Islamabad secure playoff spot after late Quetta stumble

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:05

Highlights – Mohammad Sami defends four in final over

In a nutshellIt doesn’t matter if you were watching this or not, no one knows how this happened. How a team that needed 17 from 19 balls with nine wickets in hand, a team that required seven from two overs with only three wickets down, somehow contrived to muck up a T20 chase and lose by one run. Especially since that team was Quetta Gladiators.This was every inch as routine a chase as Quetta managed 24 hours earlier. It had the colossal partnership, this time a 133-run monster between Kevin Pietersen and the in-form Ahmed Shehzad, and the inevitability of the asking rate decreasing over by over. It even had the opposition coach calling for an early timeout and losing his rag at the expense of his team.But in inexplicable fashion, Quetta got to within a metre of the finish line, and stayed there, almost as if they were caught in quicksand. Or maybe they just wanted to give last-over bowler Mohammad Sami the best birthday gift of his life on the day he turned 36. In any case, the defending champions seized the moment as the table toppers froze like a deer in headlights to eke out the unlikeliest of wins and secure a playoff spot.Islamabad’s innings had been defined by an inability to take off even though the platform had been set by Hussain Talat, so highly regarded by everyone at the franchise yet only playing his first match. He provided the impetus after Dwayne Smith’s first over dismissal, and was particularly punishing on another emerging player, Hasan Khan. Talat dominated the Islamabad innings early on – off the 74 runs made while he was at the crease, Talat was responsible for 56. They were, incredulously, in a winning cause.Where the match was wonIt wasn’t, simply put. It was lost in a haze of confusion and panic that swept right across the Quetta team. It began with an ordinary decision to give Pietersen out lbw to break the century stand, and with seven required off 12 balls, the strange call to send in Anwar Ali instead of a regular batsman backfired.Rumman Raees and Mohammad Sami hit their lengths regularly, Raees consistently going for yorker length and more or less pulling it off each delivery. The first ball from Sami was poor, but Anwar Ali failed to put it away. Bedlam ensued, and Islamabad were that bit more composed at the end. Even so, they never should have won this funny old game, but somehow, they did.The men that won itRaees and Sami deserve all the credit they will get for pulling a rabbit out of the hat, but one unsung hero was Islamabad’s veteran allrounder Shane Watson. As Islamabad’s innings struggled to move through the gears towards the end, and with Misbah-ul-Haq struggling badly for timing and Brad Haddin for form, it looked like they might have to settle for a total near 150.However, Watson provided a measure of competitiveness with forceful power hitting in the final over, with Anwar conceding 18. It saw Islamabad surge to 165, and as was evident less than two hours later, they needed every one of those.Strength in numbersThe second-wicket stand between Pietersen and Shehzad was the highest of this year’s edition of the PSL and second-highest in the two-year history of the competition. It saw the Gladiators make a 133 runs in 86 balls, and during that time, Pietersen also became the most prolific six-hitter in the PSL this year, with three more strikes clearing the rope to take him to 11 in six innings.The moment of the matchThe most perfect illustration of how panic had fogged the minds of Quetta’s batsmen in those final overs at the crease was displayed on the very last ball of this remarkable contest. With Quetta needing three to win and two to tie, their leading scorer Rilee Rossouw was on strike. Sami bowled a fast low full toss on leg stump, and the South African couldn’t get under it, mistiming it instead straight to Misbah at midwicket.Rossouw ran the first one, but seemed to give up right there, resigned to defeat. What he hadn’t noticed was Misbah’s throw to the bowler had been fumbled, and Thisara Perera at the other end was charging down the wicket to attempt a second run. Rossouw looked at Perera and bizarrely sent him back. It was a surreal moment to end the most fantastical of contests.Where they standThe only positive for Quetta is they’re still top of the table, and destined for the playoffs. Islamabad’s one-run win means they are guaranteed to join the Gladiators there, and for now occupy second place.

Rana, Desai fifties set up big India win

ScorecardHimanshu Rana followed up his century in the first ODI with a 66-ball 58•PTI

A strong batting effort, led by fifties from Harvik Desai and Himanshu Rana, helped India Under-19s level the five-match series with a rout of England Under-19s in the second ODI at the Brabourne Stadium. After India posted 287, their bowlers combined to bowl England out for 158.Rana, coming off a century in the first ODI at the Wankhede Stadium, showed exemplary defensive technique to weather an accurate opening spell from Matthew Fisher. After Fisher had Prithvi Shaw bowled, Shubman Gill and Rana played some delightful strokes in an 82-run second-wicket stand, particularly square of the wicket on both sides, as England’s bowlers persisted with the shortish length that had earned them success in the opening game.Given the slow nature of the pitch and England’s failure to adjust their lengths, Rana faced no trouble in pulling off the front foot. It seemed, however, that most of India’s batsmen too struggled to adapt to the difference in pace from the series opener. On 24, Gill slapped a cut to point and Rana, shortly after hitting his fourth consecutive fifty-plus score, popped a catch to short midwicket, both batsmen through their shots too early. Priyam Garg, one of six inclusions in India’s XI from the previous game, was strangled down the leg side off Fisher. At that point, India had slipped from 102 for 1 to 108 for 4.Wicketkeeper Desai began India’s rebuild by just picking off what was on offer: England’s spinners weren’t consistent in lines and lengths, and their fielding was shoddy. Along with handy contributions from the middle order, he carried India past 200. Desai struck 10 fours in his 75 before he found cover with a drive he was too early into, giving Fisher his fourth wicket.Cameos from Kamlesh Nagarkoti (36 off 32 balls) and Shiva Singh, who struck two reverse-slaps over short third man and a flicked six over fine leg in his 12-ball 23, helped India post 287. England dropped two catches and conceded nearly 90 runs in the final 10 overs.In their reply, England were rocked early by India’s opening bowlers. Seamer Shivam Mavi, in particular, beat the outside edge repeatedly with nippy outswingers. Opener Max Holden was caught down the leg side. George Bartlett was caught behind, and Harry Brook, who looked solid during his 26, chopped on, another victim of a slow surface.Euan Woods and Ollie Pope led England’s recovery with a staunch fourth-wicket partnership that kept India’s spinners at bay. Both batsmen looked fluent before being dismissed in clumsy fashion: Pope was run-out at the striker’s end, calling for a run to square leg that was never on and Woods chipping a catch to mid-off. Not long after, Tom Banton misread the length from left-arm spinner Anukul Roy, and was bowled attempting to cut a slider. England’s fate, by then, was all but sealed at 101 for 6 in the 24th over.Delray Rawlins, England’s match-winner in the previous game, was fluent from the outset. He was the only batsmen from both teams to persist with cross-batted strokes off the spinners, employing the sweep and reverse-sweep to fruition. He forced India’s spinners, who troubled the rest of the batting line-up, to over-compensate. He profited while waiting on the back foot too, rocking back and muscling sixes straight down the ground. No other batsman in this series has come close to matching his power. He was lbw for 46, off the bowling of Ishan Porel, but the ball may have pitched outside leg.Roy picked up three wickets, while Mavi and Porel chipped in with two each to round off a much-improved performance from India.

Handscomb stiffens Yorkshire top order

Yorkshire have named Australia’s top-order batsman Peter Handscomb as their major overseas signing in 2017.Handscomb made his Test debut for Australia at the end of November and made a maiden Test century in only his second Test when he scored 105 against Pakistan in Brisbane.The Victoria and Melbourne Stars batsman will be available to play in all three formats for Yorkshire over the summer, although it is in the longer format where his reputation is most established.Yorkshire have yet to secure a second overseas signing for the NatWest Blast which in 2017 will run in a more condensed window in midsummer.Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of cricket said: “We are delighted to secure Peter’s signature for the 2017 season. Peter is a player that we have been aware of for a couple of years now and he has made an excellent start to his Test career. We look forward to welcoming him to Headingley and hope that he enjoys playing his cricket for Yorkshire next year.”Andrew Gale had emphasised upon his appointment as 1st XI coach that he wanted to shake-up Yorkshire’s approach at all all age-group levels to developing Twenty20 cricketers, but the first overseas signing since his appointment does seem to have the Championship formly in mind as Yorkshire prioritise the top-order stability they lacked last season.With Handscomb likely to slot in at No. 3 and Gary Ballance, a new captain who could struggle to regain his England Test place next season (such is the thinking anyway) at No. 4, the line-up behind the openers Adam Lyth and Alex Lees has a more solid look about it.Gale said: “Peter is someone that we have had our eye on for a while. We looked at him as an option for last season, but the schedules didn’t quite work out. Since then he has gone from strength-to-strength, breaking into the Australian team and scoring his first Test hundred last week.”We are getting a guy who is on the up. He is young and wants to prove himself on the biggest stage. That will be good for us in county cricket. Number three is where he might slot into in county cricket, but that is yet to be decided. He gives us another option with the gloves as well as he keeps wicket in the shorter forms for Victoria.”The good thing is that he is a good player in all formats which suits us well given that he will be available for most of the season.”

Birch, Smuts give Warriors bonus-point win

ScorecardFile photo – JJ Smuts’ 54 gave the Warriors the start that helped them win with 25 balls to spare•AFP

A good performance in the field that saw all six bowlers taking wickets, followed by a clinical run-chase, helped the Warriors clinch a bonus-point victory against the Dolphins in their first CSA T20 Challenge game Durban.The Warriors chose to field and it seemed like the right decision as they made their first breakthrough in the second over – opener Cameron Delport was caught-and-bowled by Andrew Birch for 1. In the next over, Basheeru-Deen Walters dismissed Khaya Zondo for a duck – which had the Dolphins on 3 for 2, 14 balls into the match.The Dolphins were soon reduced to 16 for 3 in the fifth over, but a 27-run partnership between Morne Van Wyk (22 off 20) and Kyle Nipper (20 off 25) steadied proceedings for the next four overs, before Van Wyk departed with the team’s score on 43. Ten runs later, Kyle Nipper was dimissed and the Dolphins were reeling at 54 for 5 after 12 overs, at a sluggish run rate of 4.5 per over.A late surge by fast bowlers Robbie Frylinck and Craig Alexander saw them put on 24 runs in 11 deliveries for the eighth wicket, including a 19th over that went for 15 runs – the team’s highest of the match. This pushed the total past 100, but Birch returned in the final over, and dismissed both of them to finish with figures of 3 for 16 from his four overs.The Warriors needed 116 to win, at a rate of less than six per over. Their chase started swiftly, as they collected 17 runs in the first over – courtesy two sixes and a four by JJ Smuts. But that was followed by Andile Phehlukwayo striking twice in two overs – dismissing opener Somila Seyibokwe and Colin Ingram – to reduce the Warriors to 26 for 2.However, Smuts partnered with Colin Ackermann for a 60-ball partnership of 78 runs that took the Warriors past 100 and close to victory.Smuts’ 39-ball 54 – an innings that consisted of five fours and three sixes – was ended by Imran Tahir, but by then they needed just 12 to win off 34 deliveries. The end of the 15th over saw a delay due to power outage in the stadium, but once play resumed, Ackermann, who scored a 39-ball 41, batted alongside Christiaan Jonker (6*) to take the Warriors to victory by seven wickets, with 25 balls to spare.

Santner the standout on tough tour – Williamson

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson slammed his side’s “extremely poor” batting performance after they lost eight wickets for 16 runs to be bowled out in 23.1 overs, their shortest completed ODI innings, and go down to India by 190 runs.New Zealand came into the series decider on an equal footing. While conceding 269 on a slow surface may have made their task difficult, they wouldn’t have expected to be rolled over for 79. Williamson said there were no excuses for how abject they were.”It’s extremely disappointing. After a tough Test series to bounce back and show the heart that was required, the fight that we needed to go two-all against a very good Indian side, was a superb effort,” he said after the match. “But it is hard to look past out last performance right now, the emotion of just finishing the game.”They got above-par initially with the bat on a tough surface. There are certainly no excuses from our end, we were extremely poor with the bat today. We want to be showing steps of improvement everyday. That’s what’s so frustrating, because we failed as a batting unit. The spinners of the Indian side bowled very well but I don’t think it justified losing eight wickets for 20 or so runs. We were poor and India were very good.”While ruing the number of runs they conceded with the ball, Williamson lauded India’s batsmen for the partnerships they stitched together. First, Virat Kohli shared a 79-run stand with Rohit Sharma before putting on 71 runs with MS Dhoni. Kedar Jadhav and Axar Patel then added 46 crucial runs in 6.3 overs at the end.”The way the put together partnerships on a pitch that was slow was a very good effort. They kept going at five runs an over on this pitch, they certainly deserved to win today,” he said. “They were fantastic. At the half-way stage, although we knew they had a good score on the board on that surface, we knew if we could get partnerships together, who knows, we could’ve done better. If we kept on a bit and played in excess in of 25-30 overs, with a bit of dew around, then who knows. But that was a long way off. We were never going to get there.”Except for Tom Latham, and to a lesser extent, Williamson, New Zealand’s batting remained inadequate throughout the series. While Ross Taylor showed signs of returning to form in the last two games, he managed only 119 runs. Martin Guptill (111) and Corey Anderson (31 from four matches) also didn’t turn up. Williamson stressed on the need to replicate the kind of consistency India’s batsmen demonstrated.”If you look at any winning performance, there are one or two significant performances. If you look at the India side, there’s Virat [Kohli]. I think pretty much every game he made a significant contribution,” he said. “Sometimes the conditions weren’t the easiest to bat in but whoever that person is, we need a lot more. I think Tom Latham was outstanding.”It was nice to see Guptill show that presence at the crease in the last couple of games, but we need to take those little good bits a lot further and look at someone like Virat, who I suppose… to get a 150 in that Mohali game was a hugely significant performance as opposed to perhaps a 40 or 50.”Williamson believed there were lessons to be learnt from playing against a good side in tough conditions, and said Mitchell Santner was a “highlight” of their tour. With 10 scalps, Santner was New Zealand’s joint-highest wicket-taker in the Test series, along with Trent Boult. He was also their most economical bowler in the ODIs.”He has been outstanding, a young cricketer who is new-ish to the side. Although conditions are favourable to spinners here there are a lot of spinners who come here and struggle,” he said. “I guess it’s because of the pace of the wicket against extremely good players of spin. Mitch has performed day in and day out. His change of pace and his ability to spin the ball was a great asset to have. Not to mention his batting and his fielding as well. [We] look forward to seeing his progression in the future.”

Ali Khan ruled out of Auty Cup, Hammad Shahid called up

USA’s chances of reclaiming the Auty Cup from Canada this week have been dealt a serious blow after fast bowler Ali Khan had to withdraw from the squad due to an injury picked up during the team’s five-day training camp in Indianapolis last month.Khan, 25, played for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League this summer, and was in line to make his USA debut. But he suffered a left hamstring strain during a fitness and agility test on September 20. Khan had injured himself while doing a drill that required the players to complete a simulated three-run sprint between the wickets for which they were timed.Although the initial prognosis was that Khan would be fit in time for this week’s matches against Canada, he has not been cleared to play. USA’s team management decided to give him two more weeks to recover, ahead of the WCL Division Four, which is scheduled to start on October 29.Hammad Shahid has been drafted in as a replacement for Khan, and is also on standby for WCL Division Four if Khan is unable to recover in time. Shahid, 24, is based in Los Angeles, where the Auty Cup and WCL Division Four will be held. He was USA’s leading pace bowler at the World T20 Qualifier in Ireland last summer, with seven wickets in six games. He was also in the ICC Americas combined squad that played in the WICB Nagico Super50 in January this year.

India A 46 ahead after bowlers lead fightback

Scorecard3:10

Highlights – India A trip up Australia A to take slim lead

India A’s bowlers picked up the last eight Australia A wickets for just 71 runs to bowl them out for 228 and script a stunning comeback, earning a two-run first-innings lead. Australia A’s seamers responded strongly, removing India A’s openers within 11 overs. India A had raced away to 2 for 44 for an overall lead of 46, before bad light brought a premature end to the second day in Brisbane with 18 overs still left in the day.Resuming the second day on 0 for 25, Australia A lost two early wickets in economical opening spells from Varun Aaron and Shardul Thakur. However, captain Peter Handscomb and Joe Burns struck brisk fifties to put Australia A in a commanding position.The duo counter-attacked, striking 15 fours between them to take Australia A to 2 for 117 at lunch. They added a further 40 after the break before Burns was caught for 78 – his second-highest score in any format this year – triggering Australia A’s collapse. Handscomb was run out for a 93-ball 87 that featured 15 fours and a six.Offspinner Jayant Yadav and Aaron picked up three wickets each, while Hardik Pandya and Thakur chipped in with two and one respectively.

Hope we will cope with conditions – Jahanara

Bangladesh Women captain Jahanara Alam has said adjusting to Irish conditions quickly will be key to the team’s success during their forthcoming limited-overs matches against Ireland Women in Londonderry.The team is scheduled to arrive in Northern Ireland on September 3, after which they will have only one day to train and get accustomed to the conditions before the first T20I on September 5.”We will get only a day to practice after reaching Ireland,” Jahanara said on Tuesday. “These things can happen. We will have to face the harsh cold weather, while at home we had practiced under hot and humid conditions. But we are hopeful of coping with the conditions despite the fact that one practice session is not enough. We will look to make best use of the time we have there.”Bangladesh and Ireland will play T20Is on September 5 and September 6, followed by ODIs on September 8 and September 10. All four matches will be played at the Bready Cricket Club.Bangladesh’s last international assignment went poorly as they lost all group-stage matches in this year’s Women’s World T20 in India. Their last ODI memory isn’t great either; they lost two ODIs out of two against Pakistan in October 2015. But Jahanara was hopeful that their mix of experienced and young players could bring them success.”We will try to win all four matches on tour,” she said. “We have around seven to eight seniors in the team. The team needs to play more matches in order to get the best possible output from the seniors. But we are playing internationals after long gaps and this is hampering our progress. I believe we will be able to put up a team effort, in which both the seniors and the newcomers will contribute.”Jahanara said the Bangladesh women’s team had come a long way since their international debut, and hoped the change in mentality could lift them to a better position in Ireland.”We are training harder these days. Our mentality has also changed over the last four years. I am hopeful that we will do well in Ireland.”

Dawson lifts Hampshire on emotional day

ScorecardLiam Dawson top-scored then took four wickets in an outstanding all-round display•Getty Images

Liam Dawson cracked an unbeaten 76 before starring with the ball to hand Hampshire a rare Natwest T20 Blast win as they beat high flying Glamorgan by 25 runs.Dawson hit the first Twenty20 fifty of his career before spinning out Glamorgan with 4 for 23, flanked by fellow twirlers Shahid Afridi and Brad Taylor.The win, just their second in 11 attempts in this season’s competition, brightened a difficult day for Hampshire following the news Michael Carberry has been diagnosed with cancer – after a specialist discovered a tumour during tests this week.”We are a little bit numbed by it, which you could see from the crowd which was quite flat,” Giles White, the Hampshire director of cricket, said. “The players did a good job today to go out there under the circumstances. An hour or so before the start Carbs wanted to tell the players. It was quite an emotional time for everyone.”Carbs has been at the club for 10 years or so and is a popular member with all those guys and the response of the players was fantastic. They stuck to their job brilliantly. We have struggled with injuries and other stuff this year and I think the way the players went out there and performed was fantastic.”After being stuck in by Jacques Rudolph, a new look opening pair of Tom Alsop and Adam Wheater stuttered with a flurry of wickets.Graham Wagg’s second over swung the early momentum towards the inform hosts – Alsop nicked to slip while advancing down the pitch before Sean Ervine’s leading edge looped to cover two balls later.Wheater was the next to offer a simple catch, Wagg failing to stay out of the game in the covers, Michael Hogan grabbing his first scalp.It required an international intervention to stop the slide and Dawson and Afridi provided it with a steadying 46 runs partnership. Afridi fell to a stunning Wagg pounce and the England star was close to following him when he was shelled on 29 by Shaun Tait.But Dawson made up for his good fortune with Hampshire’s highest individual score of the season – his half century bought in with 42 balls, including just three boundaries.Dawson, along with academy star Joe Weatherley, added another 78 for the fifth wicket to continue the recovery.Weatherley, hitting a personal Blast high of 43, with two six, particularly impressed but played one shot too many to the deep – wicketkeeper Lewis McManus soon following him.But 17 from the final over, Dawson crunching 14 of them to take himself to 76 not out, handed Hampshire a defendable total of 167.The chase had the feel of a glide to victory, with timed cuts and drives from David Lloyd and Mark Wallace the order of the evening.The pair appeared to be in little trouble but that changed when left-armer Dawson stamped his mark on the game for as second time, striking with his first ball to bowl Lloyd for 18.Dawson continued his one-man show against Glamorgan when he had the tournament’s master six hitter Colin Ingram caught behind four deliveries later.Glamorgan collapsed, Aneurin Donald bowled for a duck to give legspinner Afridi his moment and he ended up with impressive figures of 1 for 16 before Taylor caught and bowled Rudolph.The visitors, who would have gone top with a victory, had won six of their last seven games on the road – but their record was dented when Wallace picked out cover Ervine – continuing the trend of wickets to slow bowling.Dawson had his second when Craig Meschede picked out a sprawling Weatherley at long-on, and a third as Wagg sliced to Gareth Andrew.From that point the win was secure, with 35 needed from the final over, to lift spirits a little at the Ageas Bowl.

Root and Buttler lay groundwork for 3-0 series win

England 324 for 7 (Root 93, Buttler 70, Vince 51) beat Sri Lanka 202 (Chandimal 53, Willey 4-34) by 122 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJoe Root’s 93 set up a 122-run win for England•PA Photos

England’s start was swift, their middle overs lively, and their finish was efficient. In response to an imposing total of 324, their visitors stuttered at the outset, lost wickets through the middle, and arrived at a limp finish. Sri Lanka’s 122-run defeat was an apt reflection of the chasm between the quality of the teams on display this series, which England have sewn up 3-0.Joe Root produced a seamless 93 from 106 balls to underpin his team’s dynamic innings, but it was arguably Jos Buttler who played the most electric knock within it. He set off with a four to fine leg, collected quick runs into the outfield for a while, then after facing 25 deliveries, let fly with the boundaries. There were shovels over the shoulder, searing cuts, crunching drives and a six over long off, all executed with a powerful bottom hand. His tally was 70 off 45. James Vince had also hit a half-century at the top of the innings.Erratic seam bowling at either end of the innings had helped England to their imposing total. Most hopes of Sri Lanka running that score down then dissipated in the first 22 overs, after which they were 107 for 5. Dinesh Chandimal made his fourth consecutive fifty as the wickets fell around him, before David Willey wiped out the tail to finish with four wickets for himself. Sri Lanka were all out for 202, and never in the course of their chase, did they appear to have the measure of their target.In England’s innings, Danushka Gunathilaka’s part-time offspin claimed three wickets for 48 from his full quota of overs, but it was debutant left-arm seamer Chaminda Bandara’s 1 for 83 which was the more definitive set of figures. Bandara was wayward at the outset while the other seam bowlers failed to pose a consistent threat, and costly at the death when everyone was going for runs. Nuwan Pradeep was also expensive again, giving away more than seven an over, as he attempts to come to grips closing out an innings.England had purred into motion with a cover-driven boundary from Jason Roy’s bat, third ball. Though play was soon left suspended for about 25 minutes by a passing shower, the hosts’ tempo rarely wavered over the following three-and-a-half hours. Bandara bowled overs that cost 11 and 14 in the Powerplay, while more experienced bowlers delivered more disciplined, but hardly miserly, spells. By the tenth over, only seven boundaries had been struck in all, yet 66 runs had been gathered. The green tinge on the pitch, which had put both captains in the mood to bowl first, offered only modest sideways movement. The overhead cloud made for only the slightest swing.The dismissal of Roy came somewhat against the run of play – caught on the midwicket boundary off Suranga Lakmal for a run-a-ball 34. Root, the next batsman, sent his first ball skipping through the covers for four, and Vince continued his pretty progress alongside the new man, the pair flitting efficiently between their wickets until Vince reached his first international fifty, off 54 balls. He was soon out charging Gunathilaka, who pulled his length back and slipped a ball past Vince’s advance, but neither that wicket, nor the next one, really dented England’s rate of progress. Halfway through the innings, the hosts were 138 for 3.With a confident Gunathilaka proving so successful, Mathews banked on spin through the middle overs. Jonny Bairstow was occasionally tested by it during his 21 off 28, but Root’s mastery of the single prevented Sri Lanka from making substantial headway. This steady beat of ones and twos was occasionally enlivened by the crash of cymbals: the reverse-paddle for four off the exceptionally part-time bowling of Kusal Mendis, the clatter through the covers at the end of the 38th over.Buttler twice hit Pradeep for consecutive fours, and thwacked a six off Lakmal in the 44th over, as he scored 45 runs from the last 20 balls he faced. It was he who propelled England’s run rate past six, and though he was out in the 48th over to give Bandara his first international wicket, had laid the groundwork for a fast finish. Thirty-three runs were hit off the last three overs.When the chase got under way an inability to pierce the lively infield drew a fatal mistake from Kusal Perera, not for the first time in the series. He was out lbw to Willey at the end of the fourth over. Mendis and Gunathilaka attempted to build the platform Sri Lanka required, before committing another of Sri Lanka’s most common mistakes through the series: attempting to come back for a second run in the 14th over, Mendis was caught short by Bairstow’s throw.From 66 for 2, the match slipped quickly. Gunathilaka was lbw to Liam Plunkett for 48. Mathews had his stumps splayed by a yorker from the same bowler. Upul Tharanga was bowled first delivery by Adil Rashid, and Dasun Shanaka was stumped off him, some time later. When Seekkuge Prasanna was caught at fine leg by a diving Willey, Sri Lanka had crumbled to 170 for 7 in the 35th over. A brittle tail didn’t hang around long.

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