Banton steers England into unassailable 2-0 series lead
England 146 for 4 (Banton 52*, Buttler 30) beat Sri Lanka 145 for 9 (Nassanka 37, Asalanka 31, Dawson 3-32) by six wickets
Consecutive thrashings in three days saw England take the T20I series against Sri Lanka with a game to spare. Thursday’s victory was just as one-sided as the opener at the Utilita Bowl, which they took by 119 runs; in Cardiff, Harry Brook’s side reached a lacklustre target of 146 with 47 balls to spare, with Tom Banton unbeaten on 52 off 24 for the conclusion as England took an unassailable 2-0 lead.
Brook was able to give his team their usual chasing privileges at Sophia Gardens. They punched their ticket once more for a 10th win in 12 completed T20Is at this venue. Their overall record has extended to 22 wins from 25 completed matches since Brook took over last June.Sri Lanka’s stand-in skipper Charith Asalanka also wanted to bat second to make use of the shorter, straight boundaries, a fact Sri Lanka seemed to forget when setting a total. Their paltry 145 for 9 was baffling: barring Pathum Nissanka’s 37 from 21 and Kamindu Mendis’s 12 off 8, there was no urgency or attempt at ingenuity.Nissanka lifted them to 55 for 0 after the first five overs, but they were held hostage for the final 15, returning 90 for 9. That included just seven runs from the final three overs, including a wicket-maiden in the 19th for Sonny Baker.That initial burst of scoring was capped with a 17-run over off Will Jacks, who failed to hide the short, straight hit from the River Taff End. Liam Dawson then removed Lahiru Udara and Kamil Mishara in consecutive balls in the final Powerplay over.
That proved to be the end of Sri Lanka’s impetus, and this contest. Asalanka’s 31 and Wanindu Hasaranga’s 27 came in the face of an exceptionally professional middle-overs display from Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid and Dawson, who finished with 3 for 32 to earn player-of-the-match honours.
Aneurin Donald, as the hometown hero returning to his boyhood county, Glamorgan, had the crowd with him, managing to better his debut knock with 21 off 13 this time but struggled to get his timing right.
Buttler initially had no such issues, carrying over his form from the 80 struck on Tuesday. He wasted no time getting to 30, moving to 15,000 runs in all T20, reclaiming the outright lead, now one ahead of Kieron Pollard. That included taking 16 off the second over from left-arm seamer Dilshan Madushanka, brought into the XI with debutant Tharindu Rathnayake, as spinners Dunith Wellalage and Maheesh Theeskshana made way.
With Buttler removed, and Brook dismissed for the first time in four innings – his 23 today taking his aggregate in that stretch to 311 runs – there was a hint of jeopardy at 79 for 3 after seven overs. But with 69 required from the remaining 78 balls, England’s middle order could decided between themselves who was going to see it home with a score of note.In the end, it was Banton, adding another finishing cameo to his catalogue. He ticked over a fifth half-century from 24 deliveries before a succession of no-balls and wides was followed by Jacks’s lame tuck into midwicket for an underwhelming finish.
The silent “W” in the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) was represented in the first T20I on Tuesday by Aneurin Donald. It was the first time since 2005 that an England team has featured a product of Glamorgan. This evening, however, was that much more special.Born in Swansea, Donald – who hails from a family with deep roots in the game – stepped out at Cardiff to an emotional home coming. Even Kevin Pietersen, who presented Donald his maiden cap, referenced it ahead of Southampton. This, really, meant more.
It was with Glamorgan that Donald made his domestic debuts, before leaving to join Hampshire in 2015. The route to this point, back at Sophia Gardens as a Welshman of international repute, has been long, and riddled with doubt.Donald was not quite able to grab the night for himself. With a low crowd, and against poor opposition, it felt like the evening needed him to be the story. But a lap over fine leg for six, and two fours – all in a row against Dushmantha Chameera – did get the Welsh support vibing with him a little more.A scuffed heave off Eshan Malinga – misreading a slower ball – saw him depart for just 21 in a low run-chase. But it was an important cameo in the bigger picture.”I’ve got the opportunity to fly the flag for everyone that’s put some time and energy into me, but not just that, the wider Welsh game,” Donald told the BBC in the lead-up to this match. “It’s an added responsibility but I’m determined to try and fly the flag
If you really squint, Pathum Nissanka’s breezy innings could be seen as a silver lining.Two months on from surgery to his right wrist – which took place in London – the 28-year old produced his most recognisable innings since returning to competitive action at the end of August.Having missed the Test series against India, and the Lanka Premier League, a couple of T20s for Nondescripts and a couple of hits against England Lions meant he looked understandably rusty in Southampton. Sri Lanka were a doubt to challenge their 255 target, and certainly not when their best batter managed just 12 from 11.Here in Cardiff, there was a return close to the norm. He was a cut above his teammates, a chasm initially exaggerated at first by Lahiru Udara struggling at the other end, who at one point had 1 off 9 balls.
It was clear Nissanka was central to any respectable total. The only batter sharp enough to use his feet, and create different angles, Jofra Archer was taken for 14 in his opening over. After a flick around the corner, Nissanka charged and cut square before lapping the final ball over his shoulder, crouching to send England’s fastest quick inside the man at short fine.The problem was always going to be the other end, and consecutive dismissals in the final over of the Powerplay summed that up. After the six-over mark, Sri Lanka were 56 for 2, with 33 contributed by Nissanka, having only faced 13 balls with the fielding restrictions. If that felt like a waste, then his dismissal at the end of the 9th certainly was, having added just 4 runs in eight more balls.
Remarkably, he was the only Sri Lanka batter to target the short, straight boundaries when he hit Will Jacks for a straight six at the start of the fourth over.
Sri Lanka (20 ovs maximum)
Batting R B M 4s 6s SR
Pathum Nissanka
c Brook b Overton
37 21 40 4 1 176.19
Lahiru Udara
c Overton b Dawson
21 20 23 5 0 105.00
Kamil Mishara †
c & b Dawson
0 1 1 0 0 0.00
Charith Asalanka (c)
c Overton b Rashid
31 31 53 3 0 100.00
Kamindu Mendis
b Overton
12 8 9 2 0 150.00
Dasun Shanaka
c Donald b Dawson
4 4 4 0 0 100.00
Wanindu Hasaranga
c Dawson b Baker
27 22 28 2 1 122.72
Tharindu Ratnayake
c Brook b Archer
4 7 13 0 0 57.14
Dushmantha Chameera
b Archer
0 5 6 0 0 0.00
Eshan Malinga
not out 0 1 2 0 0 0.00
Extras (b 5, lb 1, w 3) 9
Total
20 Ov (RR: 7.25)
145/9
Did not bat
Dilshan Madushanka
Fall of wickets
1-56 (Lahiru Udara, 5.3 ov), 2-56 (Kamil Mishara, 5.4 ov), 3-75 (Pathum Nissanka, 8.6 ov), 4-89 (Kamindu Mendis, 10.5 ov), 5-95 (Dasun Shanaka, 11.4 ov), 6-139 (Charith Asalanka, 17.2 ov), 7-141 (Wanindu Hasaranga, 18.2 ov), 8-142 (Dushmantha Chameera, 19.3 ov), 9-145 (Tharindu Ratnayake, 19.6 ov)
Bowling O M R W ECON 0s WD NB
Sonny Baker
4 1 15
1
3.75 16 0 0
Jofra Archer
4 0 34
2
8.50 10 0 0
Will Jacks
1 0 17 0 17.00 1 0 0
Liam Dawson
4 0 32
3
8.00 8 0 0
Jamie Overton
4 0 23
2
5.75 9 2 0
Adil Rashid
3 0 18
1
6.00 6 1 0
England (T: 146 runs from 20 ovs)
Batting R B M 4s 6s SR
Jos Buttler †
c †Mishara b Chameera
30 16 27 4 1 187.50
Aneurin Donald
c Hasaranga b Malinga
21 13 23 2 1 161.53
Harry Brook (c)
c Malinga b Hasaranga
23 8 12 1 3 287.50
Tom Banton
not out 52 24 40 2 4 216.66
Jordan Cox
c Udara b Ratnayake
12 7 20 0 1 171.42
Will Jacks
not out 3 6 9 0 0 50.00
Extras (lb 1, nb 1, w 3) 5
Total
12.1 Ov (RR: 12.00)
146/4
Did not bat
Jamie Overton,
Liam Dawson,
Jofra Archer,
Adil Rashid,
Sonny Baker
Fall of wickets
1-51 (Aneurin Donald, 4.4 ov), 2-55 (Jos Buttler, 5.1 ov), 3-79 (Harry Brook, 6.6 ov), 4-136 (Jordan Cox, 10.6 ov)
Bowling O M R W ECON 0s WD NB
Dilshan Madushanka
2 0 22 0 11.00 3 0 0
Dushmantha Chameera
3 0 29
1
9.66 5 1 1
Wanindu Hasaranga
3 0 42
1
14.00 5 0 0
Eshan Malinga
2.1 0 27
1
12.46 3 1 0
Tharindu Ratnayake
