LORD’S (England won toss): Sri Lanka beat England by 20 runs
WHILE England remain anxious not to rush back Michael Vaughan from injury, there may have been a more urgent tone when Duncan Fletcher spoke to the captain yesterday. The squad is in need of a lift after a losing start to the NatWest Series and Vaughan’s return appears to be the most likely source of inspiration.
Ed Joyce will undergo a scan on his right ankle on Wednesday and Fletcher, the coach, said that England will not seek a replacement because Alastair Cook already provides batting cover. In effect, this leaves the position open for Vaughan if his right knee survives Yorkshire’s championship match against Sussex this week.
Today completes the third week since his comeback against Scotland and the prospect of playing in the last two matches against Sri Lanka, at Old Trafford on June 28 and his home ground of Headingley Carnegie three days later, is sure to appeal as long as Vaughan is confident of being able to turn for sharp runs and chase balls in the field.
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“We are constantly in touch with Michael,” Fletcher said on Saturday evening. “I will phone him tomorrow morning and I phoned him two days ago. But he is the individual to say whether and when he is ready to play for us. It is up to him to make the decision because he is the only one who knows how he feels.”
Despite the loss of senior players including Vaughan, Fletcher must be alarmed at the way Sri Lanka have fought back to win the past three meetings in Test, Twenty20 and 50-over format. The latest setback was the most disappointing given that Andrew Strauss won the toss on a green pitch, which the likes of Jon Lewis would have exploited.
Instead, England bowled short and wide, wasting the new ball. By no coincidence, the margin of victory was the same as the difference in wides conceded: 23 by England and only three by Sri Lanka. Stephen Harmison was the worst offender with nine. “One-day cricket is about discipline and that is why we were sub-standard,” Strauss, the acting captain, said.
It took Paul Collingwood, ostensibly the sixth bowler, to show how a straighter line and variations of pace could bring success. England then made good use of the bouncer — a guaranteed dot ball when the aim is to restrict — and conceded only five boundaries in the second half of the innings.
Yet some of the fielding was shoddy enough to think that Vaughan might actually bring about an improvement. Geraint Jones missed a stumping chance when Upul Tharanga was on 59 and attempts to engineer a run-out in the final over were comical. Never before have England conceded as many as 42 extras in a one-day match.
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Tharanga batted with the elegance that seems to be the preserve of left-handers and a third hundred in his 22nd game showed that inexperience is no bar to achievement. The point was emphasised when Lasith Malinga, making his ninth appearance, conceded 11 runs in his first six-over spell and returned to clinical effect at the death.
Too often during the winter England lost wickets early in their innings and the fault is yet to be eradicated. This time they collapsed to 66 for four in the seventeenth over and the loss of Kevin Pietersen to a brilliant right-handed catch by Mahela Jayawardena at mid-wicket highlighted England’s earlier failings.
Events at the other end meant that Marcus Trescothick had to play within himself but Jamie Dalrymple offered something positive with a calm and well-organised 67. The introduction of Muttiah Muralitharan left him unfazed and he manoeuvred the ball intelligently until misjudging a slog-sweep with 44 needed from 21 balls.
Fletcher, inevitably, pointed to the number of youngsters in the side. He said: “The strategy is to have a look at a couple of players, establish the roles we want them to play and see if they are capable of that. We are going to have to make up our minds pretty soon.
“They have to learn the standard required at this level. If some of the absent guys cannot come back, we hope these other players will be good enough to perform in the World Cup.”
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But will they be good enough? “I am not going to pass judgment after a couple of games,” Fletcher said.
SCOREBOARD FROM LORD’S
W U Tharanga c Dalrymple b Mahmood 120
S T Jayasuriya c Jones b Harmison 11
*D P M D Jayawardena c Strauss b Collingwood 24
†K C Sangakkara run out 15
T M Dilshan c Collingwood b Harmison 13
R P Arnold c Jones b Collingwood 8
C K Kapugedera c Pietersen b Plunkett 1
W P U J C Vaas c Strauss b Harmison 10
S L Malinga b Bresnan 3
C R D Fernando not out 10
M Muralitharan not out 0
Extras (b 2, lb 13, w 23, nb 4) 42
Total (9 wkts, 50 overs) 257
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-25, 2-124, 3-153, 4-187, 5-204, 6-207, 7-227, 8-236, 9-248.
BOWLING: Harmison 10-0-52-3; Plunkett 7-0-32-1; Bresnan 9-1-44-1; Mahmood 9-0-57-1; Collingwood 10-1-29-2; Dalrymple 5-0-28-0.
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ENGLAND
M E Trescothick b Dilshan 67
*A J Strauss c Sangakkara b Fernando 12
R Bell b Fernando 7
K P Pietersen c Jayawardena b Malinga 10
P D Collingwood lbw b Fernando 0
J W M Dalrymple b Muralitharan 67
†G O Jones c Kapugedera b Jayasuriya 19
T T Bresnan b Malinga 16
S I Mahmood b Malinga 8
L E Plunkett not out 14
S J Harmison not out 5
Extras (lb 7, w 3, nb 2) 12
Total (9 wkts, 50 overs)237
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-31, 2-44, 3-65, 4-66, 5-138, 6-172, 7-208, 8-214, 9-220.
BOWLING: Vaas 8-0-37-0; Malinga 9-2-26-3; Fernando 8-0-51-3; Muralitharan 10-0-47-1; Dilshan 6-0-23-1; Jayasuriya 9-0-46-1.
Umpires: D B Hair (Australia) and N J Llong.
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TV umpire: I J Gould.
Match referee: C H Lloyd (West Indies).
Reserve umpire: P J Hartley.
TO COME: Second ODI (The Brit Oval, tomorrow). Third ODI (Riverside, Saturday). Fourth ODI (Old Trafford, June 28). Fifth ODI (Headingley Carnegie, July 1).