The Hindu : Sport : Jayasuriya completes England's humiliation

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Sunday, Jul 02, 2006

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Jayasuriya completes England's humiliation

Ted Corbett

Host piles up 321 but Sri Lanka overhauls it easily

LEEDS: England made one of the biggest scores in its one-day history in the fifth game against Sri Lanka at Headingley and the crowd immediately got up and went home. Perhaps they knew what would follow: a World record opening stand of 286, an eight-wicket win by Sri Lanka with 12 overs to spare and a 5-0 loss for the home team.

On the day Fred Trueman died, on his home ground, it was a gross insult to his memory and a sad reflection on the standard of modern English cricket. As a win for Sri Lanka, it bore comparison with South Africa's victory over Australia in Johannesburg earlier in the year.

Of course, the fans were off to see the footballers battle for a place in the semifinals of the World Cup — a big sacrifice for Yorkshiremen who know the value of a pound even if it was spent booking the ticket last December.

Those who stayed behind saw a lovely, free-hitting innings of 152 by Sanath Jayasuriya and further evidence that one day Upul Tharanga, who made 109, will step into his shoes.

Marcus Trescothick, who made his second century in a month, is used to other players letting him down and it happened again on Saturday. His 121 was a far finer knock than his hundred in Belfast last month and it seemed to encourage the later batsmen to weigh in with a series of hectic innings; just what the side needed.

The day was warm, the pitch was batsman perfect and Trescothick and Alastair Cook had the good sense to take their time at the start of the innings knowing the runs would come. They put on 82 before Cook was out, hitting off the back foot straight to cover.

Trescothick was magnificent. Two of his 16 boundaries ripped through the covers from drives that were half hit. He has already made 67, 9, 36 and 44 in the first four matches, but this was probably his finest ODI innings.

In punishing mood

It was not that Sri Lanka bowled badly; it was more that one of the finest opening batsmen in the world would not allow a ball to go unpunished.

When Trescothick was caught behind to be fourth out, Vikram Solanki smashed 44 off 34 balls and James Dalrymple 30 off 27 while Lasith Malinga still managed — in the midst of all this carnage — to find the way through the defences of four batsmen for 44 runs in his ten overs.

England managed 321 for the loss of seven wickets.

When Sri Lanka batted, it became clear that England was going to suffer just as badly.

Jayasuriya is an accomplished, if ageing, attacking batsman and with his alter ego Tharanga trying to ape his bolder strokes, 46 were on the board in the first two overs. At the same point England had scored two.

Trueman would have been horrified at the way England squandered the advantage of the possession he treasured — the new ball — by wild bowling. Steve Harmison, round the wicket, managed two overs for 11, but finished with none for 97, the worst England bowling of all time.

I will draw a veil over the rest. It was too horrible to describe.

SCOREBOARD

England: M. Trescothick b Jayasuriya 121, A. Cook c Jayawardene b Maharoof 41, I. Bell c Sangakkara b Fernando 18, A. Strauss c Sangakkara b Malinga 26, V. Solanki (not out) 44, J. Dalrymple lbw b Malinga 30, G. Jones lbw b Malinga 2, T. Bresnan b Malinga 4, L. Plunkett (not out) 9, Extras: (lb-9, w-11, nb-6) 26; Total: (for seven wickets in 50 overs) 321.

Fall of wickets: 1-82, 2-157, 3-225, 4-233, 5-295, 6-304, 7-308.

Sri Lanka bowling: Bandara 7-0-50-0, Dilshan 3-0-29-0, Vaas 8-2-41-0, Malinga 10-0-44-4, Fernando 8-0-61-1, Maharoof 9-0-52-1, Jayasuriya 5-0-35-1.

Sri Lanka: U. Tharanga c & b Dalrymple 109, S. Jayasuriya c Strauss b Solanki 152, M. Jayawardene (not out) 12, K. Sangakkara (not out) 23, Extras: (lb-10, w-9, nb-9) 28; Total: (for two wickets in 37.3 overs) 324.

Fall of wickets: 1-286, 2-289.

England bowling: Ali 6-0-72-0, Bresnan 2-0-29-0, Plunkett 5-0-46-0, Harmison 10-0-97-0, Dalrymple 10-0-48-1, Bell 1-0-5-0, Solanki 3.3-0-17-1.

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