Splendid stuff from Sri Lanka, worthy victors once again with Sanath Jayasuriya cruising to the Man-of-the-Match award with a brilliant century and a vital, constricting, bowling spell. But England really are a shambles at this form of the game. Perhaps it's something to do with the looming World Cup - 1996, 1999 and 2003 were distinctly average vintages as well. Or perhaps they've all got hot seats for tonight's footie
Either way, well done Jamie Dalrymple for putting up a fight, Kevin Pietersen for having a go, and Steve Harmison for keeping it tight. As for the rest ... oh well, there's always next Saturday at Chester-le-Street.
Thanks for tuning in, hope you've enjoyed it all, and don't forget to read Andrew McGlashan's typically feisty bulletin, in which he tells it like it really is. Will Luke, our man at The Oval, will add his thoughts once he's heard what the players have to say.
This is Andrew Miller saying thanks and goodbye. You can go and watch the footie now
SJ Harmison run out 2 (3m 3b 0x4 0x6) SR: 66.66
END OF OVER:46 | 10 Runs 1 Wkt | ENG: 269/9 (51 runs required from 24 balls, RR: 5.84, RRR: 12.75)
- Tim Bresnan10 (8b)
- Steve Harmison0 (0b)
- Lasith Malinga8-0-45-2
- Muthiah Muralidaran9-0-48-1
Still, Harmison has been known to swat a few in his time ...
LE Plunkett run out 3 (3m 3b 0x4 0x6) SR: 100.00
Situations such as these are precisely why one-day cricket will never, ever, be a patch on a good Test match. When a game is dead, it is horribly dead, and I'm all set to eat my words when this pair lambast England to a famous, nay miraculous, victory. Anyway, rant over
END OF OVER:45 | 6 Runs 1 Wkt | ENG: 259/8 (61 runs required from 30 balls, RR: 5.75, RRR: 12.20)
- Tim Bresnan3 (5b)
- Liam Plunkett0 (0b)
- Muthiah Muralidaran9-0-48-1
- Sanath Jayasuriya9-0-51-3
SI Mahmood run out 4 (3m 4b 1x4 0x6) SR: 100.00