Mahela Jayawardene’s unbeaten 72 saw Sri Lanka to a crushing nine-wicket victory over England in the lone Twenty20 international on Saturday.
Man-of-the-match Jayawardene’s innings backed up an impressive bowling display that left the tourists needing just 137 to beat World Twenty20 champions England.
They reached their target for the loss of only veteran Sanath Jayasuriya with 16 balls to spare.
Photo: AFP
The result meant Stuart Broad’s first match as England’s Twenty20 captain ended in a defeat where he was run out for a duck and took none for 29, while Sri Lanka skipper Thilina Kandamby won his opening match in charge.
England may have won the recent three-match Test series between the two countries 1-0, but this was a second successive crushing limited-overs defeat by Sri Lanka after the 10-wicket World Cup quarter-final loss in Colombo in March.
Kumar Sangakkara, like Jayawardene a former Sri Lanka captain, was 43 not out after the experienced pair shared an unbroken second-wicket stand of 97.
“Our target was to keep them under 150,” Kandamby told Sky Sports. “We did well on that. They took their responsibilities, the senior guys, and showed their class.”
Broad paid tribute to Sri Lanka, saying: “Credit where credit’s due. After they got a good start, they didn’t have to chase the game. They [Jayawardene and Sangakkara] both played fantastically well.”
Jayawardene and Jayasuriya, in his penultimate match before retirement, previously put on 40 for the first wicket.
Right-hander Jayawardene, proving again there is a place for classical elegance in cricket’s shortest format, completed a 40-ball half-century with a six and four fours.
He was severe on seamer Chris Woakes, cutting a full toss for four, next ball driving him over his head for six and, the ball after that, clipping him down to third-man for another boundary.
Surrey seamer Jade Dernbach marked his international debut by dismissing Jayasuriya for 8, but that was as good as it got in the field for England.
Earlier, Sri Lanka fast bowler Lasith Malinga took two for 15 and left-arm spinner Jayasuriya two for 18 as England struggled to 136 for nine after Kandamby won the toss in overcast conditions.
Eoin Morgan (47) and Kevin Pietersen (41) put on 83 in 54 balls for the third wicket after England had been faltering at 12 for two, but they both fell in quick succession to leave England 101 for four in the 13th over and no other batsman scored more than Ravi Bopara’s 19.
England were soon two wickets down as recalled World Twenty20-winning openers Michael Lumb and Craig Kieswetter both fell cheaply.
Left-hander Morgan, dropped on 23, saw his 32-ball innings, featuring three sixes and four fours, end when he pulled Malinga to Jayawardene.
Jayasuriya struck with his fifth delivery when Pietersen, backing away to leg, was bowled by a quicker ball and he dismissed Bopara in similar fashion as England saw their innings fall away.
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