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Sri Lanka 168 for 6 (Jayawardene 42, Broad 3-32) England
Graeme Swann claimed two key wickets but Sri Lanka kept on attacking © AFP
Amid a raucous atmosphere generated by a vibrant home crowd Sri Lanka posted a testing 168 for 6 in their Super Eights match against England who have to win to keep their title defence alive following West Indies' earlier Super Over victory.
Mahela Jayawardene, who had handed the captaincy to Kumar Sangakkara for the game, marshalled the first half of the innings when two quick wickets for Graeme Swann evened the contest before a counter-attacking response from the middle order. It was a fantastic response by Angelo Mathews and Jeevan Mendis to the loss of two key batsmen. Neither took a backward step - Mendis opening his innings with a brace of boundaries off Swann - and Mathews showed elegant clean striking as the fifty stand came from 29 balls.
Again, though, England hit back with Stuart Broad this time taking two in two balls when Mendis spliced to midwicket and Mathews dragged a pull into his stumps. Still Sri Lanka kept on swinging and the 18th over, bowled by Jade Dernbach, included a six apiece for Thisara Perera and Lahriu Thirimanne. The sixth-wicket pair added 35 in 19 deliveries to ensure the home side remained ahead of the game.
Also in Sri Lanka's favour there was the significant turn on offer, as had been expected, but Broad had been content to bowl first on winning the toss. It was Sangakkara who appeared alongside Broad, initially saying it was because Jayawardene had lost three in a row, although the potential of an over-rate ban for Jayawardene later became a point of discussion.
England should have broken through in the second over when Dernbach found Tillakaratne Dilshan's with a ball that bounced but the chance burst through Swann's hands at slip. There was movement on offer for the quicks although Dernbach was drawn into bowling two short and twice got pulled by Dilshan and Jayawardene.
Just as the Powerplay was starting to escape England's grasp Steven Finn removed Dilshan when the batsman swung across the line, but regular boundaries kept Sri Lanka's rate at a healthy level. Watching Jayawardene take on the spinners was to see a master at work as he twice reverse swept Swann through backward point and he immediately put Samit Patel under pressure with two boundaries in his first over.
A fine diving catch by Eoin Morgan at deep midwicket account for Jayawardene and next ball Sangakkara was given caught behind although looked far from impressed with the decision. That gave Jonny Bairstow his first catch as a wicketkeeper at international level after he was handed the gloves in place of Craig Kieswetter - one of three changes made by England. It was a tough innings for Bairstow, with a suggestion he missed an edge off Sangakkara, and as a keeper he remains a work in progress. His biggest challenge, though, was still to come as England tried to chase down the target.
Graeme Swann claimed two key wickets but Sri Lanka kept on attacking © AFP
Amid a raucous atmosphere generated by a vibrant home crowd Sri Lanka posted a testing 168 for 6 in their Super Eights match against England who have to win to keep their title defence alive following West Indies' earlier Super Over victory.
Mahela Jayawardene, who had handed the captaincy to Kumar Sangakkara for the game, marshalled the first half of the innings when two quick wickets for Graeme Swann evened the contest before a counter-attacking response from the middle order. It was a fantastic response by Angelo Mathews and Jeevan Mendis to the loss of two key batsmen. Neither took a backward step - Mendis opening his innings with a brace of boundaries off Swann - and Mathews showed elegant clean striking as the fifty stand came from 29 balls.
Again, though, England hit back with Stuart Broad this time taking two in two balls when Mendis spliced to midwicket and Mathews dragged a pull into his stumps. Still Sri Lanka kept on swinging and the 18th over, bowled by Jade Dernbach, included a six apiece for Thisara Perera and Lahriu Thirimanne. The sixth-wicket pair added 35 in 19 deliveries to ensure the home side remained ahead of the game.
Also in Sri Lanka's favour there was the significant turn on offer, as had been expected, but Broad had been content to bowl first on winning the toss. It was Sangakkara who appeared alongside Broad, initially saying it was because Jayawardene had lost three in a row, although the potential of an over-rate ban for Jayawardene later became a point of discussion.
England should have broken through in the second over when Dernbach found Tillakaratne Dilshan's with a ball that bounced but the chance burst through Swann's hands at slip. There was movement on offer for the quicks although Dernbach was drawn into bowling two short and twice got pulled by Dilshan and Jayawardene.
Just as the Powerplay was starting to escape England's grasp Steven Finn removed Dilshan when the batsman swung across the line, but regular boundaries kept Sri Lanka's rate at a healthy level. Watching Jayawardene take on the spinners was to see a master at work as he twice reverse swept Swann through backward point and he immediately put Samit Patel under pressure with two boundaries in his first over.
A fine diving catch by Eoin Morgan at deep midwicket account for Jayawardene and next ball Sangakkara was given caught behind although looked far from impressed with the decision. That gave Jonny Bairstow his first catch as a wicketkeeper at international level after he was handed the gloves in place of Craig Kieswetter - one of three changes made by England. It was a tough innings for Bairstow, with a suggestion he missed an edge off Sangakkara, and as a keeper he remains a work in progress. His biggest challenge, though, was still to come as England tried to chase down the target.