4th ODI ENG 293/8 V SL 300/9 - SL win by 7 runs

Jos Buttler made a superb century but England lost by seven runs to Sri Lanka, who levelled the one-day series at 2-2 with one game to go.

The 23-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman thrilled the Lord's crowd with a scintillating 121 from 74 balls.

His innings, and with it England's hopes, ended unceremoniously when he was run out in the final over.

Kumar Sangakkara set Sri Lanka on their way to 300-9 with a fine 112, which included 14 fours.

Match analysis

Phil Tufnell BBC Test Match Special

"England will be kicking themselves They will feel elated at seeing one of their team-mates play such an innings, but they will be deflated too. Perhaps they need more power at the top; they need to start the chase quicker.

"Sangakkara and Buttler played very different innings. The Sri Lankan just picked the gaps - effortless. But that was absolutely brutal by Buttler - absolutely box-office stuff."

If Sangakkara's innings proved the most important, Buttler's was the most explosive.

From the depths of 111-5, he smashed the fastest ODI century by an England player, hitting 11 fours and four sixes.

He and Ravi Bopara added 133 in 16.2 thrilling overs to keep pace with a required run-rate of more than nine an over.

Although Bopara fell for 51 with 57 needed off 32 balls, Buttler's explosive strokeplay carried England into the final over needing 12 to win.

However, Chris Jordan holed out at long-on off the second delivery and Buttler was comfortably run out chasing an impossible single off the fourth as the brilliant Lasith Malinga limited England to four runs.

Earlier, left-handed Sangakkara showed why he is considered one of the game's greats with a fluent 19th ODI century as he and fellow veteran Tillakaratne Dilshan (71) put on 172 for the second wicket after England won the toss.

They were aided by England's bowling, who struggled to find the movement that helped them bowl Sri Lanka out for 67 in the third ODI at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

Fastest England ODI hundreds

Jos Buttler: 61 balls v Sri Lanka, Lord's, 2014
Kevin Pietersen: 69 balls v South Africa, East London, 2005
Ravi Bopara: 74 balls v Ireland, Malahide, 2013
Marcus Trescothick: 76 balls v Bangladesh, The Oval, 2005
Paul Collingwood: 77 balls v Bangladesh, Trent Bridge, 2005

Left-arm seamer Harry Gurney claimed 4-55 in his fifth ODI, while James Anderson and Jordan shared four expensive wickets.

England's chase began sluggishly as captain Alastair Cook and opening partner Ian Bell fell to Malinga inside the first four overs.

Gary Ballance and Joe Root, who made 42 and 43 respectively, were steady but unspectacular as England struggled to build momentum - between the ninth and 31st overs they failed to score a boundary.

Once Eoin Morgan fell for 12 in the 29th over, it appeared England were heading for a forgettable defeat.

But Somerset's Buttler, who made his one-day debut in 2012, and Bopara rescued the hosts with the highest sixth-wicket stand in ODIs at Lord's.

After Buttler smashed Nuwan Kulasekara for two sixes and a four in the 46th over, an improbable victory was in sight with 36 needed from 24 balls.

But Malinga ensured the series would be decided at Edgbaston on Tuesday with an immaculate final over. 

ENG 293/8 (target 301)

WICKET - Cook lbw Malinga 1 (Eng 3-1)

Gone! Lasith Malinga strikes with his first ball. It just looked out, coming back to take middle and off. Maybe umpire Marais Erasmus thought the skipper got outside the line, maybe he thought it was bat first. Neither was correct. When the decision came, Cook threw his head back in disappointment. England's mountain gets a little higher.

WICKET - Bell c Jayawardene b Malinga 7 (10/2)


And another! How do you play Lasith Malinga when he's bowling this well? Well, you could start by not wafting your bat outside off stump. Full and quick to Ian Bell, shaping away and taking the edge of a limp blade. Mahela Jaywardene does the rest at first slip. England in all sorts of trouble.

WICKET Ballance c Sangakkara b Mendis 42 (94/3)

Something had to give and you always suspected it would be an England wicket. Gary Ballance, subdued for so long, looks for the reverse sweep off Ajantha Mendis and can only get a full-face contact through to wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara, who takes a very good catch. On balance (excuse the pun), a wicket may actually get England moving.

WICKET - Root c Mendis b Mathews 43 (Eng 107-4)


Now, I'm loathe to criticise because Joe Root is an England batsmen and I'm not. However, you have to say this has been a strange knock. Yes, he was asked to rebuild when England were two for nothing, but he has allowed pressure to build and then fallen in a very soft manner. Short from the returning Angelo Mathews, a sloppy pull shot from Root, top-edged to Ajantha Mendis at fine leg. Poor.


WICKET - Morgan st Sangakkara b Senanayake 12 (Eng 111-5)

Words fail me. How do you get stumped sweeping? Can you even call that a sweep? It was more of a cross-bat mow. Shimmy from Eoin Morgan, seen by the adjusting Sachithra Senanayake. Slightly shorter, missed by the Dubliner, Kumar Sangakkara does the rest. Sri Lanka so comfortable, they barely celebrated.

WICKET - Bopara c Thirimanne b Mendis 51 (Eng 244-6)

Gone! Is that the wicket that wins this match for Sri Lanka? Ravi Bopara trying to sweep Ajantha Mendis, getting a top edge to Lahiru Thirimanne at short fine leg. Captain Cook hangs his head, Bopara drags himself off to a wonderful ovation, while Sri Lanka whoop-whoop in relief. Another twist in this remarkable game.

WICKET - Jordan c Dilshan b Malinga 5 (Eng 290-7)

Full, smashed down the ground! Wait, where's he come from? Tillakaratne Dilshan running back from mid on and takes the catch. Chris Jordan goes, Dilshan waves his arms to the crowd. As important as the wicket, it's a dot ball. However, they have crossed, so Buttler will have the strike. 11 needed from four balls.

WICKET - Buttler run out 121 (Eng 292-8)

Absolutely brilliant from Lasith Malinga, the perfect yorker. Jos Buttler started running, but was easily beaten to the non-striker's stumps. After a moment's silence, Lord's breaks into deafening applause to acclaim Buttler. Quite simply, a wonderful knock that dragged England from despair to the brink of victory. Now, with eight needed off two, that chance looks gone. James Tredwell on strike, nine needed off two.

England card

 Cook lbw b Malinga 1
 Bell c M Jayawardene b Malinga 7
 Ballance c Sangakkara b A Mendis 42
 Root c A Mendis b Mathews 43
 Morgan st Sangakkara b Senanayake 12
 Bopara c Thirimanne b A Mendis 51
 Buttler run out Malinga 121
 Jordan c Dilshan b Malinga 5
 Tredwell not out 1
 Anderson not out 0
 Extras 1nb 3w 6lb 10
 Total for 8 293

IPL Qualifier 2 KXIP V CSK

Kings XI Punjab 226 for 6 (Sehwag 122, Miller 38) beat Chennai Super Kings 202 for 7 (Raina 87, Dhoni 42*) by 24 runs

Chennai Super Kings were making a chase of 227 look absurdly simple. 

Suresh Raina seemed to be batting in a trance that was slowing down time, and slowing down cricket-ball physics, as if he were a character in a dodgy, CGI-heavy action film. Raina was making Virender Sehwag's 58-ball 122 from earlier in the day look like an everyday sort of innings.

Super Kings were 100 for 2 after six overs. It was the highest Powerplay score in Twenty20 cricket. Raina was batting on 87 off 25 balls. The asking rate, which had been 11.35 at the start of the chase, was now 9.07.

It looked as if only a run-out could end Raina's eerie innings. And this was exactly what happened, following a smart piece of captaincy and an even smarter piece of fielding, both from George Bailey. 

Having brought on Karanveer Singh, the legspinner, and having brought the field in to deny Brendon McCullum the easy single, Bailey himself was called on to capitalise on the batsman's over-eagerness to bring Raina back on strike. Bailey sprinted hard to his left, picked up the ball, transferred it to his throwing hand, and released a hard, flat throw, all this on the turn.

The direct hit caught Raina well short. The throw broke the wicket, and broke the spell that Raina had cast over the game. The magnitude of the target dawned anew on Super Kings, and the magnitude of the total they were defending injected fresh belief into the Kings XI players. Having scored 100 in the first six overs, Super Kings could only manage 102 off the last 14, and even a customary last-ball six from MS Dhoni could not prevent defeat by 24 runs.

Raina found himself in the middle in the first over of the chase, after Mitchell Johnson had sent back Faf du Plessis with a short ball that had gotten big on him. As soon as he arrived, Raina seemed to be batting in a bubble. He tore into Sandeep Sharma in the second over, shredding him for three fours and a six through and over his favourite extra-cover and midwicket areas. Three fours and three sixes - the pick of them a pull over deep backward square leg off Johnson - followed in the next three overs, taking Raina to 55 off 18.

He had reached his fifty in 16 balls, and become the second-quickest to the mark in the IPL, but he hadn't even slipped into top gear. That happened in the sixth over, in which the unfortunate Parvinder Awana - went for 33, in a sequence that read 6, 6, 4, 4, 4 (no ball), 4, 4. It was crisp hitting all the way through, but two shots stood out: a six hit straight over the bowler's head, effortlessly, with a perfectly straight bat and minimal follow-through, and a flick off his toes that screamed past midwicket for four.

That, though, was to be it for Raina, who didn't face a single ball outside the Powerplay, thanks in part to Bailey, thanks in part to his own insistence in running that risky single despite McCullum's hesitation. And that was to be it for Super Kings as well. Raina had tore up a massive chunk of their target in no time, but their remaining batsmen simply couldn't get going.

They also made a couple of tactical decisions that were, in hindsight, questionable: Ravindra Jadeja and David Hussey walked in ahead of Dhoni, who finally came in with 87 required from 47 balls, with too little firepower left in the dugout. The task proved well beyond an out-of-sorts Dhoni in the end.

Before Raina pushed it to the background, the evening had been lit up by Virender Sehwag's second IPL century. 

Coming towards the close of a season in which he has steadily gathered form, the Sehwag who burst upon the Wankhede came very close to resembling the Sehwag of his peak years, merciless on the smallest amount of width, disdainful against the spinners, and equally capable of stinging power and cheeky placement. 

His spectacles might have lent him an avuncular air at the crease, but he was as alert to the possibility of a quick single as he used to be in his Test-match opening partnerships with Gautam Gambhir four or five years ago.

With Super Kings' bowlers feeding him a juicy, back-of-a-length diet interspersed with full-tosses (they bowled 17 in all), Sehwag raced along at a strike rate of over 200, outshining all of his teammates in the process. Manan Vohra only scored 34 out of an opening stand of 110, Glenn Maxwell 13 out of a second-wicket stand of 38 and David Miller 31 out of a third-wicket partnership of 63.

When du Plessis took a difficult diving effort at extra cover to send back Sehwag, Kings XI were 211 for 3 with 11 balls to go. It was the third time in three matches this season that they had crossed 200 against Super Kings. For the third time, their batting firepower set them up for a comfortable victory. For six unreal overs, though, their total looked glaringly inadequate. 

IPL Eliminator MI V CSK

Chennai Super Kings 176 for 3 (Raina 54*, D Hussey 40*, Harbhajan 2-27) beat Mumbai Indians 173 for 8 (Simmons 67, Mohit 3-42) by 7 wickets

After a few off games, Chennai Super Kings held on to all their catches, after which Mumbai Indians fumbled in the field to clear the qualifier passage for the most consistent team in the IPL history. 

The game was won and lost in the final few overs of Mumbai's innings when they went from 140 for 2 in 16 overs to 173 for 8 in 20. Lendl Simmons' half-century had set them up beautifully, but Mumbai batsmen fell one after the other as Super Kings bowler remained accurate and stifled them with changes of pace. 

An edgy but quick start to the chase was driven home by Suresh Raina, who earlier in the day made his India comeback as the ODI captain.

Mumbai wouldn't have excepted such a facile defeat after a rollicking start provided by former Super Kings opener Michael Hussey and Simmons. They added 76 in 9.4 overs, finding gaps regularly and using the quick outfield and the slope of the Brabourne Stadium. 

A big, fighting total looked on the cards when Corey Anderson raced away to 20 off 10. R Ashwin, who had bowled well without success until then, drew a top edge to send Anderson back with the first ball of the 13th over.

A platform had been set nonetheless, and Super Kings were still looking at a stiff target. And Mumbai seemed well on their way, with 41 runs off the next 23 balls, but like he had done earlier, Ravindra Jadeja provided another breakthrough with Simmons' wicket. 

The ball had been turning, but this one didn't, and the Super Kings spinners did their job with just 57 runs in their eight overs. Their contribution was crucial because Brendon McCullum's comeback had meant Super Kings had no overseas bowlers.

Mohit Sharma and Ashish Nehra ended well as Mumbai kept mis-hitting the big ones and kept finding the deep fielders. Quite opposite was the start of the Super Kings innings. Praveen Kumar looked more incisive than any of the Super Kings quicks, but he was denied by Umpire Bruce Oxenford, who let Dwayne Smith get away with possibly the plumbest lbw of the IPL season. 

Oxenford suggested the ball was going down; it was Mumbai that were going down after this decision. Corey Anderson suffered at the hand of his fielders, when Harbhajan Singh and Ambati Rayudu converged to attempt Faf du Plessis' catch, with neither going for it.

Harbhajan did manage to pull things back, though, with slow loopy offbreaks to take out both the openers after they had raced to 60 in the first six overs. 

With the ball turning and gripping, it seemed we could have a tight chase, a feeling reinforced by McCullum getting stumped to make it 87 for 3 with 10.3 overs to go. Raina, though, went on to display some of his vintage IPL form, in the company of David Hussey.

There never seemed any panic around. His six over extra cover, off the bowling of Harbhajan, was the turning point in this innings. 

Even though D Hussey struggled to get going at the start, Raina kept the asking rate in check with well-placed shots that weren't necessary boundaries. As Super Kings took the game further without the asking rate getting out of hand, Mumbai kept getting pushed out with no death bowler in their ranks.

Raina, who has played every Super Kings match in the history of the IPL, soon matched the record for most scores of 50 or more in the event, 23, by which time D Hussey had also got into the act and all but ended the game. 

3rd ODI ENG 73/0 beat SL 67 by 10 wickets

SL 67

WICKET Dilshan c Buttler b Anderson 2 SL 4/1

Textbook from Jimmy Anderson. He is denied a second maiden over when his final set of six is, perhaps harshly, called wide. Undeterred, the Burnley Express chugs in for an extra crack at Tillakaratne Dilshan and the Sri Lanka opener is caught behind playing at one that swings back in. A diving Jos Buttler takes a smart catch to his left behind the stumps.

WICKET Thirimanne c Buttler b Anderson 7 SL 13/2

James Anderson strikes again. Seeing Lahiru Thirimanne advancing down the track, he digs one in and the batsman, playing a rather reckless shot, edges behind to a grateful Jos Buttler.

WICKET Sangakkara c Buttler b Jordan 13 SL 32/3


Superb bowling from Chris Jordan, who is learning very quickly on the job. His opening delivery is too loose and carved past backward point for four, but next up he pushes his length forward a fraction which is just enough to have Kumar Sangakkara caught behind when playing a lavish cover drive.

WICKET Chandimal c Bell b Jordan 6 SL 45/4


Another one bites the dust - and Dinesh Chandimal has nobody to blame but himself. The right-hander plays an extravagant lofted drive through the off side and picks out the safe hands of Ian Bell at extra cover.

WICKET Jayawardene lbw b Tredwell 12 SL 58/5


It's all going England's way now as Mahela Jayawardene misses a straight one and is out leg-before wicket. That was plumb, and Jaywardene knows it as he trudges off the field.

WICKET Mathews c Buttler b Jordan 11 SL 60/6

Sri Lanka can't seem to deal with the England bowlers' ploy of bowling just back of a length, and Angelo Mathews is the latest to perish playing a horrible shot. That's now three wickets for Chris Jordan and four catches for Jos Buttler.

WICKET Priyanjan (run out Bopara) 2 SL 65/7


Dare I suggest that Sri Lanka's lower-order is a little rattled by Chris Jordan. The over begins with Nuwan Kulasekara ducking beneath another bouncer and after getting down to the safety of the non-striker's end, he is pulled through for a crazy single by Ashan Priyanjan who is sent packing by Ravi Bopara's swift pick-up and throw.


WICKET Kulasekara c Tredwell b Jordan 5 SL 65/8


The fast and furious nature of Chris Jordan's bowling earns him his fourth wicket of the evening, and England's eighth, when he squares up Nuwan Kulasekara who edges to the safe hands of James Tredwell at second slip.


WICKET Senanayake c sub Woakes b Tredwell 0  SL 65/9


Sri Lanka are just gifting their wickets now - Sachithra Senanayake choosing to try hitting the first ball he faces out of the ground and picking out substitute fielder Chris Woakes on the long-on boundary.

WICKET Malinga lbw b Jordan 2 SL 67 all out


67 (Sixty-seven) all out! Full and fast from Chris Jordan and Lasith Malinga is trapped in his crease. A huge appeal and the umpire gives it out to complete a truly sensational England fielding display. What a comeback from 99 all out on Sunday.


Thirimanne c Buttler b Anderson 7 
Dilshan c Buttler b Anderson 2 
Sangakkara c Buttler b Jordan 13
Jayawardene lbw b Tredwell 12
Chandimal c Bell b Jordan 6
Mathews c Buttler b Jordan 11
Priyanjan (run out Bopara) 2 
Kulasekara c Tredwell b Jordan 5
Senanayake c sub Woakes b Tredwell 0
Malinga lbw b Jordan 2
Herath not out 0
Extras 4w 3lb 7


Anderson 7-2-10-2, Gurney 6-1-23-0, Jordan 8-0-29-5, Tredwell 3-1-2-2.

ENG 73/0 

 Cook not out 30 
 Bell not out 41 
 Extras 2w 2

IPL Qualifier 1 KKR V KXIP

Kolkata Knight Riders 163 for 8 (Uthappa 42, Karanveer 3 for 40) beat Kings XI Punjab 135 for 8 (Saha 35, Yadav 3 for 13) by 28 runs

Robin Uthappa prolonged a stellar season and took the record for the most runs scored by an Indian batsman in an IPL season. Gautam Gambhir, though scratchy with the bat, had helmed an impressive turnaround by Kolkata Knight Riders. 

The satisfaction of an eighth successive victory was sweetened all the more when both players returned into national reckoning. Knight Riders eased into the IPL final, Uthappa found a place for the ODI tour of Bangladesh and Gambhir could contemplate a Test comeback in England.

Rain tends to favour chasing teams, if it's impact is expected. On Wednesday, sunny skies welcomed Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders but as the evening waned, the weather soured. Kings XI would not have been flustered by a target of 164, but the advent of a non-stop drizzle in the third over meant they had to tackle one of the wilier bowling attacks with the prospect of the match being curtailed at any given moment. 

Having fallen behind the Duckworth-Lewis equation, one of the most assured batting line-ups suddenly looked out of their depth, but they have another crack on Friday when they meet the winner of the eliminator. 

The jitters began when Manan Vohra, empowered by a few solid hits, miscued to long-on. His 26 off 19 had originally put Kings XI ahead on the rain rule but now they were four runs behind par. Glenn Maxwell's attempts to dance around the crease to upset the bowler's rhythm backfired when he was found plumb in front. Kings XI were 11 behind and the downward spiral steepened.

Umesh Yadav was not among those bound for England in July. His chosen way to vent was an opening spell of 2 for 12 in three overs. As rain persisted, the batsmen were uncertain regarding the length of the match and the approach they should employ. If they took undue risks and the game ended up lasting the 20 overs, they could end up without enough batsmen. If they didn't press on, Knight Riders would clinch the game with ease.

Wriddhiman Saha and David Miller flailed at the crease, attempting to hit on the up and hack across the line, and by the time their struggle came to an end their side was more than 20 runs behind the Duckworth-Lewis equation. 

With the umpires doing their best to ensure a full game - at one point they waved the invading groundsmen off the field to ensure five overs of the chase were completed - the Knight Riders spinners continued the strangle. 

Shakib Al Hasan and Piyush Chawla grabbed a wicket, while conceding only 11 runs in three overs, as Kings XI meandered to 97 for 6 in after 16 overs. George Bailey attempted a counterattack, but Sunil Narine kept the penultimate over to four runs to all but seal the result.

Spin had played a prominent part in the first innings as well. Akshar Patel snared the in-form Robin Uthappa and a struggling Manish Pandey in the same over. Karanveer Singh furthered his stocks with three wickets. However, in between their strikes Knight Riders had benefited from important cameos to secure a formidable total.

Uthappa was at his fluent best again, depositing Mitchell Johnson and Parvinder Awana into the crowd with authoritative pulls. Having showcased his skills off the back foot, he drilled some eye-catching drives both through and over the off side field to fuel his 10th 40-plus score on the trot. 

His exit however seemed to drain Knight Riders' momentum until Yusuf Pathan and Shakib Al Hasan contributed 41 off 33 balls in the push towards the death overs.

Both batsmen fell just before a 20-minute break for rain, but Chawla, Suryakumar Yadav and Ryan ten Doeschate managed 49 runs in the final four overs to provide more than enough cushion for their bowling attack. 

IPL Match 56 MI V RR

Mumbai Indians 195 for 5 in 14.4 overs (Anderson 95*) beat Rajasthan Royals 189 for 4 (Samson 74, Nair 50) by five wickets

The scenes at the Wankhede Stadium were scarcely believable as Mumbai Indians' turnaround of a campaign that had begun so disastrously culminated in the most fairy-tale of finishes. 

As Aditya Tare swung his first ball - James Faulkner's leg-stump full toss - over long leg to give Mumbai the boundary they needed to claw into the playoffs, Rahul Dravid rose from the dugout and flung his Rajasthan Royals cap to the ground as the team he was mentoring completed the most spectacular of meltdowns to lose an un-loseable game.

The shambles that caused Dravid to lose his temper would have broken less-composed men much sooner. Despite the mad-scientist experiments in their last few matches, Royals had gone into this game with a hand full of aces. Mumbai Indians, having decided to chase, needed to achieve whatever target they were set in 14.3 overs to get ahead on net run rate. Royals set them 190.

Corey Anderson, whom Mumbai picked in place of fast bowler Marchant de Lange, played the attack-shredding innings he had been bought to play but had failed to produce so far in the tournament. 

However, when Mumbai needed nine off three deliveries to win in 14.3 overs and qualify for the playoffs, Anderson could manage only a single off Faulkner's first to move to 95 off 44 balls and take his place at the non-striker's end.

Faulkner had eight runs to defend off two balls, but that equation lurched heavily in favour of Mumbai when he delivered a leg-stump full toss that Ambati Rayudu smacked over the long-leg boundary. 

Rayudu then mis-timed what should have been the decisive ball of the match into the covers and would have been run out had Shane Watson hit at the bowler's end. But the throw was inaccurate and Rayudu was eventually run out attempting the overthrow that would have given Mumbai all they needed.

That moment in the field capped a horrendous match for the Royals captain. Watson's timing had been incredibly poor during his struggle for 8 off 18 balls after opening the innings, and then he conceded 33 off two wicketless overs. As Mumbai began building the momentum of a runaway train, Watson looked listless and frazzled, and at times Brad Hodge was seen marshalling fielders to their positions.

As Rayudu sank to his knees after his dismissal, gutted because he thought Mumbai had fallen so agonisingly short, chaos broke out around him. 

Calculators went to work off the field, the batsmen and fielders crowded the umpires for clarification, and play halted for several minutes. 

Some Royals players had begun to celebrate - 14.3 overs had been bowled and the scores were only tied, Mumbai had not won - but substitutes ran out with the message that it was not done yet. 

If Mumbai hit a boundary off the next ball, they would make it. And then Faulkner bowled an staggeringly loose full toss, Tare hit it for six, got in Watson's face, tugged his jersey over her head and celebrated like a footballer. Beyond the boundary, Dravid threw down his cap.

The hero on the night was the man striding off the field, chest puffed, and wearing a smile as broad as his shoulders. Anderson had played only because Mumbai were in desperate need of men who could hit a long ball. His team-mates - Lendl Simmons, Michael Hussey, Kieron Pollard and Rohit Sharma - came out swinging but soon ran out of steam. Anderson's guns never stopped firing. 

2nd ODI ENG 99 V SL (256/8) (SL win by 157 runs)

England were skittled out for 99 as Sri Lanka levelled the five-match one-day international series at 1-1 with a 157-run win at Chester-le-Street.

Tillakaratne Dilshan made 88 as Sri Lanka posted a respectable 256-8.

England were reduced to 29-4 as seamer Nuwan Kulasekara (3-15) wreaked havoc while Sachithra Senanayake took 3-13.

Eoin Morgan top scored with 40 as England were all out in the 27th over, their heaviest ever home ODI defeat in terms of runs and fifth worst anywhere.

Lowest England ODI totals

86: v Australia, Manchester, 2001
88: v Sri Lanka, Dambulla, 2003
89: v New Zealand, Wellington, 2002
93: v Australia, Leeds, 1975
94: v Australia, Melbourne, 1979

As dispiriting as England's innings was, with shades of the disastrous Australia tour last winter, Sri Lanka were rewarded for some disciplined batting.

They been huddled together for warmth under several layers in the dressing room after being put in by Morgan, captaining England after Alastair Cook withdrew because of groin trouble.

And although Lahiru Thirimanne cut loose on one occasion to heave Harry Gurney over mid-wicket for six, only 33 had been scored when James Anderson had the left-hander smartly caught at second slip by James Tredwell off the final ball of the ninth over.

After Anderson's impressive opening spell of 1-14 from six overs, Dilshan compiled a crucial 96 from 132 balls with Kumar Sangakkara, who played for Durham earlier this season, content to play in orthodox fashion on a slow, seaming wicket.

It was not until he reached his 35th half century from 63 balls that Dilshan, in his 279th ODI, unveiled his trademark scoop shot and it was 129-1 in the 31st over when Sangakkara played an uncharacteristic heave across the line to Tredwell.

That brought in the other Sri Lankan with in excess of 24,000 international runs to his name, Mahela Jayawardene, but he was out less than two overs later, run out by Gary Ballance when going for a third, perhaps thinking Dilshan's cut was going to the boundary.

Analysis

Graham Onions England & Durham bowler on BBC Test Match Special

"England will be bitterly disappointed. I thought they would win because Sri Lanka didn't seem up for it with their woolly hats and gloves, but they were and England have been humiliated.

Who do you want to blame? England had no answer and maybe it's just one of those days but you'd say as a fan that it's not good enough."

Chris Jordan enhanced his reputation with a fine delivery that nipped back off the seam to clip Dilshan's middle stump in the 38th over but Gurney, who finished with a commendable 3-59, spilled Ashan Priyanjan in the outfield on five and he went on to hit two sixes in his rapid 43.

Anderson became the first England bowler to reach 250 ODI wickets but Ravi Bopara put down a straightforward catch and 15 wides in the innings helped Sri Lanka surpass the average total batting first on the ground of 234.

That total looked all the more challenging after England lost four wickets in the opening seven overs, with Kulasekara moving the ball sufficiently to cause problems as he claimed 3-9 from his first five overs.

Joe Root lost his off-stump to the mercurial Lasith Malinga and when Ravi Bopara was attempting to build a partnership with Morgan he was deceived by a sharply turning Senanayake delivery.

Jordan, whose powerful hitting helped England to 60 from the final four overs in the first match at The Oval, was trapped on the crease by Senanayake to leave England on 63-7 and in danger of failing to reach their previous ODI lowest total of 86.

Morgan, one of only two England players to reach double figures, struck two defiant sixes to at least prevent that ignominy, but with the dark clouds that frequently threatened rain failing to produce a stoppage of any kind, he was ninth out.

Sri Lanka completed a resounding victory and attention now turns to Old Trafford, Manchester, for the third match on Wednesday. 

SL 256/8

WICKET- Thirimanne c Tredwell b Anderson 10 (SL 33-1)

Lahiru Thirimanne is put out of his misery by James Anderson, who softens up the opener with a couple of short, brutish deliveries before getting one to nip away a fraction and the Sri Lankan guides the ball to James Tredwell at second slip. Wicket-maiden.

WICKET - Sangakkara c Buttler b Tredwell 40 (SL 129-2)

The pressure to up the rate gets to Kumar Sangakkara - the number three sweeping hard at James Tredwell but getting a big top edge and Jos Buttler runs round from behind the stumps to take a simple catch.

WICKET - Jayawardene run out 2 (SL 136-3)

England strike a crucial blow, but what was Mahela Jayawardene thinking? The ex-Sri Lankan skipper is pulled through for a third run by Tillakaratne Dilshan but good fielding on the boundary by Gary Ballance sees him return the ball with enough time for Jos Buttler to whip off the bails. Gone!

WICKET - Dilshan b Jordan 88 (SL 159-4)

What a beauty! Chris Jordan removes the Sri Lanka dangerman Tillakaratne Dilshan with one which nips back and takes the top of off. The death rattle which follows means only one thing - Dilshan's 101-ball knock is at an end.

WICKET - Mathews c Bopara b Gurney 30 (SL 225-5)

England finally catch one - Angelo Mathews going inside out when Harry Gurney goes round the wicket and the skipper's lofted shot picks out Ravi Bopara in the covers.

WICKET - Priyanjan c Morgan b Anderson 43 (SL 236-6)

Live by the sword, die by the sword. Ashan Priyanjan's entertaining 33-ball knock is ended when he aims a big shot at James Anderson's short delivery but finds the toe of the bat and Eoin Morgan swoops in from mid-on to take the catch.

WICKET - Chandimal c Bopara b Gurney 14 (SL 247-7)

After crashing another boundary through the covers, Dinesh Chandimal is sent packing when he slices a simple(ish) catch to Ravi Bopara at extra cover.

WICKET - Kulasekara c Root b Gurney 0 (SL 248-8)

A third wicket for Harry Gurney, who gets rid of Nuwan Kulasekara when the lower order biffer cracks one straight down the throat of Joe Root on the boundary.

ENG 46/5 (target 257) 

WICKET - Carberry c Sangakkara b Kulasekera 6 (Eng 19-1)

Michael Carberry can't most the most of his latest chance at the top of the England batting order and he is sent packing when he gets caught on his crease and nicks Nuwan Kulasekera behind to a grateful Kumar Sangakkara.

WICKET - Bell c Sangakkara b Kulasekara 12 (Eng 26-2)

Another horrible dismissal as Ian Bell tries to guide a short, wide delivery down to third man but ends up poking it into the gloves of wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara. Enter Joe Root.

WICKET - Root b Malinga 0 (Eng 27-3)

Bowled him! Lasith Malinga drags his length back and the ball does just enough to disturb Joe Root's timbers. The England batsman was stuck on the back foot and he's paid the price. England on the ropes a little bit.

WICKET - Ballance lbw b Kulasekara 5 (Eng 29-4)

This really is a crisis now. Bowling a delivery which James Anderson - the king of the swingers - would be proud of, Nuwan Kulasekara seams one back into the pads of the left-handed Gary Ballance and the finger goes up.

WICKET - Bopara b Senanayake 7 (Eng 46-5)

This could get embarrassing! Ravi Bopara ends up trapped in his crease and Sachithra Senanayake squeezes one through his defences. Bowled.

WICKET - Buttler c Senanayake b Mathews 4 (Eng 55-6)

Start the car? Jos Buttler is the latest to make his way back to the pavilion when he plays a horrible shot which ends with the ball popping up to a diving Sachithra Senanayake at mid-off.

WICKET - Jordan lbw b Senanayake 1 (Eng 63-7)

England are hurtling head-first towards a very embarrassing defeat here. Chris Jordan's the latest to head for the dressing room.

WICKET - Tredwell c Kulasekara b Senanayake 4 (Eng 73-8)

Game over? England could end up being bowled out for their lowest one-day international score here. That is currently 86, against Australia at Old Trafford in 2001. Sri Lankan need just two more wickets now as James Tredwell holes out rather tamely to long-on. A third wicket for Sachithra Senanayake.

WICKET - Morgan c Chandimal b Prasad 40 (Eng 95-9)

Eoin Morgan, who earlier in the over had top-edged a pull for six, goes for one big shot too many and is caught on the boundary by Dinesh Chandimal.

WICKET - Anderson b Senanayake (Eng 99 all out)

An ugly end to a pitiful batting performance as James Anderson aims a wild slog at Sachithra Senanayake and becomes the off-spinner's fourth wicket of the game. England are bowled out for a flakey ice cream (99!).

IPL Match 55 KXIP V DD

Kings XI Punjab 119 for 3 (Miller 47*, Vohra 47) beat Delhi Daredevils 115 (Pietersen 58, Awana 2-15) by seven wickets

Kings XI Punjab warmed up for the playoffs with a demolition of Delhi Daredevils, whose batting failure sent them crashing to a ninth successive defeat. 

Kevin Pietersen made his only fifty of the season, but he had next to no support as Daredevils were dismissed for 115 with nearly two overs remaining in their innings. 

Glenn Maxwell got his first duck of the tournament in the chase, but for a side that had made 190-plus six times this season, this target was easy meat. They took 13.5 overs to register their 11th win in 14 games.

It was the bowling which Kings XI would have wanted to fire ahead of the qualifier against Kolkata Knight Riders. The attack did not disappoint George Bailey, as all his five bowlers chipped in with wickets. Daredevils did have a promising partnership, between Pietersen and Dinesh Karthik, and the duo took them to 44 for 1 in the sixth over with a flurry of boundaries.

The promise was cut short by Parvinder Awana, whose double-wicket maiden stalled Daredevils. Karthik tried to turn one from off to leg, and the leading edge was snapped up at point. Kedar Jadhav tried to prevent the maiden with a charge down the pitch, but failed to clear mid-off.

Pietersen kept soldiering on at the other end. He struggled to find his timing initially, but soon did, and started piercing the off-side infield frequently. Twice in an over, he opened the face to pick the gap on cover drives against Mitchell Johnson's pace.

Speaking to the on-air commentators from the dugout after his dismissal, Karthik said it was a good batting pitch, but the rest of the Daredevils batsmen kept coming and going. 

Manoj Tiwary was run out after a mix-up with his captain, and JP Duminy mishit a slog-sweep off the legspinner Karanveer Singh.

Pietersen was the sixth man to fall for 58 off 41, to a marginal leg-before decision off Rishi Dhawan, with the ball arguably going down the leg side.

The seventh wicket summed it up for Daredevils. Karanveer bowled a wide half-tracker, and Jimmy Neesham sliced a cut to backward point. The tail fell apart in no time to the left-arm spinner Akshar Patel.

 

Mohammed Shami and Jaydev Unadkat worked up some pace and bounce, and reduced Kings XI to 16 for 2, the second wicket falling when Maxwell mishit a slog to Pietersen at mid-off. 

That was to be it for Daredevils as Manan Vohra and David Miller added 96 in ten overs to finish the match.

Vohra impressed with his uninhibited hitting again on his way to 47 off 38, and Miller went slightly quicker to end on an unbeaten 47 off 34. The match was played in overcast and very windy conditions, and the drizzle became heavier just as Vohra fell four runs short of victory. 

Daredevils' hopes had been washed way long ago. 

IPL Match 54 KKR V SRH

Kolkata Knight Riders 161 for 6 (Yusuf 72, Uthappa 41) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 160 for 7 (Dhawan 29, Sammy 29) by four wickets

There were 321 runs in 34.2 overs, and it was hard to say by the end of it if there had been more runs off the middle of the bat or its edges. There were dropped catches, run-outs, run-outs arising from dropped catches, and, in the middle of all this, a mad dash to make up a net-run-rate deficit. For most part, the match had been a comedy of errors, but by the time it ended, it was a genuine Twenty20 classic.

Kolkata Knight Riders needed to chase 161 to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad. They needed to do it in 15.2 overs to knock Chennai Super Kings off second place, and get two shots at reaching the final. When Yusuf Pathan walked in, they needed 106 from 47 balls. He was dropped before he had scored a run. He was dropped again when he was on 15. Neither was a difficult chance.

And then, out of nowhere, it all came together for him. Till today, Adam Gilchrist had held the record for the fastest IPL fifty. It had come off 17 balls. When Yusuf mowed Dale Steyn over deep midwicket for the fifth six of his innings, he had reached 50 in 15 balls. He took 26 off that over - 4, 6, 6, 4, 4, 2. By the time Yusuf holed out for 72 off 22 balls, the equation had come down to less than a run a ball. Knight Riders beat Sunrisers with 34 balls left to play. They beat Super Kings to second with a cushion of six balls.

The defeat knocked Sunrisers out of the tournament, leaving Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals to battle it out for fourth on Sunday. Sunrisers started the game with only a small chance of qualifying. Their selections - they left out Aaron Finch, and played Jason Holder and S Anirudha, neither of whom had played a match for them this season - and the general quality of their play only made it even more improbable. In the end, they were left needing to bowl Knight Riders out for 23 to overhaul Royals' net run rate.

Knight Riders' ask wasn't that improbable, but it could be argued that they made it harder for themselves than it could have been on a pitch that offered the quicker bowlers bounce and seam movement. After they opted to bowl, their three seamers, particularly Morne Morkel, extracted plenty of both, but they also sprayed it around.

After Morkel had bowled David Warner with the second ball of the match, Shikhar Dhawan and Naman Ojha put on 64 in 46 balls. Neither batsman looked convincing at the crease, and both interspersed boundary hits with plays-and-misses. Dhawan had five fours in his 31-ball 29, but also 18 dot balls. All of Ojha's 26 runs came in boundaries. His innings contained six scoring shots and 17 dots.

The remainder of Sunrisers' innings was just as low on cricketing quality, and full of incident. There were two dropped catches, three run-outs, and the furrow on Gautam Gambhir's brow grew wider and deeper with each top-edged slog that flew to the boundary. 

Even before the match had begun, Knight Riders had known roughly that they were in for a 15-over chase. A target of 131 would have required them to finish in 15.1 overs, a target of 201 in 15.3. It was up to them to keep Sunrisers to as low a total as possible.

As they began their chase of 161, Gambhir and Robin Uthappa had to contend with some early help for Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Steyn. They only scored seven off the first two overs, before they kicked into gear. Gambhir gave Bhuvneshwar the charge, Uthappa leaned into a couple of drives, and 13 came off the over.

It still looked difficult, though, and after Gambhir went, Uthappa and Manish Pandey ate up 17 balls in scoring 12 runs. Knight Riders then lost both Uthappa and Ryan ten Doeschate in the same over, and second place looked out of question. Had Anirudha at wide long-on or Steyn at deep square leg held on when Yusuf launched balls more or less straight at them, it would have been all over. They didn't, though.

And so, Parvez Rasool ended up conceding 22 off the only over he bowled. Yusuf hit a big six over cow corner, edged a slog thickly to the third-man boundary, hit another six off Steyn's palms, and found the long-on ropes via a fumble from Jason Holder. Two more sixes came off the next over, bowled by Karn Sharma. By now, Yusuf was hitting it cleanly, right out of the screws.

When Steyn began the 13th over, Knight Riders needed 45 off 20. Could he stop Yusuf? He couldn't. The first ball was clubbed back past him for four, the next two launched high and long for six. Steyn dug the next one in short, and Yusuf pulled him for four. Fifth ball, Yusuf slogged and edged another four past the keeper. This was now Steyn's most expensive over in the IPL. 

Steyn had applauded when AB de Villiers had launched an astonishing assault on him earlier in the season. Now, as the Eden Gardens became pure noise, his face froze into a pale, disbelieving grin. 

IPL Match 53 CSK V RCB

Chennai Super Kings 160 for 2 (du Plessis 54*, Dhoni 49*) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 154 for 6 (Kohli 73, Nehra 3-33) by eight wickets

Chennai Super Kings took a step closer towards finishing second ahead of the playoffs with a comprehensive eight-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore with 14 balls to spare. 

The nature of the victory meant that Kolkata Knight Riders would have to win really well against Sunrisers Hyderabad, in the second game of the evening to knock Super Kings off second position.

Super Kings had already qualified for the playoffs but following three consecutive defeats the fight for second place got tougher. Having failed to defend 185 in their previous game against Sunrisers, MS Dhoni decided that chasing was the way forward. Dhoni was an integral part of the chase, finishing the formalities with an unbeaten 49 while Faf du Plessis was the mainstay with 54.

The electric start provided by the Super Kings openers du Plessis and Dwayne Smith cut the target down to size very early on. Super Kings rocketed to 53 in the Powerplay, with Smith and du Plessis taking 18 off a Mitchell Starc over as the captain Virat Kohli shuffled his bowlers to restrict the openers. 

Smith fell to a soft dismissal in the fifth over, but with a strong platform in place, Super Kings could afford to build steadily and look for singles instead.

At one stage, Super Kings had gone 39 balls without a boundary as the Royal Challengers spinners bowled with greater control. But it didn't disturb Super Kings' flow as they were always comfortably placed to chase the target. Dhoni broke the boundary drought when he swept Yuzvendra Chahal down to fine leg.

Both Dhoni and du Plessis enjoyed reprieves though. Du Plessis, on 33, went down the track to Chahal and the ball brushed his glove and then lobbed off the pads before the wicketkeeper Yogesh Takawale claimed the catch. The fielders were confident but the umpire turned down the appeal. 

Takawale had himself to blame though when he missed an easy stumping off Dhoni, on 15, as the ball slipped between his legs and rolled for four byes. Dhoni took 22 off that over from Yuvraj Singh, hitting two towering sixes and after that, Super Kings knocked off the remaining 22 off just ten balls.

Royal Challengers in the end were short by plenty. They dropped an out-of-sorts Chris Gayle and went with the experimental opening duo of Rilee Rossouw and Yogesh Takawale. 

The experiment didn't pay as Royal Challengers lost their top three for 33 and it was down to Kohli and Yuvraj to practically build from the start. Yuvraj made a start, got to 25 before he holed out to deep midwicket.

Kohli went on to score his second fifty of the tournament, but unfortunately for Royal Challengers, he found his touch a bit too late in the competition. Kohli was strong against the spinners in particular, slogging and pulling each time they dropped short. 

AB de Villiers came in at No.6 but he lasted only six balls before he was bowled by Ashish Nehra going for a slog. Royal Challengers scored 44 off the last four overs to take the score past 150, with Kohli scoring nearly half the team runs. 

He didn't have the chance to sign off with pride in front of the team's loyal home fans, as the star-studded Royal Challengers turned in another flat IPL season. 

IPL Matches 51 MI V DD & 52 KXIP V RR

Mumbai Indians 173 (Hussey 56, Tahir 3-37) beat Delhi Daredevils 158 for 4 (Duminy 45*) by 15 runs

Mumbai Indians lost their last eight wickets for 33 runs, and were bowled out with three balls left to play. As Rohit Sharma watched his team collapse, the expression on his face went from incredulous to annoyed to angry. This, after all, was a must-win game for Mumbai if they wanted to retain any chance of qualifying for the playoffs.

Eight wickets for 33 runs. And yet, Mumbai won, and comfortably at that. They did just about enough either side of the collapse to keep their hopes alive.

Michael Hussey got them off to a flier with a 33-ball 56, and Mumbai had been looking at 200 before their innings came crashing down. Chasing 174, Delhi Daredevils never got any real momentum going. JP Duminy and Manoj Tiwary kept them alive with an 85-run fourth-wicket partnership, but 32 from the last two overs proved beyond their reach. Marchant de Lange and Jasprit Bumhah bowled two excellent overs to close out a 15-run win for Mumbai.

Sent in to bat, Mumbai profited from some ordinary bowling at the start to run away to 65 for no loss at the end of the Powerplay and 100 for 1 after 10 overs. Siddarth Kaul and Jaydev Unadkat kept drifting down leg to Hussey, and he kept playing pick-up shots and pulls into the gaps on the leg-side boundary.

Imran Tahir's introduction did nothing to slow Mumbai down. On the contrary, it brought Lendl Simmons into the game. He took three fours off the over, two with his favourite square cut - off back foot and then front foot - to capitalise on the width offered by the legspinner.

The dismissal of Simmons brought Rohit Sharma in, and he was soon capitalising on some width of his own - this time offered by JP Duminy, who bowled short and wide despite having only deep cover on the off-side boundary. Mumbai were going at close to 10 an over, and even the first few wickets didn't slow them down. Kieron Pollard hit the first ball he faced for six. Aditya Tare caressed the first two balls he faced to the off-side boundary.

The slide really began when Ambati Rayudu picked out long-off off Shahbaz Nadeem, and soon batsmen were holing out and running themselves out all over the place. Mumbai didn't even play out their full 20 overs. On this pitch, a target of 174 didn't look like all that much.

But Daredevils, as they have so often done this season, batted pretty well without ever giving their opponents a real scare. They got off the blocks quickly enough, with Kevin Pietersen striking three fours off de Lange in the second over of the chase, and were 43 for no loss after five overs. The next five overs, however, brought them only 19 runs and cost them three wickets.

Shreyas Gopal had M Vijay stumped with an enticingly loopy legbreak that the batsman flailed at and missed, but the bowlers didn't have to do too much to earn the next two wickets. Pietersen was bowled trying to switch-hit Harbhajan; Dinesh Karthik was bowled trying to scoop a full, straight ball from de Lange.

Daredevils were left needing 112 from their last 10 overs. They stayed in the hunt, with Duminy clinical in targeting the midwicket area, and Tiwary getting into good positions against the spinners to slog-sweep or hit inside out. 

When de Lange started the penultimate over by giving away two free runs with a chest-high full toss to Duminy, it looked like Mumbai could come to regret their batting meltdown.

But de Lange quickly recalibrated his radar, and found the blockhole three times in the next six balls. He also dismissed Duminy, and 30 off 12 balls became 25 off six. There was still an outside chance, but Jasprit Bumrah quickly snuffed that out with some yorkers of his own. 

Mumbai hadn't been at their best, and had put themselves in some extremely sticky spots, but they were still breathing, just about, at the end of it. 

Kings XI Punjab 179 for 4 (Marsh 40) beat Rajasthan Royals 163 for 8 (Faulkner 35*, Karanveer 2-16, Dhawan 2-25) by 16 runs

Kings XI Punjab ensured they would finish top of the table with their tenth win of the season, handing a comprehensive defeat to Rajasthan Royals. The result kept the final playoff spot open, with Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad's hopes alive, along with Royals', going into the final round of matches.

All of the Kings XI top six, without the rested Glenn Maxwell, contributed to push them to 179 for 4 after they were asked to bat. Virender Sehwag and Manan Vohra provided the initial boost, Shaun Marsh and Wriddhiman Saha kept them going in the middle stages, and David Miller and George Bailey powered away to a big finish.

Barring a shortlived starting surge from Karun Nair, Royals were never allowed to get ahead in the chase. Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson were tied down, before Rishi Dhawan broke through with the wickets of Rahane and Shane Watson off successive deliveries. 

Legspinner Karanveer Singh, on IPL debut, struck twice in successive overs as Royals slid to 83 for 5 at the start of the 14th over, a position from which there was no coming back.

Kings XI pulled ahead early when Sehwag started with three successive boundaries in the first over off seamer Vikramjeet Malik, who was playing his first match of the season. 

Sehwag fell soon for 18 off 8, and Manan Vohra took over. Vohra was in superb touch again, a smooth pick-up off Watson ending up way over the deep midwicket boundary. But Vohra ran himself out in careless fashion after Kings XI had built a solid base of 53 for 1 in six overs.

There was little let-up in the scoring though as Wriddhiman Saha pulled and paddled Pravin Tambe for consecutive fours. Saha and Marsh kept finding at least a boundary an over against the legspinners Tambe and Tewatia. Even as Kings XI motored past 100, Marsh fell against the run of play, lofting Malik to long-on, before there was a short delay due to a drizzle.

Only 20 runs came in four overs after the break, and Kings XI also lost Saha to a well-judged take on the straight boundary from Rahane off Tewatia. At 133 for 4 after 17 overs, Kings XI were still in need of a final assault, and Miller and Bailey provided it. James Faulkner was taken for 23 in the penultimate over as 46 came off the last three.

Rahane struggled to score freely and though Samson began with a couple of boundaries, the partnership was always facing a climbing asking-rate. Dhawan's double-strike in the ninth over hurt Royals, and Karanveer slowed them down further with aggressive, accurate legspin.

Again, Brad Hodge and Faulkner came in with too much to do and too little time available. They tried their best, hitting frenetic thirties. It was credit to them that they brought down the margin of defeat significantly when 77 were needed off the last four. 

Faulkner kept slamming sixes till the very end, and it was a pity he could face only 13 deliveries.