Sanath Jayasuriya again dominated England with another century powering Sri Lanka to a formidable total in the second match of the NatWest Series.
Opting to bat after winning the toss at The Oval, Sri Lanka picked up where they left off after their 20-run victory at Lord’s on Saturday.
Jayasuriya made 120 to help Sri Lanka reach 319 for eight - their record one-day total against England, overhauling their previous best of 303 for nine at Adelaide in 1999. Jayasuriya hit two sixes and 15 boundaries during his 136-ball innings to leave England facing a daunting target if they are to record only their fifth victory in the past 15 one-day internationals.
Early on, England looked capable of taking control of the match when Stephen Harmison tempted opener Upul Tharanga into edging low to Marcus Trescothick for 17. But England had to wait a further 23 overs before they claimed another wicket after Jayasuriya and captain Mahela Jayawardene’s 160-run stand was broken by a mix-up between the two batsmen.
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The partnership was particularly punishing to Sajid Mahmood, the Lancashire seamer, who claimed two for 80 from seven overs. England, short of ideas, were forced to use Kevin Pietersen’s part-time off spin to try to engineer a breakthrough.
When it finally came, it resulted more from Sri Lanka’s enthusiasm than any tactical strength on the part of England, with Jayasuriya nudging Jamie Dalrymple to point and rejecting his partner’s plea for a quick single. Ian Bell’s throw to the non-striker’s end beat Jayawardene’s lunge back to the crease, sending the Sri Lankan back to the pavilion.
Jayasuriya continued for a further ten overs until Tim Bresnan finally brought his punishing run to an end, catching an ambitious drive from a Harmison delivery. England should have claimed a wicket off the next ball but Kumar Sangakkara, attempting an identical shot to Jayasuriya, was dropped by substitute fielder Kabir Ali.
That drop proved critical to England’s failure to restrict Sri Lanka to 300. Sangakkara struck 51 off only 41 balls, including a six and five boundaries, until he was caught by Pietersen. Sangakkara’s demise prompted a mini-collapse with four wickets falling for 36 runs in the final four overs ending the touring team’s authoritative performance.