Tharanga ton derails England

England’s dismal ODI form cricket continued at Lord’s as Upul Tharanga’s 120 inspired Sri Lanka to a 20-run victory at Lord’s.

Winning the toss and electing to field, England contrived to waste any early help that was available from the pitch. Steve Harmison and Liam Plunkett contributed 14 wides between them as England amassed a record high of 42 extras over the innings, and it wasn’t just sundries that hurt the hosts.

None of the fast men were able to attain a consistent line or length, and Upul Tharanga was the major beneficiary of the English generosity. Even as the remainder of the Lankan batting failed to capitalise upon the generous fare on offer, the opener stood firm and built his innings.

As in Thursday’s Twenty20 match, It took the introduction of Paul Collingwood’s gentle medium pace to bring about a middle-overs stammer from the Sri Lankans. The Durham all-rounder claimed 2-29 from his allocation of ten overs as none of the other Sri Lankans were able to pass 24. Even without much in the way of partnership, Tharanga kept the total ticking.

The opener finally fell in the penultimate over for a career-best 120, his third ODI century, as he hoicked Saj Mahmood to midwicket, his side totalling 257-9 from their allotted overs. Steve Harmison took three wickets to complement his county team mate’s niggardly economy.

Faced with an emininetly makeable runchase, England needed to keep wickets intact. Dilhara Fernando ensured that they didn’t, accounting for Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen and Collingwood to reduce the hosts to a dismal 66-4. Jamie Dalrymple, whose batting failed to impress at the Rose Bowl on Friday, joined Marcus Trescothick to rebuild his side’s innings and initiate the vaguest attempt at reaching the total.

The Somerset opener had reached 67 when he was bowled sweeping by Tillekeratne Dilshan, and despite a series of bright shots from Geraint Jones and Tim Bresnan, the lower order had been left with too much to do. Dalrymple perished on the same score as his long-time partner Trescothick, and in a similar manner, and Lasith Malinga’s pace and new-found accuracy were more than enough to keep the tail in check.

Harmison and Plunkett added 17 for the final wicket from the last two overs, but it was far from enough and England ended 20 short of their visitors’ mark – crucially, far less than the difference in extras between the sides (30). The series moves on to the Oval on Tuesday with Sri Lankan heads high and England on the back foot. What price a whitewash?

Sri Lanka 257-9
Upul Tharanga 120, Mahela Jayawardene 24
Steve Harmison 3-52, Paul Collingwood 2-29

England 237-9
Marcus Trescothick 67, Jamie Dalrymple 67
Lasith Malinga 3-26, Dilhara Fernando 3-51

Sri Lanka won by 20 runs

Cricket Web Player of the Match
Upul Tharanga (Sri Lanka) – 120