England v Sri Lanka, 1st ODI: Five Things We Learned

England and Sri Lanka play out a thrilling tie in the first ODI. Here’s what we learned from Trent Bridge…

MAN OF THE DAY – LIAM PLUNKETT

Sometimes, it’s not about who took the most runs or the most wickets – it’s about a moment. And this was that moment. England needed 10 off the last two balls and, in lieu of a six, Chris Woakes (more on him later) ran like the wind to get a three to ensure it was seven off the last ball. Sri Lanka were celebrating before the third was taken. Something had to give. Nuwan Pradeep bowled length and Liam Plunkett, with all his might, reached for the ball in his swing to send it sailing down the ground for a six to tie the match. After 100 overs, 572 runs and 17 wickets, England and Sri Lanka could not be separated.

TOP ORDER LETHARGY

Perhaps it might have something to do with the amount of cricket played already, but there was a lethargy to England’s top order that spoke of more than just overconfidence. It wasn’t so much that they got themselves out with stupid shots, but the decision-making throughout the collapse to 82 for six was questionable. Jason Roy missed a straight one, Alex Hales middled one to square leg (more or less) and reviewed. Jonny Bairstow, dropped six balls earlier, went hard at a back of a length ball that, even if he middled, would not have been worth the risk. Eoin Morgan touched on it in his pre-game interview: playing positively and playing smart are not mutually exclusive.

SEEKUGE AND DESTROY

While the Sri Lanka squad came into the England tour cold, Seekuge Prasanna was going about his business for Northamptonshire. While primarily on a T20 Blast contract, he was called into first class action, taking five for 97 with his leg spin against Gloucestershire. He also ended up with a few Royal London Cup games under his belt. He’s put the work in and now he’s reaping the rewards. In the second ODI against Ireland he smashed 95 off 46 deliveries batting at three. While he wasn’t pushed up the order, he managed a leg side heavy 59 off 28 balls to take the attack to England and threaten a 300-plus total. With the ball, he was excellent, too: conceding only one boundary and bowling 10 overs of smart leg spin to return one for 43.

BAT DEEP

Earlier in the day it seemed a neat little tidbit that England’s number 11, Adil Rashid, had 10 first class hundreds to his name. By the end, when number 10 with three hit the last ball for six, it proved a godsend. So much of a team batting deep centres around the ability of nine, 10 and 11 to nab quick runs, but it also means that in Chris Woakes, England have a number eight that is able to play the innings that he did: a measured hand, second fiddle to Jos Buttler’s 93, in which he can push into gaps with ease and turn ones to twos and twos to threes, as he did for the penultimate ball of the match. His unbeaten 95 is the highest ODI score for a number eight.

MATHEWS FINDS HIS FEET

It’s taken a while, but Angelo Mathews put on his best showing of the tour. As a batsman, he absorbed pressure, as he ever does, to score 73 and help Sri Lanka limp to 286. With the ball he took the new ball from one end to take two for 22 with some smart wicket-to-wicket, nibbly medium pacers. And, finally, as captain, he kept his slips in and set his field to frustrate England in the first 10 overs. He had to leave the pitch after his six overs and did not return, as Dinesh Chandimal took over captaincy duties. The official word is that he has a tight hamstring that will be addressed over the next few days. Hopefully the news is good. It would be a shame for injury to curtail his tour just as he got going.