Sri Lanka win thriller against England

In a nail biting finish, Sri Lanka overcame England by just two runs in a Super Eight match of the World Cup at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground Wednesday.

Set a target of 236 to win, England came within a whisker of winning the pulsating contest, which ebbed and flowed, as they reached 233 runs for eight wickets in reply to Sri Lanka's 235 all out in their 50 overs.

With three runs needed off the last ball, fast bowler Dilhara Fernando bowled Man of the Match Ravi Bopara to give the Sri Lankans their second win in the second round of the tournament. He had scored 52 off 53 balls.

It was a gripping finish in front of more than 10,000 spectators - mostly Britons - after the previous four lopsided contests here.

At one stage, England looked in danger of crumbling after they had battled back splendidly from being 11 for two in the sixth over to reach 101 when the third wicket fell in the 26th over.

They slipped into further trouble at 133 for six when two wickets fell on the score.

Kevin Pietersen, who top-scored with 58 from 80 balls with five fours and a six, and Ian Bell, who was run out for 47 from 71 balls with four fours, shared a stand of 90 for the third wicket.

They came together after captain Michael Vaughan was adjudged caught down the leg-side off pacer Chaminda Vaas in the third over for zero. Ed Joyce (10) was trapped leg before by fast bowler Lasith Malinga coming across his wicket.

Pietersen and Bell stemmed the tide before exhibiting some fine strokes as they played straight and square-of-wicket with a measure of authority.

The pair looked entrenched to carry England close to their victory target before they fell in quick succession.

It took the TV umpire a while to rule that Bell was run out when Pietersen's firm back drive off Sanath Jayasuriya rebounded off the bowler's fingers and hit the stumps at the non-striker's end. It was 101 for three.

Muttiah Muralitharan enticed Pietersen to drive a delivery back to him and the bowler held on to a low catch. The batsman departed at 126 for four.

Fernando came back into the attack and removed danger man Andrew Flintoff (2), who skied a catch to mid on after being deceived by a slower ball. The pacer then trapped Collingwood (14) leg before. Both wickets fell at 133 in a space of two balls.

Then came a stand of 87 between Bopara and Nixon, whose enterprising reverse-sweep off Muralitharan for six, followed by a slog-sweep for four - snaring 13 runs in the 48th over - brought England back into the match.

They needed 19 runs off the last 12 balls, and Nixon holed out at extra-cover in Malinga's last over at 220 for seven. But the English were not done yet.

When Bopara square-drove Malinga to end the over, England needed 12 from the last six balls.

Sajid Mahmood, who took four for 50 in the Sri Lanka innings, took a single off the first ball of the 50th over. Bopara hammered the next delivery square-of-the-wicket for four to bring England to within seven runs. Two runs came off the third ball followed by single off the fourth. Mahmood also got a run off the fifth and penultimate ball.

Fernando ran up to bowl the last ball and did not deliver, heightening the tension as the spectators were on their feet.

The tall pacer then produced a peach of a delivery to hit the top of the off-stump to earn Sri Lanka victory.

Earlier, Sri Lanka opener Upul Tharanga hit a patient 62 off 103 balls and captain Mahela Jayawardene made 56 off 61 balls from four fours as they repaired their innings after Mahmood had removed Jayasuriya (25) and Kumar Sangakkara (17) to leave them on 69 for two.

The 106-stand between Tharanga and Jayawardene was progressing well until Flintoff induced Tharanga to top-edge a hook to mid-on to make it 160 for three. The skipper then fell 15 runs later, swinging a catch to deep mid-wicket.

The England bowlers maintained good line and length and were backed up well the field. Bell brilliantly stopped and directly hit the wicket from cover to run out Dilshan (5) at 193 for five.

Chamara Silva's 23 and Russell Arnold's 20 off 22 balls helped the Asians to their eventual total which just proved to be enough.

Flintoff took three for 35 from his 10 overs.

SCOREBOARD

Match No. 33, England vs. Sri Lanka, Super Eight, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua, April 5

Sri Lanka:Upul Tharanga c Pietersen b Flintoff 62Sanath Jayasuriya b Mahmood 25Kumar Sangakkara c Collingwood b Mahmood 17Mahela Jayawardene c Joyce b Collingwood 56Chamara Silva b Flintoff 24Tillekeratne Dilshan run out (Bell) 5Russel Arnold c Joyce b Mahmood 20Chaminda Vaas c Collingwood b Flintoff 4Lasith Malinga c Nixon b Mahmood 2Muttiah Muralitharan not out 2Dilhara Fernando run out (Pietersen/Nixon) 2Extras: (b 3, lb 5, w 4, nb 4) 16Total: (all out in 50 overs) 235

Fall of wickets: 1-37 (Jayasuriya, 7.6 overs), 2-69 (Sangakkara, 18.1), 3-160 (Tharanga, 34.5), 4-175 (Jayawardene, 38.4), 5-193 (Dilshan, 42.1), 6-215 (Silva, 46.1), 7-219 (Vaas, 46.6), 8-226 (Malinga, 49.1), 9-231 (Arnold, 49.4), 10-235 (Fernando, 49.6)

Bowling:James Anderson 10-1-39-0Sajid Mahmood 9-0-50-4 (3nb, 1w)Andrew Flintoff 10-0-35-3 (1nb)Paul Collingwood 10-0-44-1 (1w)Monty Panesar 8-0-45-0Michael Vaughan 3-0-14-0

England:Ed Joyce lbw Malinga 10Michael Vaughan c Sangakkara b Vaas 0Ian Bell run out (Jayasuriya) 47Kevin Pietersen c & b Muralitharan 58Paul Collingwood lbw b Fernando 14Andrew Flintoff c Malinga b Fernando 2Ravi Bopara b Fernando 52Paul Nixon c Jayawardene b Malinga 42Sajid Mahmood not out 2Extras: (b 1, lb 1, w 2, nb 2) 6Total: (for eight wickets in 50 overs) 233

Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Vaughan, 2.2 overs), 2-11 (Joyce, 5.2), 3-101 (Bell, 25.2), 4-126 (Pietersen, 30.5), 5-133 (Flintoff, 33.1), 6-133 (Collingwood, 33.3), 7-220 (Nixon, 48.5), 8-233 (Bopara, 49.6)

Bowling:Chaminda Vaas 8-1-45-1Lasith Malinga 10-1-50-2 (2nb)Dilhara Fernando 9-0-41-3Sanath Jayasuriya 8-0-31-0Tillekeratne Dilshan 5-1-16-0 (1w)Muttiah Muralitharan 10-1-48-1 (1w)

Result: Sri Lanka won by two runsMan of the Match: Ravi Bopara (England)Umpires: Asad Rauf (Pakistan) and Billy Bowden (New Zealand)TV umpire: Rudi Koertzen (South Africa)Match referee: Jeff Crowe (New Zealand)Reserve umpire Aleem Dar (Pakistan)

(IANS)

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