge which skedaddles along wet grass to the rope.
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13th over: England 132-4 (Banton 35, Curran 1 ) England need 36 from 24 balls Pathirana starts the over with a wide, then Brook steps back and swats him over cover for six. And another, almost a repeat, but harder. Imagine a giant crushing a cardboard house. Pathirana gets his man, but Brook has reduced the chase to manageable proportions.
WICKET! Brook c Hasaranga b Pathirana 36 (England 130-4)
After being flambeed earlier in the over, Pathirana outwits the brutalist Brook, seeing him come for a scoop and sending down a short ball. Super catch by Hasaranga, but a game-changer from 12 balls.
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12th over: England 117-3 (Banton 34, Brook 24 ) England need 51 from 30 balls Pow! Amid an over of singles, Brook ruthlessly frying-pans Hasaranga for six.
11th over: England 107-3 (Banton 32, Brook 16 ) England need 61 from 36 balls Pathirana comes back for his second over, continually picking at his shirt as he walks back to his mark. England are content to take singles from his first two balls. The third must be close to being called wide, the fourth is, looping over Brook’s head. Brook slices four over point to bring the hundred up, and four more, straighter, to perk up the equation.
10th over: England 93-3 (Banton 30, Brook 5 ) England need 75 from 42 balls England take Buttler’s wicket in their stride. Banton two-steps and tonks Wellalage inside out for six. Brook joins in with a firm chunk through long on for his first boundary.
WICKET! Buttler c Rathnayake b Wellalage 39 (England 81-3)
Wellalage blows the gods a kiss as Rathanayake takes a cracking catch running in from deep cover. Buttler got the height, but not the distance.
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9 overs: England 81-2 (Buttler 39, Banton 23) England need 87 from 48 balls The slippery ball is causing problems, and Hasaranga attempts to dry off bucketfuls of rain. Banton drops low, like a cat, despite his great height, and sweeps into the atmosphere for six. New ball.
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We resume
8 overs: England 69-2 (Buttler 35, Banton 15) England need 99 from 54 balls Malinga’s first ball back is a full toss at rib height – in his follow through he suddenly clutches his right shoulder and falls to the ground. Looks horribly painful and the commentators think he’s dislocated it. He is helped off the field and Liyanage finishes the over. Banton bottom edges him for four past the diving third man and then Buttler flicks another full toss for four.
Revised target: 168 from 17 overs
So that’s another 111 from 58 balls, if my calculations are correct, which leaves England chasing about 11 an over. Much depends on how the rain has altered conditions. The outfield was worst affected I think.
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Even better, live commentary from the crowd, courtesy of Showbizguru.
“News from my eldest in the ground. The rain has stopped. Locals say it’s a passing shower and cricket will be on again fairly soon.
Sadly for him the national holiday in Sri Lanks today means no booze being sold anywhere including in the ground.”
And we wait...
“Nothing on restart times but those big blue sheets are making their way off while the crowd dances to Gangnam Style.”
It looks as if Steve Smith has been put out to permanent T20 pasture, as Australia leave him out of their final World Cup squad, despite a superb Big Bash. Cummins also misses out, because of the back injury that kept him out of most of the Ashes series.
Australia squad: Mitch Marsh (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.
Not a bean to report, as the mopping up goes on in Pallekele. Nothing has been called off yet, though.
I’m just going to grab a cup of tea while we wait.
Pakistan refuse to play India in World Cup
More political high-stakes moves prior to the World Cup. Pakistan have announced that they will play in the competition, but not against India in the game due to take place in Colombo on 15 February. The ICC are yet to respond.
The covers are coming off
So this game will live again.
Meanwhile, in Pakistan, Australia have just been thrashed again – this time by 111 runs, bowled out for 96. Three wickets for Abrar Ahmed.
“Apropos your line about the third B in England’s batting,” writes John Starbuck, “has there ever been a side which featured ABC etc. in their line-up? Someone is bound to know, as it’s the daft kind of question cricket fans get heated about.”
Surely not!
It’s raining quite hard by the looks of it in Pallekele. In fact our man on the ground, Taha, say it is “hosing down.” The BBC have the DRS score as 69 – so Sri Lanka take this game if there is no further play.
Rain stops play - England 57-2
7.2 overs: England 57-2 (Buttler 30, Banton 9) There’s just time for Buttler to pick a single from Malinga before the rain suddenly starts. The groundstaff spring on with sandbags and covers and we wait to see….
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7th over: England 56-2 (Buttler 29, Banton 9) Hasaranga with his right arm leg breaks, a bustling approach with a pinch and a half of Shane Warne. Buttler is lucky to get a thick edge, but he and Banton are quick between the wickets and pick up three.
6th over: England 51-2 (Buttler 25, Banton 8) Plentiful loot for England from the reverse as first Banton collects six over deep backward point and then Buttler joins in for a four.
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5th over: England 39-2 (Buttler 20, Banton 1) With a tonk of the bat like the call of a champagne cork, Bethell glides four through the covers to the first ball of Shanaka’s over. But he’s gone two balls later and the third B of England’s top order marches in.
WICKET! Bethell c Mendis b Shanaka 13 (England 38-2)
Bethell loses his shape and, suddenly in his tennis whites, backs away to play a forehand slug and top edges to the keeper.
Updated
4th over: England 34-1 (Buttler 20, Bethell 9) Malinga with a penny-pinching over, Bethell can’t get him away.
3rd over: England 31-1 (Buttler 15, Bethell 5) Wellalage, with a luscious head of boyband hair. Buttler continues to rattle through his repertoire, with four from a reverse and Wellalage is unlucky to concede four byes to a ball that flummoxes batter and keeper.
2nd over: England 21-1 (Buttler 15, Bethell 5) Buttler is cut in half by a cutter from Shanaka, Sri Lanka consider, and decline, a review – but the next ball is kind and Buttler sends it flying through backward point for another boundary. Bethell lives dangerously, bottom-ending four through midwicket, just past a flying fielder.
WICKET! Salt c Mishara b Pathirana 1 (England 10-1)
A first over breakthrough as Salt bends, angles, and guides Pathirana straight to Mishara at deep slip.
1st over: England 10-1 (Buttler 9, Bethell 0) Pathirana, wrist cocked, sling-shot action from right behind his back. Buttler pings two fours through point, but Salt lasts just two balls.
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Sri Lanka weren’t quite able to capitalise on their flying start but Asalanka and Rathnayake ensured that they got close to 200. I suspect it won’t be enought but let’s see how Sri Lanka bowl. Seam bowling was expensive.
Sri Lanka 189-5 after 20 overs.
20th over: Sri Lanka 189-4 ( Asalanka 28, Liyange 1) Archer, whose last over was costly, bowls the final six of the innings. He licks his lips as a buoyant crowd roar on Sri Lanka. Just a bye and a leg bye from the first two balls, then Tom Banton makes a meal of a catch on the rope from Asalanka, feet in Hull, hands in Liverpool. Bethell doesn’t make a similar mistake next ball to send Rathnayake on his way, and Asalanka can’t make his reprieve count from the last ball.
WICKET! Rathnayake c Bethell b ARcher 40 (Sri Lanka 187-5)
Much applause for Rathnayake after he is collected on the deep midwicket boundary by Bethell. A cracking innings.
19th over: Sri Lanka 184-4 (Rathnayake 40, Asalanka 27) And Curran it is, gingerly examining his hand before running in. A single to start things off then Asalanka jumps into position for a ramp over his right shoulder, like a royal dismissing a footman. Four. Now Rathnayake gets in on the act, scooping Curran from side on and finishing with a roly poly as the ball bounces over the rope. A wide. A cracking stop in the field by Bethell on the rope prevents four from the penultimate ball, but the last is thrashed through mid over by Rathnayake.
18th over: Sri Lanka 167-4 (Rathnayake 29, Asalanka 22) The runs don’t flow as sweetly against Dawson, but Sri Lanka keep ticking over. Four through midwicket for Rathnayake and a handful of singles. To the edge of the screen, Sam Curran is having his bowling hand bandaged up.
17th over: Sri Lanka 159-4 (Rathnayake 23, Asalanka 20) Archer returns. After a couple of singles, Asalnaka gets back on the bike – carpetting four through mid-off, attacking a slower one and picking up another four as Salt lets the prize fall out of his hands as he lands and the ball bobbles over the rope, and a third four through deep third. He survives a gobstopper yorker to finish a rich over.
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16th over: Sri Lanka 144-4 (Rathnayake 22, Asalanka 6) Rashid and Buttler are certain of an lbw review against a sweeping Asalanka – Rashid looks as someone’s swiped his wallet. England review but replays show a feather of bat on ball. And that’s Rashid’s lot – one for 25 from four.
15th over: Sri Lanka 132-4 (Rathnayake 16, Asalanka 1) A good crowd at Pallekele, some sitting on the grass, some in the stands. Plenty of flags and face paint and energy.
14th over: Sri Lanka 132-4 (Rathnayake 16, Asalanka 1) Can Sri Lanka stop the rot here? They were going so well at 106-1.
WICKET Shanaka lbw Rashid 1 (Sri Lanka 131-4)
A googly for the ages, Shanaka reviews but more in hope than expectation. Rashid is weaving again.
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13th over: Sri Lanka 130-3 (Rathnayake 15, Shanaka 1) Dawson keeps it tight. And the data- analysts at TNT report that there is less spin today than on Friday – 1.8 compared with 3.8 degrees, which could explain why Sri Lanka are finding things easier.
WICKET! Mendis c Rashid b Dawson 32 (Sri Lanka 128-3)
Hurried through his shot and held by a trotting Rashid at backward square. The end of an exhilarating innings, shame he couldn’t have gone on.
12th over: Sri Lanka 127-2 (K Mendis 32, Rathnayake 13) Overton’s triumph is short lived as he’s tonked by Sri Lanka all over the park – a six for each batter, a deep midwicket four for Rathnayake, and then to put the tin-lid on it Bethell leaps, gets both hands to the ball but can’t hold on to Rathnayake at short third. The umpire gets a passing pickle-flavoured mouthful as Overton collects his cap.
WICKET! Mishara c J Overton b Jacks (Sri Lanka 106-2)
Mishara lofts long onwards, but doesn’t get enough trajectory to clear a leaping Jamie Overton five metres in from the rope.
11th over: Sri Lanka 106-2 (K Mendis 25) Jacks goes again, to the rhythm of pounding drums. Keeps things tight and a frustrated Mishara can’t resist the lure of a boundary.
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10th over: Sri Lanka 102-1 (K Mendis 23, Mishara 34) Time for a regroup for England as everyone pauses for drinks. Rashid’s second over is pelted for ten, including an England lbw review against Mishara – pitched outside leg – and another boundary for Mendis, through long on. Sri Lanka are playing England’s spinners with far more aplomb today.
9th over: Sri Lanka 92-1 (K Mendis 18, Mishara 32) Perhaps the answer is the heavy pace of Jamie Overton, three-day stubble and high arm. But Mishara tucks in, with a hearty swipe for four through backward point. Nine from the over.
An email lands. “What do you think is a good total here? Looked a good surface before and with Sri Lanka’s start, surely it’s over 200 now? Cue all out for 100...” Hello John Ryan, the commentators out there have’nt yet given us their expert opinion, but Sri Lanka are making the pitch look as good as Russell Arnold said it was at the start. I agree, 200 plus will be what they are aiming for.
8th over: Sri Lanka 83-1 (K Mendis 17, Mishara 24) The television flashes up the stats – only Zimbabwe are worse than Sri Lanka at playing spin at home – but Mishara and Mendis seem pretty happy against Liam Dawson. Mishara heave-hoes him over midwicket for six, then Mendis ushers him behind to the fine leg boundary.
7th over: Sri Lanka 68-1 (K Mendis 10, Mishara 16) Cue the magic man. Adil Rashid hitches up his sleeves. Mendis slog-sweeps with rubber wrists to the rope, and another! A meeting is called of the brains-trust: Dawson, Brook, Buttler
Key event
6th over: Sri Lanka 58-1 (K Mendis 1, Mishara 15) Nissanka is furious for himself for losing concentration and playing a stone-booted wild hack. Archer feels he deserved that. A tricky over fro Sri Lanka as he varies his pace from 70 to 90mph. And that’s the end of the power play.
WICKET! Nissanka b Archer 34 (Sri Lanka 56-1)
Clay feet, wild slash, bails fly.
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5th over: Sri Lanka 54-0 (Nissanka 33, Mishara 14) Another six, this time slog-swept by Nissanka, which Jacks follows up with a wide down legside. A perfect moon peeks out from behind a night-time cloud on Navam Full Moon Poya.
4th over: Sri Lanka 45-0 (Nissanka 26, Mishara 13) Both seamers have now been sent out to pasture, as Dawson replaces Archer. He’s on the money immediately, though a full toss is punished by Mishara, sent flashing through point with twinkling toes.
3rd over: Sri Lanka 39-0 (Nissanka 25, Mishara 8) Will Jacks is brought on on to slow things up, which he does immediately. There’s even an umpire review for a run out, as Jacks fires the ball back on the advancing Nissanka. He saves himself with a outstretched bat and a dive.
2nd over: Sri Lanka 35-0 (Nissanka 22, Mishara 7)Archer doesn’t fare much better- two sixes, one for each batter, swinging the bat sweetly and freely, and four wides fly past the diving gloves of Jos Buttler.
Updated
The players are out! Sri Lanka to bat first.
1st over: Sri Lanka 14-0 (Nissanka 13, Mishara 0) Sri Lanka haven’t beaten England in a T20 since May 2015. England will be determined to keep it that way. Sam Curran with the first over of the day. His first ball is immaculately defended by Nissanka, who sends the next three to the boundary – through the empty slips, swept for four and uppercut just short of the rope. Fourteen from the over – which is one less than from Curran’s opening over on Friday.
I’ve just realised my email address is wrong – so apologies if it bounced back. Will change it but in the meantime the correct address is tanya.aldred.freelance@theguardian.com.
Russell Arnold with the pitch report and the shiniest brown shoes of the day. “There are drier conditions today and it is very pleasant, the pitch has an even covering of grass. The spinners were more successful in the last match when they pitched outside the line of the stumps.”
Roshan Abeysinghe and Steve Harmison are out in the middle. It’s dark in Pallekele and the floodlights turn the grass neon. They rave about Adil Rashid.
“He’s the only spin bowler to get bot the length right and also the pace,” says Harmy, resplendent in a purple linen shirt.
Sri Lanka XI
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Pavan Rathnayake, Charith Asalanka, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka (capt), Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Eshan Malinga, Matheesha Pathirana.
England XI
England: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (capt), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid.
Ben Duckett has a finger injury.
England have won the toss and will bowl
Harry Brook fancies a repeat of the first game. Dasun Shanaka seems pleased too: “Happy to bat first as it’s a used wicket,” he says.
England are unchanged, Sri Lanka swap in Pavan Rathnayake and Dunith Wellalage for Dhanajaya de Silva and Maheesh Theekshana.
Reflections from our man in Sri Lanka
“No sign of rain at the Pallekele tonight. It’s a gorgeous sight at present: setting sun poking out the clouds, the grass banks filling up, Jofra Archer bowling leggies on the practice wicket.
That being said, I ventured out to the Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy this afternoon, which used to host international cricket in these parts and is owned by a school, and that was picturesquely tucked up on a hill. There was a school game going on, with one of the kids bowling some fizzy left-arm spin; Rangana Herath would’ve rated it. Worth a visit if you’re ever here. “
But hope for the future – a lovely interview with Australia U19 star Ollie Peake, the boy who used to sleep in his pads.
Australia, whose record in T20 World Cups doesn’t match their 50-over exploits, have had a dire preparation in Pakistan.
Preamble
Hello! Welcome back to Sri Lanka, where we’ve reached the business end of the tour – T20 preparation for the World Cup. England won the first one, a damp and drawn out affair -perked up by three wickets for Adil Rashid and a hat-trick for Sam Curran at the end.
Since then we’ve had another mea culpa from Harry Brook – this time admitting he had teammates out with the him the night of his altercation with a bouncer. Why they didn’t just get it all out in the open at the same time, beats me.
Anyway, we’re back in Pallekele, where play – rain permitting – is due to start at 1.30pm GMT. Sri Lanka will be keen for more wickets from a fit Matheesha Pathirana, and a better showing against spin from the batters. England are keen to clinch the series. Do join us to see how things pan out.
