Sri Lanka v England 5th ODI - Sri Lanka has won after two defeats

Sri Lanka v England 5th ODI
FIFTH ONE-DAY INTERNATIONAL, Colombo:
Sri Lanka 211 (48.1 overs) bt England 104 (29.1 overs) by 107 runs

By Paresh Soni

Fernando cleverly mixed up his pace and lengths to floor England

England were shot out for 104 as they ended their one-day series in Sri Lanka with an embarrassing 107-run defeat.

Seamers Ryan Sidebottom (2-41) and Stuart Broad (3-36) helped bowl the home side out for 211 in Colombo, with only Chamara Silva (73) resisting.

But Dilhara Fernando ripped through the tourists with a superb spell of 6-27.

Apart from Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen, who both hit 28, there was not much else as England, who won the series 3-2, crumbled in 29.1 overs.

It was a disappointing climax for the visitors, who had claimed three successive victories thanks to excellent bowling performances.

There was more of the same once Sanath Jayasuriya's aggressive knock of 26 was ended by the expensive James Anderson and debutant Dilruwan Perera (30) and skipper Mahela Jayawardene fell in the same over from Sidebottom.

Part-time spinner Owais Shah bowled Kumar Sangakkara (26) with a vicious off-break and Tillakaratne Dilshan was run out attempting a reckless single.

However, Silva timed the ball beautifully at times, producing peachy cover drives off Anderson and Broad as he reached 50 off 79 balls.

The problem was at the other end, with Jehan Mubarak tamely steering a short and wide ball from Monty Panesar - who came in for Graeme Swann (torn hamstring) - straight to gully before Ravi Bopara angled one in to trap Kausal Lokuarachchi lbw third ball.

England became slightly ragged in the closing stages and Silva added 34 with Chaminda Vaas before Broad returned to dismiss both and clean up Fernando.

Sidebottom took his tally to 12 wickets in the five ODIs in Sri Lanka

At that point the visitors were strong favourites to seal a comprehensive series triumph which would have lifted them to fourth in the ICC rankings.

But that idea was brutally exposed as fanciful when they produced an even more inept batting effort than Sri Lanka.

Vaas struck first in the third over by inducing an edge from Phil Mustard which Sangakkara brilliantly snaffled, while Ian Bell was undone by a slower Fernando delivery which he lofted straight to mid-on.

While Cook and Pietersen were together, there appeared to be no sign of the carnage to come.

Cook produced some delightful shots square of the wicket on both sides, and Pietersen, as always, was keen to get on top of the bowling by stepping forward and working the ball through the covers and mid-wicket.

But Fernando was mixing up his pace and length quite fantastically and it yielded rich rewards to leave England's hopes in tatters.

Another terrific catch from Sangakkara sent Cook packing after Fernando found the edge, Paul Collingwood was somewhat harshly ruled lbw to Fernando, while Pietersen was bowled by a leg-stump yorker from Vaas.

Broad chipped another slower Fernando ball to mid-wicket and Sidebottom was cleaned up in the space of three deliveries.

When Anderson edged Lasith Malinga behind, England were in danger of falling short of the 88 they were bundled out for in Dambulla four years ago.

They managed to avoid that ignominy thanks to Bopara (16no) but that was of scant consolation.