England need three wickets on the final day to record their first series win in Sri Lanka in 17 years after play was abandoned yesterday due to poor light and rain, with the hosts on 226-7 and still requiring 75 runs to win and square the three-match series.
Abandoned two hours before schedule on day four at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, the match was evenly poised at tea with Sri Lanka on 219-5. At that stage, the hosts required 80 runs with five wickets in hand, but the brief period after tea completely changed the complexion of the game.
Only 20 deliveries were possible, but they were enough for England to bounce back. Three balls after tea, Angelo Mathews was trapped LBW by Moeen Ali for 88.
Photo: AFP
The former captain faced 137 deliveries and hit six fours during his knock under tremendous pressure.
England were not able to create any chances off Mathews until he got out, and there was a bit of a lapse of concentration as Mathews attempted to work one on the leg-side, but failed to connect.
Mathews reviewed the decision to no avail.
Sri Lanka also lost Dilruwan Perera soon after when the tail-ender yorked himself and walked off without reviewing as Jack Leach took his fourth wicket.
The other three wickets to fall were shared by Ali (2-65) and Adil Rashid (1-52).
Sri Lanka were ruing their luck, as only 17 minutes of play were possible after tea, but during that brief period, they let England back into the game.
Sri Lanka had only chased 300-plus targets on three occasions, and when England set them 301, they were faced with a tall order.
Playing without Dinesh Chandimal, their best batsman and captain who is nursing a groin injury, Sri Lanka were soon in trouble, losing three wickets for 26 as Leach ran through the top order.
Mathews was then involved in two vital stands with his old schoolmates. He added 77 runs for the fourth wicket with Dimuth Karunaratne (57) and a further 73 runs for the fifth wicket with Roshen Silva (37).
Wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella then joined Mathews and smashed a run-a-ball 23, adding 45 runs for the sixth wicket.
England won the first Test by 211 runs in Galle earlier this month.
The next generation of running talent takes center stage at today’s Berlin Marathon, in the absence of stars including Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopian world record holder Tigist Assefa. With most of the major marathon stars skipping the event in the wake of the Paris Olympics just more than a month ago, the field is wide open in the men’s and women’s races. Since 2015, Kipchoge has won five times in Berlin, Kenenisa Bekele has won twice and Guye Adola once — with all three missing today. Kenyan Kibiwott Kandie and Ethiopian Tadese Takele are among the favourites for the men, while
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
Taiwan’s Tony Wu yesterday beat Mackenzie McDonald of the US to win the Nonthaburi Challenger IV in Thailand, his first challenger victory since 2022. The 26-year-old world No. 315, who won both his qualifiers to advance to the main draw, has been on a hot streak this month, winning his past nine matches, including two that ensured Taiwan’s victory in their Davis Cup World Group I tie. Wu took just more than two hours to top world No. 172 McDonald 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to win his second challenger tournament since the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger in 2022. Wu’s Tallahassee win followed two years of
RSS