Sri Lanka suffer 7-wicket defeat in warm-up game
Sri Lankan batters Nishan Madushka, Angelo Mathews, and skipper Dhananjaya de Silva found some form with the bat ahead of the opening Test on Wednesday in Old Trafford in the second innings but were unable to prevent a 7-wicket defeat in the only warm-up game against England Lions at the Worcester County Ground yesterday.
After being bowled out for a paltry 139 in the first innings, Sri Lanka found themselves under pressure from the very start. The English Lions capitalised on this, with their batsmen putting on a spirited display. Despite a commendable five-wicket haul from spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, the hosts managed to post a formidable total of 324, securing a substantial first innings lead of 185 runs.
In their second innings, Sri Lankan batters showed more grit and determination. Openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Nishan Madushka set the tone with a solid 105-run partnership for the first wicket, with Karunaratne contributing 43 and Madushka playing a more substantial knock of 77. This opening stand laid the foundation for a stronger batting performance in the second innings.
Veteran Angelo Mathews, showing his experience, added a crucial 51 runs, while skipper Dhananjaya de Silva led from the front with a well-compiled 66. However, despite these contributions, the Sri Lankan innings fell short of setting a challenging target. They were eventually bowled out for 306, managing to set the Lions a modest target of 121 runs.
The England Lions chased down the target with ease, losing just three wickets. Opener Rob Yates was the standout performer, scoring an unbeaten 57, while James Rew provided support with an unbeaten 23. Dhananjaya de Silva’s efforts with the ball (2/37) were in vain as the Lions comfortably reached 122 for 3, sealing a 7-wicket victory.
| Brief Scores | |
| Sri Lanka 139 all out (43.5) (Dimuth Karunaratne 26, Prabath Jayasuriya 20, Milan Rathnayake 17; Zaman Akther 5/32, Josh Hull 3/30) and 306 all out (87.1) (Nishan Madushka 77, Dhananjaya de Silva 66, Angelo Mathews 51, Dimuth Karunaratne 43, Sadeera Samarawickrama 25; Farhan Ahmed 3/87, Lyndon James 2/34, Josh Hull 2/44, Zaman Akther 2/59) England Lions 324 all out (89.2) (Hamza Shaikh 91, Kasey Aldridge 78, Rob Yates 25, Oliver Price 22, James Rew 22; Prabath Jayasuriya 5/102, Kasun Rajitha 2/51) and 122 for 3 (26.5) (Rob Yates 57n.o., James Rew 23n.o., Ben McKinney 20; Dhananjaya de Silva 2/37) |