Sri Lanka V England: Winners and Losers from the ODI Series
Sri Lanka wrapped up a 5-2 series victory over England on Tuesday with a commanding 87-run triumph in the seventh and final match.
The result in Colombo was the perfect way for legendary duo Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara to sign off on home soil in 50-over cricket, though both will be playing on through to the 2015 World Cup.
The series was also just what Sri Lanka needed after they had been swept 5-0 in India.
England, meanwhile, return home with more questions than answers. At one stage they cut the gap to 3-2, though at no stage were they ever able to get back on level terms with their opponents.
With the series all over, we pick out those players who prospered and those who faltered. Do you agree with our selections? Have your say by using the comments section.
Winner: Joe Root
1 of 10
Not even a bad elbow or a sore hip could prevent Joe Root from finishing the series on top of the batting averages for England.
The Yorkshireman showed his value with 367 runs and although he only picked up one wicket with his right-arm off-spin, his bowling was economical enough for someone used as a part-time option.
Root provided one of the highlights of the trip for the tourists when he made an unbeaten 104 in the truncated fifth ODI in Pallekele, helping the tourists chase down a target of 240 on a slow, low wicket on the reserve day.
With the baby-faced batsman, 23, now settled at four in the order, England need to just make sure one of their few success stories of the tour is fit to play a key role at the World Cup.
Loser: Alastair Cook
2 of 10
A lack of runs and another series defeat has left Alastair Cook facing serious questions over his future as England captain in one-day cricket.
Will the selectors continue to show faith in him, or will they take the brave option and make a major change so close to a major tournament?
This is a situation he has already been through in the Test arena. Back in the English summer he showed tremendous mental strength to turn not only his own form around but also that of the team.
The question remains, however, whether Cook simply has the skills to open in the 50-over format. What makes him such a superb Test player—an ability to absorb deliveries, bat for long periods and grind out runs—are not traits required of an opening batsman in the shorter forms of the game.
The left-hander managed 119 runs in his six innings; he was forced to sit out the fourth ODI as punishment for England's persistent over-rate issues. Eoin Morgan captained the side in his absence.
Winner: Kumar Sangakkara
3 of 10
The numbers—454 runs at an average of over 75—make you wonder just why Kumar Sangakkara is going to retire from one-day cricket after the World Cup.
His hundred in the sixth match in Pallekele, watched on by so many of his friends and family at his home ground, was a masterclass in how to compile a one-day innings. It also helped the hosts seal the series with a game to spare.
Before that knock of 112 he had made four half-centuries in a row. Another big score looked on the cards in the last game, only for the left-hander to hit a full toss from Moeen Ali to mid-wicket having coasted to 33.
The wicketkeeper also had a good series with the gloves. Fittingly, he finished things off in Colombo in the final ODI with a stumping off the bowling of long-time team-mate Mahela Jayawardene.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Loser: Ben Stokes
4 of 10
A grand total of 22 runs in two innings and an economy rate of 10.62 from his eight overs—it is safe to say the tour did not go according to plan for Ben Stokes.
While he can point to a lack of serious opportunities with the bat, having been sent in at eight on both occasions, the Durham all-rounder looked so lost with the ball in his hand that England captain Alastair Cook seemingly could not trust him.
The struggles of Stokes in Sri Lanka may end up meaning he finds himself stuck in a role as a spectator, rather than a squad member, for the World Cup.
His hopes of making the 15-man squad were not helped by Chris Woakes, a rival for the all-rounder slot, taking 14 wickets in the series and also weighing in with some useful runs down the order.
Winner: Moeen Ali
5 of 10
The decision by England team management to push Moeen Ali up to open the innings proved a success in Sri Lanka. It seems highly unlikely now that he will be shifted from the role before the World Cup.
In the opening one-dayer he put the tourists on course to chase down a target of 318 with a thrilling hundred. The left-hander hit 11 fours and five sixes as he made 119 from just 87 balls in Colombo.
His maiden ODI three-figure score ended up being in a losing cause, and he finished the series with a whimper, twice dismissed trying to be too aggressive in the face of Sri Lanka opening the bowling with spin.
Still, there are two strings to the Worcestershire player's bow, and his bowling was steady throughout. He may have claimed just the five wickets but his economy rate was a respectable 5.14.
Loser: Eoin Morgan
6 of 10
Eoin Morgan can be grateful that the struggles of his captain have helped overshadow his own worrying form with the bat.
A crucial component of the England side in 50 and 20-over cricket, Morgan mustered a mere 90 runs against Sri Lanka. That number is even more concerning when you consider he made 62 of those in one innings.
That half-century came in the match where the Irishman took over the captaincy from the suspended Alastair Cook. If he was in a better place with his own game right now, Morgan would be the obvious candidate to takeover from current skipper on a permanent basis.
Such were his struggles in Sri Lanka that the left-hander was pushed down a place to six in the order.
Winner: Tillakaratne Dilshan
7 of 10
Tillakaratne Dilshan saved his best for last in the series, although he was actually a steady performer throughout for Sri Lanka.
When England finally got rid of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara relatively cheaply in the seventh ODI, Dilshan duly delivered when his team needed him with his first hundred of the year in 50-over cricket.
The all-rounder finished up with 357 runs in the series at an average of 51, having also managed two half-centuries to go with his three-figure score.
Not content with his batting exploits, Dilshan finished up comfortably as the leading wicket-taker (12) for the home team. He was often asked by skipper Angelo Mathews to open the bowling.
Loser: Kusal Perera
8 of 10
Apart from the long-term fitness of Lasith Malinga, the major issue for Sri Lanka looking ahead to the World Cup is the opening position in one-day cricket.
Kusal Perera was given ample opportunities alongside Tillakaratne Dilshan against England to push his claims for the role, yet in five knocks he could only muster 99 runs at an average of 19.80.
His career average is not too much better than what he finished with in the series. At 24 there is still time for Perera, who could be the long-term replacement for Kumar Sangakkara behind the stumps, to come again in 50-over cricket.
Sri Lanka used Mahela Jayawardene in the opening role for the final two matches of the series, though it remains to be seen if they continue with that strategy on the upcoming tour of New Zealand.
Winner: James Taylor
9 of 10
After patiently waiting for another chance with England, James Taylor made sure he grabbed the opportunity with both hands when it finally came his way.
It took the suspension of Alastair Cook to create a space for the diminutive batsman but, batting at three, he cashed in with a fine innings of 90 in the oppressive heat of Colombo in the fourth ODI.
The Nottinghamshire right-hander followed that up with 68 in a winning cause next time out, although his series rather tailed off as he made just 12 runs combined in his final two knocks.
Still, Taylor has really made a strong case to not only be selected in the England squad for the World Cup but also to be included in their starting line-up.
Loser: Harry Gurney
10 of 10
While James Taylor did his World Cup hopes no harm at all, Nottinghamshire team-mate Harry Gurney was unable to press his claims for a place in England's 15-man party to travel to Australia and New Zealand.
Picked in three games, the left-arm seamer claimed a solitary wicket to end the tour to Sri Lanka with a bowling average of 158. He also went at more than a run-a-ball rate.
Gurney is capable of mixing up his speeds to keep opposing batsmen guessing in the closing overs, though his lack of natural pace with his stock delivery might be a concern at the very highest level.
The main issue for his hopes of staying in the squad is the probable return of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, two experienced seam bowlers who are certainties to be selected by England if they are fit and healthy.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
