Sri Lanka’s last win in a bilateral ODI series against a full member was in November 2015 if their win over Ireland (who were recently granted full ICC membership) in June 2016 is not to be seriously considered.

Since that win over West Indies at home Sri Lanka has struggled to perform consistently in this format and it shows in their current rankings where they are placed eighth and struggling to avoid qualifying for the 2019 Cricket World Cup where only the top eight ranked teams automatically qualify and, the teams ranked lower than eight will have to come through a qualifying tournament.

A series win over Zimbabwe who are ranked lower than Sri Lanka will not fetch them many points but help them to marginally improve their points rankings as only three points separate Sri Lanka and seventh and sixth placed Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Today’s game is a must-win for Zimbabwe if they are to keep the series alive. They began on a high chasing down the highest total ever by a winning team in Sri Lanka – 317 in the first ODI at Galle by scoring 322-4, but have been outplayed in the next two matches with Sri Lanka raising their bar to win by seven wickets and by eight wickets.

“It’s very important for us to win this series. I don’t want any complacency creeping in and we want to finish it off,” said Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews.

“What we need is consistency. We can’t score 300 everyday. We can lose one or two games, but if we bat well every day that’s great. Some days we don’t do well. If we want to improve we need to be consistent,” he said.

Mathews praised the batting efforts of openers Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka who made their maiden ODI centuries in laying the foundation for Sri Lanka’s successful run chase of 311 with a double century partnership.

“It’s very pleasing to see the way they batted. Very encouraging to see them not getting 50s and 60s and throwing it away. They did exactly what the team wanted. Pity they couldn’t finish it through, but that was good job,” said Mathews.

“We have backed him to bat the way he wants. We have told him that when he gets a 30 or 40 to bat long and everyone will benefit. It looks like everyone is learning. Niroshan is a fearless cricketer and he wants to take on all the bowlers, great attitude to have.”

With the crosswinds and a flat batting pitch the bowlers of both sides had a tough day on Thursday. The conditions are not expected to change today and another high scoring game is on the cards.

Sri Lanka will be without Nuwan Pradeep their most consistent bowler in the series although his efforts are not reflected by the figures. Pradeep has strained his right quadricep during the seventh over of the 3rd ODI on Thursday and has been ruled out of the series. Veteran fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara has been drafted into the squad in his place along with another young fast bowler Asitha Fernando who impressed at the recently concluded Super Provincial tournament with 12 wickets in 6 games at 30.75. Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer blamed his bowlers for allowing Sri Lanka chase down 311 and win.

“On the bowling side we need to bowl better. I thought we bowled both sides of the wicket. We needed to go shorter or fuller. There’s not much you can change in one day. We will keep positives and try and stay positive. Try and restrict them,” said Cremer.

Zimbabwe were also let down by some crucial catches being dropped where Dickwella and Gunathilaka were let off early within the space of two balls. The positive for them was the return to form of opener Hamilton Masakadza who scored his fifth ODI century and laid the foundation for Zimbabwe’s total which in the end proved to be insufficient. – ST

An extraordinary victory for Pakistan in the end. Mickey Arthur is elated on the balcony, as he should be. Pumped by India in the opener, his side are through to the final four. And make no mistake, they were cooked here at 162-for-7. But then, the twist: a stand of 75 for the eighth wicket, which never came.

They were helped along the way by Sri Lanka, who dropped Sarfraz twice off Malinga; the chance grassed by Thisara one he’ll never forget. The skipper finished with an unbeaten 61. It was frantic, he should have been run out a couple more times, but he is the man of the match.

“I can’t believe it,” he said at the presentation, lumping ample praise on his big quick Mohhammad Amir who showed poise and class with 28 unbeaten runs of his own from 43 deliveries.

For their efforts here they now stay in Cardiff to play England in the first semi final of Champions Trophy 2017 on Wednesday. The other final four contest is between India and Bangladesh on Thursday at Edgbaston. The decider: The Oval on Sunday.

Of course, you won’t miss a moment on the OBO. Thanks for your company today. It’s been quite the afternoon. Long live 50-over cricket. Until next time.

Mathews suffered a strain to his right calf muscle while batting in the fourth one-day international at Dambulla and took no further part in the match which Sri Lanka lost by six wickets to concede a winning 3-1 lead to Australia.

Mathews returned to Colombo for further treatment. “Mathews underwent an MRI scan test today and it has been revealed that he has a Grade 2 calf strain on his right leg,” said Sri Lanka team manager Charith Senanayake.

“Mathews will undergo treatment and he has been ruled out of the rest of the series,” he said.

Australia has three more matches left to play on their two-month long tour of Sri Lanka. The fifth and final ODI takes place at Pallekele Stadium on September 4 and it will be followed by two Twenty20 Internationals on September 6 at Pallekele and on September 9 at the R Premadasa Stadium.

Vice-captain Dinesh Chandimal who substituted for Mathews as captain in the fourth ODI is likely to take over the reins for the remaining matches.

Meanwhile Sri Lanka have included fast bowling all-rounder Dasun Shanaka to replace Thisara Perera in the 16-man squad and also brought in two left-hand batsmen – experienced opener Upul Tharanga and wicket-keeper/batsman Niroshan Dickwella as replacements for Mathews and spinner Lakshan Sandakan.

Throughout the series Sri Lanka had problems with their opening batsmen.

They have tried out three different opening combinations in the first four games without success.

The inclusion of seasoned batter Tharanga and Dickwella who opened the batting for Sri Lanka ‘A’ on their recent tour to England suggests that Sri Lanka will try out their fourth opening combination at Pallekele on Sunday.

Whether Tharanga will be asked to open the batting is questionable. He has not opened in the last 10 ODIs in which he has batted and has 53 not out and 40 as his best knocks in those matches but those runs were scored batting at number seven. To recall Tharanga is like jumping from the frying pan into the fire for he has hardly done himself or the team any justice by his random inclusions in the team. To recall Tharanga is to admit that the country is devoid of specialist openers. The majority of Sri Lanka’s opening problems have been caused by fast

bowler Mitchell Starc who has managed to get early breakthroughs and put the middle order under pressure.

Sri Lanka will be able to heave a sigh of relief as it is learnt that Australia plan to rest Starc and his new ball partner Josh Hazlewood for the fifth ODI.

Matthew Wade top-scored for the touring side with a fighting 76 but Sri Lanka’s biggest win over Australia in terms of runs means the teams move to Dambulla for Sunday’s third one-dayer with the five-match series level at 1-1. Australia needed a strong start to chase down such a big total but Thisara Perera (3-33) dismissed openers David Warner and Aaron Finch to reduce the tourists to 16 for two.

Skipper Steve Smith (30) rekindled Australia’s hopes of a fightback and Wade showed tremendous grit down the order but it was not enough to complete what would have been a record chase at the ground. Left-arm spinner Amila Aponso was the pick of the Sri Lankan bowler, claiming 4-18 in his second one-day international.

Sri Lanka posted 288 before being all out in the 49th over, losing their last five wickets for 27 runs. After opting to bat, Sri Lanka lost openers Danushka Gunathilaka and Tillakaratne Dilshan off successive deliveries inside the first 19 balls. Kusal Mendis (69) and Dinesh Chandimal (48) revived the hosts with a 125-run stand.

Mendis cruised to his second successive fifty but Adam Zampa (3-42) dismissed both batsmen. Kusal Perera (54) added 103 runs with skipper Mathews (57) to consolidate Sri Lanka’s position but Faulkner and Mitchell Starc (3-53) ripped out the lower order.

Faulkner trapped Perera lbw with the final delivery of his eighth over. The all-rounder dismissed Mathews with the first ball of his next over, caught at long-off, and bowled Thisara Perera with his next to become the sixth Australian cricketer to claim a one-day hat-trick.

The gala ceremony will recognise the stars amongst ‘Our Lions’, and the accomplishments of our cricketers at domestic and international level. As in previous years, the public will vote for the coveted ‘Dialog People’s Player of the Year’ award. All Sri Lankans can simply type DPPPlayer’s name and SMS to 2343 from any network to vote for their favourite cricketer, or log on to www.cricketawards.online to send in their votes.

An album of nominees would also be available on Dialog’s Facebook page, and users could simply vote by adding a like under their stars. Voting will be open to the public from 12 noon onwards on August 24 to 12 midnight on September 20.

The highlight of the evening will be the ‘Dialog Cricketer of the Year’ award, whilst accolades would be handed out in both Men’s and Women’s categories, for performances at domestic and international level.

This would include the ‘Emerging Cricketer of the Year’ and for leading umpires in each panel. The domestic format would include awards for club cricketers, the Premier League and Premier League Limited-Over Tournaments, Sara League, Under 23 and Men’s and Women’s divisions and the Donovan Andree tournaments.

Speaking at the launch event Thilanga Sumathipala, president of Sri Lanka Cricket said, “For the fourth consecutive year, Dialog Sri Lanka Cricket Awards is gearing up in grand fashion to honour our stars of the year- both men and women. Around 65 national cricketers will be feted for their excellent performances on the field, displaying the true power of Sri Lanka during the domestic and international cricketing season 2015/2016. These individuals have indelibly etched their names in the record books of SLC, setting the stage for others to follow.”

Commenting further on Dialog’s association with Sri Lanka Cricket, Group Chief Marketing Officer, Amali Nanayakkara, added: “It is our pleasure and privilege to once again partner Sri Lanka Cricket for the annual Cricket Awards, as we recognise local talent across all levels of the game.

Our sterling performances against the visiting Australians demonstrate the caliber of and talent of young cricketers waiting in the wings, and we are proud to empower these talents through programmes such as the Cricket Awards”.

The second game of the five-match series is at the same venue today and Sri Lanka expect the curator to come up with a pitch that is not extremely dry but dry enough for their spinners to come into play.

What Sunday’s game revealed was that no matter what the surface was Australia had a battery of fast bowlers headed by Mitchell Starc to exploit any condition.

Australian skipper Steve Smith and spinner Nathan Lyon during practice at the R Premadasa Stadium nets.
The tour of Sri Lanka has been a memorable one for Starc who reached a century of wickets in Tests as well as ODIs becoming the quickest in the history of the game in the latter format.

The addition of one-day specialist James Faulkner (man of the match in the 2015 World Cup final against New Zealand) in the Australian line-up has given their bowling more teeth. Starc and Faulkner combined to take seven wickets for 70 runs in 20 overs to strangle the Lankan batting and restrict them to a total of 227 that was within reach of Australia despite the threat of spin.

Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathew admitted the difference Starc and Faulkner made to the match.

“Starc bowled really well in the Tests and now in the ODIs. We have a clear plan for him – to refrain from attacking him, so that we don’t give him wickets,” said Mathews at the pre-match press conference yesterday.

“If we can score 40 or 50 runs off him, we feel that we can catch up against the other bowlers. Because he’s bowling well, we should give him that respect. But at the same time we also have to put his loose balls away,” he said.

“With James Faulkner, his variations were excellent on that pitch, because of how dry it was. We struggled with those variations, so we’ll come with a plan tomorrow.”

Sri Lanka who were quite successful with their spinners in the three Tests went into the first ODI hoping to repeat it in the fifty-over format as well, but Australia’s fast bowler’s did an excellent job to keep them down to a total that in the end proved insufficient for their bowlers to defend.

Boosted by their win in the first ODI, Australia will be looking to extend their 1-0 lead in the series by winning today’s match as well.

From Sri Lanka’s viewpoint they will need to come up with a bigger total than they did on Sunday.

Mathews said that they don’t want to meddle with the batting line-up after just one game which means the batters will remain the same.

“No idea of changing the batting order we might perhaps make one change if required to the team. For most of the time we plan to go with the same team according to the pitch,” said Mathews.

“We’ve included Angelo Perera for injured fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep (hamstring injury) and he along with Seekkuge Prasanna are in the fray to be selected for tomorrow’s game.”

Commenting on Angelo Perera’s selection coach Graham Ford said, “The selectors felt that he played really well in England. He’s a very capable player. I remember him from the first time I was involved with the team. He has a chance of playing. He had a good net today so there’s a chance that he could be considered, yes.”

Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews displays the new ODI T-shirt at the pre-match media conference at R Premadasa Stadium yesterday which his team will wear during the five-match ODI series starting today. (Pic by Samantha Weerasiri)
The Australian batsmen were defeated by spin in the Test series which they lost 0-3 and it seems there won’t be any respite for them going into the ODI series as well with the pitches likely to be on similar vein.

“The Aussies are a very competitive team, inside and outside of Australia.

We have to play our best cricket to beat them. We did that in the Test series. Now it’s a fresh start. We’ve got some new faces joining the squad for the ODIs. It’s going to be a zero start for both teams,” said Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews.

“We came into the Australia series thinking we could do well in our home conditions. We had to prepare ourselves to the best of our ability. I thought our support staff did a great job preparing us for the series.

“To win a series against a number one team – especially against Australia – meant a lot to us. The confidence levels after that Kandy match turned around. The boys had a lot of confidence and believed in themselves, and that’s why they turned it around. The confidence levels are pretty high and we hope to continue that in the one-day format as well.

“The wicket looks pretty dry once again. In this part of the world the spinners play a major role in the one-dayers, Tests and T20s. Unfortunately we don’t have an XI. We’re yet to decide and we’ve got a selection headache at the moment.

“We’ve got so many spinners to choose from, a good set of batters and a couple of fast bowlers. We’re yet to decide whether we want to go with two spinners and two fast bowlers or three spinners and one fast bowler,” he said.

The selection headache stems from having too many spinning all-rounders in the squad like veteran opener Tillakaratne Dilshan and middle order bat Dhananjaya de Silva both of whom can bowl off-breaks and Milinda Siriwardana who can bowl left-arm spin in addition to his batting.

“We’ve got fast-bowling options as well with myself and Thisara Perera included in the squad, so you’ve got so many options to choose from.. It depends on the wicket. We’ll come back tomorrow and take the final call,” said Mathews.

One position that Mathews confirmed was the opening slot where he said that Dilshan and Kusal Perera would open. “There won’t be that many changes in the batting.”

Sri Lanka has included two uncapped players in their squad – teenage opening batsman Avishka Fernando and left-arm spinner Amila Aponso. While Fernando is very unlikely to get a game today the possibility of Aponso playing cannot be ruled out.

“I haven’t seen much of them but the selectors have. They say those two are very good. Avishka looked really good in the centre yesterday,” Said Mathews. “Most importantly we wanted to share that dressing room atmosphere and the experience with a younger player like him. Especially because we’re playing at home we have the advantage of bringing in an under-19 player to share the dressing room with the likes of Dilshans and Chandimals.”

All-rounder Thisara Perera despite his consistent failure to deliver has been given another opportunity to showcase his talent against the Australians.

“Thisara is a very important player. He hasn’t performed extremely well – the way we would have liked him to or he would have liked to. But he’s a character who could turn things around on any given day with bat or ball.

We’re hoping he’ll come good in this series,” said Mathews. There is no Rangana Herath to torment the Aussies in the ODI series but there are plenty of spinners in the line-up Mathews can call-up.

Given Australia’s susceptibility to spin bowling, as was seen in the Test series, it’s hard to imagine Sri Lanka won’t stock their side with slow bowlers.

The three Test surfaces provided ample assistance for the spin bowlers, but Australia opener Aaron Finch said the wickets for the limited-overs series might play a little fairer.

“There’s not as much wear and tear (on a one-day pitch as a five-day Test wicket),” Finch said when asked if the pitch at Premadasa Stadium resembled a five-day wicket.

“You assume that the wicket is going to generally be pretty true. There might be a little bit of spin there which makes it hard to score when you first come in against spin,” said Finch.

“One-day wickets around the world are pretty consistent and pretty true. But we’ll have to wait and see. They might shave all the grass and dry it out a bit more and it might turn big,” he said.

Finch is expected to pair of with David Warner as openers with skipper Steve Smith expected to occupy the number three slot followed by Shaun Marsh or Usman Khawaja and then George Bailey who has been the rock of Australia’s ODI middle-order. The 33-year-old has played 76 ODIs including 29 games as captain, and scored a century against India in Perth in January. Bailey also boasts a remarkable record in Asia, averaging 58.54 in 13 innings with a top score of 156.

Fast bowler Mitchell Starc who had an excellent Test series with 24 wickets on spin-oriented pitches will spearhead Australia’s bowling. Starc’s strike rate (24.6) and average (19.79) puts him in the upper echelon of 50-over bowlers, and the left-armer is just two scalps away from 100 in ODI cricket.

Former Australia fast bowler Craig McDermott believes Starc’s imperious Test form makes him a complete package.

“I think he (Starc) has come a long way in the last 18 months, two years,” McDermott told The Unplayable Podcast. “He’s the best one-day bowler and T20 bowler in the world. He’d have to be No.1 picked in our team for all three forms going forward.”

After Sri Lanka was shot out for 117 in the first innings, Mendis’ knock in the second innings lifted the spirits of the team to go and complete a stunning 106-run win which was just the ideal tonic to dominate over Australia for the rest of the series.

“It was a great turn around. The key point was Kusal Mendis that was the turnaround for the whole series,” said an elated Mathews after laying his hands on the Warne-Muralitharan trophy for the first time.

“After getting all out for 117 at Pallekele it was a special effort by young Kusal Mendis getting us on track and to a winning track. From there on it really kicked off. The confidence levels were sky high. We worked very hard and actually we worked harder than the first two Tests ahead of the third Test as we were desperate to finish this series 3-0,” he said.

“The credit should go to all who supported us from SLC president to office bearers, the selectors for having the patience, the support staff and the team they were fantastic. Not to forget the fans. We have had a tough few months and we thank all of them.”

Mathews rated the win over Australia on par with the series victory they achieved in England two years ago.

“I would say that England and this series where we created history are marked very high. Those series wins are the standouts for me as captain so far. A captain is as good as the team. The credit should go to the team for their fantastic effort,” said Mathews. “As a team we played better cricket than Australia. Regardless of them having a bad record in Asia they are still the number one ranked team. To beat them it has to be a special effort and I can tell you we had to work really hard. They are going to come hard at us in the one-dayers.”

Mathews paid tribute to young players like Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Perera who made a big impact in the series.

“It’s just pure talent. They have not played that many first-class games. Dhananjaya has but not Kusal. You have to take that chance with some players at some time. It paid off,” said Mathews. “You saw how they played in extreme conditions. It was turning square. They had Lyon and O’Keefe and then Mitchell Starc, who has been outstanding in the series. They are an outstanding lot and we have to work harder. The calmness and the composure shown by Dhananjaya batting at number seven was great. He handled pressure well. With Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera our future is bright.”

Paying a tribute to his match-winning bowler Rangana Herath, Mathews said, “He was fantastic. As I said at the post match interview, he was bowling off one leg. He got hit while batting and then he had a groin strain. He couldn’t run and he couldn’t jump. He was just landing the ball on one leg and he is unbelievable.

“He has taken 28 wickets in the series, one of the best I have seen. The batsmen are having a nightmare facing him no matter how well they play spin. Credit should go to this man. He has been a great team man as well.”

Mathews said that his team will be partying in a get-together organized by Sri Lanka Cricket yesterday night. “We will have a drink just after the press conf as well. It is unbelievable. The feeling is great.”

That Australia face the prospect of such a humiliation when they are the current Test champions is borne by the fact that their batsmen have found to be vulnerable against some high quality spin bowling by Sri Lanka’s three-pronged line-up which sees them trailing 0-2 in the three-match series.

Led by veteran spinner Rangana Herath and comprising Dilruwan Perera and newcomer Lakshan Sandakan they have been so dominant in the series to capture 35 of the 40 Australian wickets to fall. Coming to the SSC, Australia’s woes won’t end there

That Sri Lanka has sought the assistance and expertise of the chief curator at Pallekele, Asitha Wijesinghe in the preparation of pitches for all three Tests including SSC means only one thing – that the SSC pitch which traditionally assists fast bowlers and batsmen will be turned into a track that will spin from the first day as has been the case at Pallekele and Galle.

Australian captain Steven Smith in conversation with his vice-captain David Warner as they prepare for the third and final Test at the SSC grounds.

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews described the SSC track being prepared for today’s third Test as a ‘turner’.

“SSC traditionally has been good for batting, but since of late it has helped spin bowling a lot. It will turn from day one and it will be a spinners’ paradise once again,” said Mathews.

Which means the Aussies won’t have any respite going into the third and final Test. They will once again face a trial by spin and if by now they have not found a way to tackle the spin of the Lankan bowlers, the Test is guaranteed to follow in the same trend as the first two.

“You don’t get these opportunities very easily. We know that. We have played really well in the first two games and we don’t want to give up this game,” said Mathews.

“We have put in lot of hard work ahead of this series and at the moment the mood and confidence is very good. We are excited. Everyone is geared up and we have not taken the foot off the gas. Hopefully we can go out there and beat the Aussies again. If we can do that it’s great.”

Seldom do countries want to make a change to their teams when they are winning. In that aspect openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva could consider themselves lucky to be retained for today’s Test despite a spate of low scores in the series which has seen neither of them getting into double figures in any of their four innings. Their highest score is seven.

“What the management and selectors think is that we can give opportunities to players whom we believe can deliver,” said Mathews. “Kaushal when it was tough in England fought really hard and after two games we don’t want to throw a character like him away. Dimuth didn’t score runs in England but he had got a big hundred in New Zealand. Everyone will go through that rough patch and hopefully they can deliver.

“It’s pretty easy to do when you are winning and give the guys a longer run when you are losing that’s not going to be the case. The selectors and the coach and everyone else are of the view that we will retain the same side now that we have won the series. These are the guys whom we believe will deliver at some stage,” he said.

However the only likely change Sri Lanka may make is replace Vishwa Fernando with Suranga Lakmal who has reported fit following hamstring stiffness that saw him miss the first two Tests.

You have to be proactive – Smith

Aussie captain Steven Smith knows what’s in store for his team at the SSC.

“Looking at this wicket it looks like it’s going to take a fair bit of spin from day one so you have to be proactive in the way you play,” said Smith.

“You’ve almost have to reinvent your game to be successful on these surfaces. In Australia, you don’t get balls that are turning like they are here and skidding on, everything’s pretty consistent.

“So it’s finding a way, I guess, and getting outside your comfort zone. It might be about sweeping, or coming down the wicket or getting deep in your crease.

“Sometimes it’s easy to do in the (practice) nets and when you get out in the middle there are guys around the bat, there’s the pressure of the match and it’s a whole different ball game.

“It’s just having the courage and faith to sometimes take a risk you may not take in Australia, and different ways of thinking to get around different situations.”

Australia’s indecision to name their eleven ahead of the third Test as they had done in the first two adds to the uncertainty that exists within the team.

The reason for that was given as hamstring soreness to one of their batters Adam Voges at yesterday’s training session.

“I am sure the selectors are talking about that (making personnel changes),” Smith said ahead of his team’s final training session.

“Losing two matches, you generally talk about those sorts of things so there are certainly possibilities that could happen.”

There is a likelihood of Shaun Marsh making his first appearance in the series after being overlooked for the first two. Marsh is one of the few batsmen in the present team to score a Test hundred in Sri Lanka when Australia last toured in 2011.

England, its host for a majority of the tour, has comprehensively outplayed it in both Tests and ODIs so far, and in doing so, has claimed an unassailable lead in the new multi-format points system. So it is that when the two sides clash one final time in a Twenty20 International at the Rose Bowl in Southampton on Tuesday (July 5), Sri Lanka will be fighting to avoid a clean sweep across formats.

After a 0-2 loss in the Tests and a 0-3 reversal in the ODIs, Sri Lanka will find it a struggle to boost morale. After the final ODI – a comprehensive 122-run loss in Cardiff – Angelo Mathews, the captain, found himself fending off questions about his captaincy, saying: “This is a tough time for me as a captain and for the whole unit. But you can’t run away from it.”

The hope was that the ODIs would help Sri Lanka emerge strong from its troubles in Tests, the hope stemming from the possibility of the shorter format narrowing the gap between the teams. However, England – a markedly different side in limited-overs internationals since Sri Lanka defeated it in the ICC World Cup 2015 – proved too strong once again, and apart from the first ODI which ended in a tie, was comprehensive winner in the remaining three completed matches.

The problem for Sri Lanka has been that its departments have struggled to work in tandem. The batsmen posted 305 for 5 in the fourth ODI, but the bowlers struggled to restrict England to below that score. Then, when England set it 325 to win in the fifth, its batsmen were contained to 202.

“I’m pretty sure if we keep improving day by day, we can come out of this hole,” said Mathews after the final ODI. “For the past two months, we’ve been having the same problems, either batting, bowling or fielding has let us down in every single game.”

Ahead of the final clash of what has been a tiresome series, Sri Lanka will hope to depart with its heads held high. A late cameo or a couple of miscues usually prove decisive in T20s, and Sri Lanka knows it has its best chance yet to put one over England. Recent form doesn’t favour Sri Lanka in that respect either – England reached the final of the ICC World T20 2016, while the Sri Lankans failed to get out of their group.

England, meanwhile, is expected to blood a few youngsters in the one-off clash, including Tymal Mills, the paceman. He comes with a reputation for searing pace, something that gained momentum after he roughed up Chris Gayle during the NatWest T20 blast last month. “I’d love to see him play. I won’t be the sole selector, but from my point of view, it would be great to see someone like that charge and give it everything,” said Trevor Bayliss, the England coach.

“It’s good to see some batsmen ducking and weaving.”

Eoin Morgan, the England captain, spoke before the ODIs of how much of a confidence booster it was for the side to reach the ICC World T20 2016 final, and warned of coping with bigger expectations. Those expectations would only have increased after its performances in the series so far.

Teams (from):

England: Eoin Morgan (capt), Sam Billings, Johnny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, Chris Jordan, David Malan, Tymal Mills, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, James Vince, David Willey.

Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (capt), Lahiru Thirimanne, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Perera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Upul Tharanga, Dhananjaya de Silva, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Kusal Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Farveez Maharoof, Suraj Randiv, Seekkuge Prasanna.