Sri Lanka stumble in 356-run chase as Sonny Baker grabs maiden ODI wicket
Sri Lanka stumble in 356-run chase as Sonny Baker grabs maiden ODI wicket
England set mammoth 356 after Cox carnage
The third and final ODI of Sri Lanka's tour of England boiled down to a run-fest at the top and a late explosion at the death. Having been pegged back by a few Sri Lankan strikes through the middle, England finished with a bang. Jordan Cox shifted through the gears effortlessly, hammering 76 off just 52 balls, and combined with Jamie Overton's 21 for a whirlwind 68-run partnership to lift the hosts to 355/7.
The middle overs had already turned into a run feast, with Tom Banton joining skipper Harry Brook to snatch the game away from the visitors. Despite Asitha Fernando striking at the death for Sri Lanka, England powered all the way to a total that leaves the tourists a mountainous target of 356 to take the series decider.
Baker strikes in his first over
We are back for the chase. The umpires are out in the middle, and so are the England players. The duo of Pathum Nissanka and Kamindu Mendis opened the innings for Sri Lanka, with Gus Atkinson getting things underway with the ball and Sonny Baker taking the other new ball.
It was Baker who made the early breakthrough. Bowling with pace and late movement, the debutant delivered a jaffa of a delivery to remove Nissanka.
"OUT! EDGED AND GONE! Sonny Baker has his maiden ODI wicket, and it is another jaffa of a delivery. Baker hits a good length at 143 kph, getting the ball to move away sharply from the off stump line. Pathum Nissanka camps back and just has a poke at it, nicking it behind to the keeper. Jordan Cox does the rest with the gloves on, and Sri Lanka are rocked early."
That was a lovely start from Baker, who had drawn the outside edge with an outswinger that swung late and squared up the batsman completely. It was a wide and a big wicket off his first over.
Kusal and Kamindu rebuild
In walked the skipper, Kusal Mendis, at number three, joining his brother Kamindu Mendis. The pair had to negotiate the probing new-ball spells of Atkinson and Baker.
Kamindu Mendis unfurled the first boundary of the chase, lofting Atkinson over the infield.
"FOUR! Aerial, but well over the infield and that's the first boundary of the chase. Slightly pitched up and wide of the off stump, Mendis lifts it over cover-point and the ball dribbles away into the vacant fence behind."
Gus Atkinson, operating around the wicket to the left-hander, kept things tight with nibble and extra bounce, beating the bat on several occasions. Baker, meanwhile, continued to test the batsmen with pace and the occasional sharp bouncer. Kusal Mendis survived a few nervy moments, including a late leave outside off and a thunderous drive that Ben Duckett failed to run out on a risky single.
At the other end, Tom Banton sprang to his left to pull off a fine save when Kamindu Mendis crunched a drive towards cover. The contest remained finely poised: England with early blood, Sri Lanka needing something special from their two Mendis brothers to keep the improbable chase alive.
Can Sri Lanka come up with something special? We shall find out.