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Now that you’ve reviewed the different programs we offer, and you understand the eligibility requirements for each one, it is time to apply. Our housing programs are in high demand; we receive over 300 applications every month and need time to properly evaluate and score the applications so that we can assign housing based on priority. In order to keep your application moving through our process as quickly as possible, we ask that you please follow all of the steps listed below and submit a complete application with all of the required documents.
Applying for Community Housing, Mixed Income Housing, Direct Rent Supplement, OR Private Landlord Rent Supplement
Download the application form from our website, pick up a hard copy from our office or have the application mailed to you by calling Customer Relations at 780-420-6161.
Complete the application form. Please include verification documents, including proof of income and citizenship status, as directed on the form.
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If you are applying for Community Housing, please choose the areas in the city you would like to live by completing the appropriately sized bedroom listing below. You can choose anywhere in Edmonton, specific neighbourhoods, or even specific buildings.
The number of bedrooms your household needs is determined based on the National Occupancy Standard. This standard requires one bedroom for:
A household with one or two parents, a 6 year old boy and an 8 year old girl would require a 3 bedroom home.
A household with one or two parents, a 4 year old boy and a 3 year old girl would be eligible for a two bedroom home.
A household of one individual can occupy a bachelor or studio unit (i.e. a unit with no bedroom). A maximum of two people may occupy a one bedroom.
A couple may apply for two bedrooms if it is required for medical reasons. You must include a doctor’s letter in this case.
Capital Region Housing must follow the National Occupancy Standard when allocating bedrooms to household to ensure there are enough bedrooms for the household to be adequately housed.
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Applicants can submit their application in person at the Capital Region Housing office, via mail, or through fax. We cannot currently accept emailed applications. We do not currently have on an online application system. If you have any questions at any point in the application process, contact Capital Region Housing.
If you submit your application in the office, we will give you an application receipt with your applicant code (m-code). Your applicant code is a unique identifier for CRH applicant households. It starts with an “M”, two zeros and five other numbers. Your applicant code will be included in all correspondence you receive from us. Use this code when you contact Capital Region Housing so we can more easily find your file. If you submit your application a different way, we will give you your applicant code once we process your application.
We will process your application as quickly as we can. To be able to process your application quickly, please submit a complete application with proof of income, citizenship status documents, and all other requested documents. If your application is incomplete or we require additional information, that will add more processing time.
Based on the information you provide, we will assess your eligibility for the program you are applying for. To better understand the eligibility requirements, look at our Information Sheet – Eligibility. Once you have been found eligible, we will point score your application. To better understand how point scoring works, look at our Information Sheet – Point Score.
Priority is decided based on a points system in the Social Housing Accommodation Regulation. The higher points an applicant has, the higher their priority is. If your information changes at any time, please contact us and let us know – this may impact your point score.
It is important that applicants update Capital Region Housing if their situation changes because this may change their point score and place on the priority list. Applicants can complete a Change of Information form and send it to Capital Region Housing via email, fax, mail or in person.
Download the Near Market Housing application form from our website or get a hard copy in the office.
Please choose where you’d like to live in the City of Edmonton by completing the Near Market bedroom listing. You can choose anywhere in Edmonton, specific neighbourhoods, or even specific buildings.
The number of rooms your household requires depends on the number of people in your household and their ages and genders.
Adults over the age of 18 require their own bedroom, unless two adults are spouses or adult interdependent partners.
Applicants can submit their application in person at the Capital Region Housing office, via mail, through fax, or by email to [email protected]
We will process your application as quickly as possible. To be able to process your application quickly, please submit a complete application with proof of income. If you are found eligible and we have an available unit, we will call you and offer you the unit. If we do not have an available unit, we will place your file on our waitlist. Near Market rentals are offered in order from time applied.
Our office is open from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday (closed statutory holidays). We are closed on the second and third Wednesday of each month.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni moved up the order to the sixth position, while senior batsman Rahul Dravid signed off his illustrious one-day career at 118th spot, according to the latest ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen.
Dhoni improved three places after finishing the England ODI series as the leading run-getter with 236 runs at an average of a little under 79.
Virat Kohli was the second highest-ranked India batsmen after dropping three places to ninth position. He scored 194 runs in the series.
Dravid, who retired from ODI cricket scoring 128 runs in his final series against England, improved three places in the batting chart.
The former skipper's low ranking is due to the fact that he didn't play ODI cricket since India's victory over the West Indies in a league match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2009 in South Africa.
Among other Indians, left-handed batsman Suresh Raina was the second leading run-getter with 198 runs, which has helped him jump five places to the 30th spot.
England's Jonathan Trott, who won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year award last week, improved his rating by six points to leapfrog Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara into fourth position.
Trott, who scored 111 runs from four matches in the ODI series, and Dhoni will be aiming to further climb the ladder when they go head to head in the five-ODI series which starts in Hyderabad October 14.
Ravi Bopara's effort of 197 runs in the series also earned him good rating points as he jumped 14 places to the 64th spot.
Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez and Younus Khan also moved up the ladder after their good performance in the series against Zimbabwe which concluded with a 3-0 win for the visitors.
Hafeez, who won the player of the series award, and former captain Younus have both jumped 11 places each which have left them in 37th and 40th positions, respectively.
Rival captains Misbah-ul-Haq and Brendan Taylor have also improved their rankings. Misbah is in 28th position after gaining one place while Taylor has vaulted four places to 34th position.
In the ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, England's Graeme Swann strengthened his position earning 25 ratings position for his eight wickets in the series, which puts him on a career-best 750 ratings points.
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who took six wickets against England, jumped a massive 34 places to 41st spot, while medium pacer Praveen Kumar moved four places to 21st position.
Also rising in the rankings are England's fast bowler James Anderson in 11th (up by two places) and Mohammad Hafeez in 23rd (up by three places).
Bowlers losing ground include Saeed Ajmal of Pakistan in seventh (down by three places), England fast bowler Stuart Broad in 26th (down by four places) and Munaf Patel of India in 33rd (down by six places).
Among the all-rounders, Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez broke into the top three for the first time in his career. Hafeez scored 188 runs and took two wickets against Zimbabwe to climb three places to third spot.
Australia's Shane Watson heads the table, while Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh was in the second position.
England vs Sri Lanka, 22nd Match, Pool A - February 28, 2015 commentary - Cricket Archives | Cricbuzz.com
Folks, that's all we have from this game. You can now switch tabs to follow the game between Pakistan and Zimbabwe. On behalf of Bhanu, Sriram and my co-commentator, Akshay Maanay, this is Sidhant Maheshwari signing off. Take care. See you!
After their defeat against New Zealand, Sri Lanka have made a fantastic comeback in this World Cup, winning three games in a row. They are now likely to finish either second or third in Pool A, depending on the result of their clash with Australia. On the other hand, England now have to win their game against Bangladesh to have any chance of qualifying for the quarters.
@cricketaakash: 13000 ODI runs in matches as a wicketkeeper...imagine the time he's spent wearing pads and gloves. Incredible. #Sangakarra #Legend
@mohanstatsman: Sri Lanka 2nd team to win by 9 wkts while chasing 300+ in ODIs after India 362/1 beat Aus at Jaipur 16-10-2013
@rgcricket: .@KumarSanga2 raced to his 100 off just 70 balls today- fastest of his 23 hundreds. Previous fastest was off 73 balls in last game!
Mathews: 'I thought it was a very good wicket. Probably, 310 was a bit too much, but it was a brilliant partnership between Sangakkara and Thirimanne. We knew we had to dig deep and try and bat through the innings. We knew we could chase it down if we bat through the innings. It was two of the greatest knocks I have ever seen. That's what we want, if the bowlers fail, the batters need to step up their game and try and get us a win. The top 4 have been brilliant in the past three games and hopefully, we can continue in the future as well. I think our fielding wasn't up to the standard. We have to improve our fielding and bowling. There are not many teams who have chased 300 in the World Cup, but I think it was a great performance coming through the previous game and to pull off a similar performance in this game against the better attack was great. All that matters are the quarter-finals and the journey afterwards. We are getting there slowly and hopefully, we can peak when we reach the quarters.'
Morgan: 'We certainly lost it with the ball. At half-time we went in thinking that we had an above par score. All credit to Joe Root, magnificent in the way he played. I think he is the youngest English cricketer to score a World Cup hundred which is just great. It shows what sort of form he is in. I was happy at half-time. I thought Sri Lanka probably had 7-8 overs spell, where they bowled particularly well and tied us down. But again at that stage of the game, we got through and built it up for the back end. I think if you look back at the New Zealand game, it was an area where we lost wickets and continued to do so, again it was an improvement today. We are very flexible in our batting order. We are always talking how we can be ahead of the game. Again I thought it was the right move to send James (James Taylor) in. Today, we probably bowled a bad ball every one, one and a half overs. At this level, you get punished for it and we were punished today by a very experienced side. I think we have got variations in two tall bowlers and they get bounce when they bowl well. We have two swing bowlers, who are accurate when they bowl well. But today, we were way off the mark. It doesn't concern me at all (regarding one dimensional bowling attack with no bowlers who can change their pace). When we are bowling well it's a good attack. But, you can pick it apart if we are not bowling well. And today, we didn't bowl well. Both games that are left are pretty crucial but we have to dust ourselves off. There are positives that we can take from today. Our bowlers are pretty experienced, we don't have to look far where we went wrong. Hopefully, we can rectify that before the Bangladesh game.'
Sangakkara: 'Well, the wicket was pretty good. Everything I tried came off. I think the real credit should go to the openers here. They had a great stand and I think that kind of start and that kind of solidity at the top really helped us. I think Thiri (Lahiru Thirimanne) batted out of his skin, that was an exceptional innings from Thirimanne. We were getting 5.5-6 runs per over right throughout. It was just the case of making sure we batted long and build a good enough partnership. Even if we had to chase 10 an over in the last 9-10 overs, we were pretty confident that we could do it. It is always an imposing target when someone goes over 300. I thought Joe Root again batted brilliantly, they got a good start as well. We weren't probably the best with the ball as well and in the field. When there are days like these, your batting side has to step up. Getting old quite quickly (smiles), but I am still enjoying it (when asked about giving up on cricket after the World Cup). But, it was great to watch Thirimanne bat, I think he has done the hard job for us. He has batted everywhere from 1 to 9, watch him get that 100 was exceptional.'
Earlier in the day, England set a target of over 300. Bell provided a bright start and Root capitalised on the platform that was set. He went on to score his 4th ODI hundred and became the youngest English cricketer to score a century in a World Cup game. Buttler provided the impetus to take the score past the 300-mark. Mathews and Dilshan were the most disciplined of the Sri Lankan bowlers. With this loss, England have made it difficult for themselves to qualify for the quarter-finals, while Sri Lanka are slowly gathering momentum as this was their third win of the competition.
England bowlers lacked the penetration. Anderson has looked out of sorts since the start of the World Cup. Broad is nowhere close to his best. Finn has been very inconsistent. Woakes was the only bowler who had some decent form coming into the game, but he too was put to the sword. Moeen Ali was the only wicket-taker today, but he was unable to contain the batsmen in the middle overs.
He scored his first fifty in 45 balls and the next in 25, recording his fastest ODI hundred. On the other hand, Thirimanne kept going and played some delightful cover drives. Like Root, he too made the most of the dropped chance. Together the pair added an unbeaten 212 runs for the second wicket. At no point in time, they looked under pressure and always had the run-rate in check.
A comprehensive victory for Sri Lanka. The run-chase was paced to perfection. Dilshan and Thirimanne started off steadily and got going once they were set. The latter got two reprieves, first on 3 and then on 98, but apart from that it was a brilliant innings. Dilshan got out just when the opening stand reached the 100-run mark. However, that brought the in-form Sanga to the crease. The experienced batsman was simply outstanding in his innings.
Sanga and Thirimanne finish unbeaten and are all smiles. Thirimanne punches the air in delight and Sanga hugs him as well. Both of them shake hands with the English players as they walk off the field.
Woakes to Thirimanne, SIX, Thirimanne finishes off in style. This is their third win on the trot. It was fuller and on the stumps, Thirimanne gets under it and lofts it handsomely over the wide long-on fence
Woakes to Sangakkara, 1 run, fuller in length and around off, Sangakkara drives it to mid-off and sets off for a single, reaches the other end comfortably even though the fielder has a shy at the stumps
Woakes to Sangakkara, wide, angling down leg, Sangakkara fails to tickle it fine, the umpire calls it a wide
Finn to Thirimanne, no run, Thirimanne backs away and Finn slips in a slower one, he can't lay bat on that and the ball goes on the bounce to the keeper
Sri Lanka have become the first team to have 200-run partnership for the 2nd wicket in consecutive ODIs
Finn to Sangakkara, no run, almost a yorker outside off, Sangakkara opens the face of the bat and pushes it towards point
Finn to Thirimanne, 1 run, makes room once again to this length delivery from Finn, mistimes another heave that rolls away to deep mid-wicket
Finn to Sangakkara, 1 run, Finn follows Sanga with a short of length delivery as Sanga backs away, Sangakkara helps it behind square and gets to the other end
Finn to Thirimanne, 1 run, back of a length delivery from Finn, Thirimanne moves away and mistimes the pull towards deep mid-wicket
Woakes to Thirimanne, 1 run, fuller and on the stumps, Thirimanne drives it past the non-striker for a single, this also brings up the 200-run stand between these two, 300 up for Sri Lanka as well
Woakes to Thirimanne, no run, goes way away from his stumps and Woakes bowls this well outside off, Thirimanne can't lay bat onto that
Woakes to Thirimanne, no run, backs away and drives it to mid-on, Sanga wanted a single there, but Thirimanne sends him back
Woakes to Thirimanne, FOUR, back of a length delivery outisde off, Thirimanne arches back and ramps it past the keeper, the balls runs away to the third man fence in a flash
Woakes to Thirimanne, FOUR, dropped! Thirimanne is dropped for the third time in this innings, it was a fullish delivery on the stumps, Thirimanne backs away and mistimes the heave, the ball goes in the air, Taylor from deep mid-wicket covers a lot of ground running to his right, but can't take the catch even after putting in the dive. He got both hands onto it, but couldn't hold on. To make matters worse, the ball trickles away to the fence
Woakes to Sangakkara, 1 run, Sanga moves away from his stumps and Woakes follows him with a fuller one, clipped to deep square leg for a single
Broad to Thirimanne, 2 runs, short again from Broad, he pulls it over the fielder at mid-on, the batsmen take two, he didn't time it well though
Broad to Thirimanne, byes, FOUR, poor effort from Buttler there! It was a length ball, Thirimanne was backing away and gets beaten because of the slower nature of the ball, Buttler dives to his right but can't stop the ball, the ball runs away for four byes
Broad to Sangakkara, 1 run, slower ball and short in length, Sangakkara goes back and pulls it to deep mid-wicket once again
Broad to Thirimanne, 1 run, Thirimanne goes leg-side of the ball and pulls this short delivery to deep mid-wicket
Broad to Sangakkara, 1 run, Sangakkara moves away and works this low full toss through mid-wicket for a single
Broad to Sangakkara, wide, what are you appealing for Mr. Broad? It was down the leg-side, Sangakkara misses the nurdle and the ball goes through to the keeper, Broad was probably trying to fool the umpire there
Broad to Thirimanne, 1 run, Thirimanne backs away and Broad follows him with a short one, he pulls it to deep mid-wicket
Woakes to Sangakkara, 2 runs, very full from Woakes, Sangakkara drills it straight down the ground, the batsmen take a couple before the fielder could hunt it down
Woakes to Thirimanne, 1 run, banged in short, Thirimanne looks to pull, gets a top-edge back on the helmet and the ball loops up towards the square leg region
Woakes to Thirimanne, 1 run, back of a length delivery outside off, Thirimanne mistimes the flat-batted shot to the right of Anderson at cover, he picks the ball up quickly and fires in the throw at the non-striker's end, Thiri was struggling there, it would have been close had there been a direct hit
Broad to Sangakkara, 1 run, angles it in from round the wicket, Sangakkara shuffles across and tucks it away behind square for a single
Broad to Thirimanne, 1 run, full from Broad, Thirimanne drills it uppishly past the bowler for a single
Broad to Sangakkara, 1 run, full delivery on the stumps, Sangakkara works it to deep mid-wicket for a single
Broad to Sangakkara, no run, banged in short and at the batsman, Sangakkara looks to pull it, but gets a bottom edge onto the body
Broad to Thirimanne, 1 run, full on the stumps, Thirimanne gets an inside edge onto the pad, the ball rolls away into the off-side and the batsmen go through for a quick run
Broad to Thirimanne, FOUR, slower ball well outside off, Thirimanne waits for it and cuts it past a diving backward point, the ball beats the dive from the sweeper cover fielder, who had ran across to try and stop the ball
J Anderson to Sangakkara, 2 runs, back-to-back tons for Sanga, this is also his fastest century of his career, it was short and at the batsman, Sangakkara drills it back at the bowler, who can't stop in his followthrough. The batsmen take a couple as the ball rolls away towards long-on, what a knock has this been, it has come in quick time, just 70 balls for this century. Better than the last match as well, last match he took 73 balls to reach his ton
J Anderson to Sangakkara, no run, backs away and cuts this back of a length delivery outside off to backward point
Broad to Sangakkara, 1 run, low full toss on the stumps, Sangakkara drives it to long-on and keeps strike
Broad to Sangakkara, FOUR, ordinary bowling this from Broad, slants it onto the pads, Sangakkara leans forward and whips it behind square for a boundary
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, yorker on the stumps, Thirimanne jams it to the on-side, Broad runs forward and keeps the batsmen at their respective ends
Broad to Thirimanne, 2 runs, full and outside off, Thirimanne presses forward and lifts it over extra cover, it was a controlled chip that fetched him a couple
Morgan, Broad, Anderson and Woakes in a meeting. You can sense the pressure they are under. Broad has been given the responsibility to deliver. He starts from round the sticks.
J Anderson to Sangakkara, no run, back of a length around off, Sangakkara makes room and steers it towards short third man, Thirimanne wanted the single but was sent back, he makes it before the throw comes to his end
J Anderson to Thirimanne, 1 run, shortish and outside off, Thirimanne cuts it in the air to backward point, Bell dives and makes a fine stop. The ball dropped just in front of him
J Anderson to Thirimanne, 2 runs, dabs it to short third man, the fielder fires an unneccessary throw at the striker's end, there was no one backing up and the batsmen steal an extra run
J Anderson to Sangakkara, 1 run, short of length on leg-stump, Sangakkara tucks it to fine leg for a single
J Anderson to Thirimanne, 1 run, too straight, Thirimanne leans forward and nudges it wide of mid-wicket
Woakes to Sangakkara, no run, spears in a yorker on off, Sangakkara squeezes it to the left of the bowler, Woakes gets across and fields the ball
Woakes to Sangakkara, FOUR, he is toying with the bowling now. Backs away to the leg-side and slaps it past a diving backward point fielder, Root dived in vain and the sweeper cover can't get around to stop it
Woakes to Sangakkara, FOUR, this is tremendous batting from Sangakkara, dances down the wicket, meets the pitch of the ball and lofts it handsomely straight back over the bowler's head. No chance for the long-on or long-off fielder
Woakes to Sangakkara, FOUR, excellent improvisation, moves away to the leg-side, provides himself room, flays it through the packed off-side field. He middled it alright as the ball races away to the fence
Woakes to Sangakkara, 2 runs, comes down the track and drills it straight down the ground, long-off runs across and keeps it down to a couple
Woakes to Thirimanne, 1 run, Thirimanne registers his 4th ODI ton. He becomes the youngest Sri Lankan to score a World Cup hundred. Roars as soon as he makes contact. Takes his helmet off and soaks in the applause, Sangakkara goes up to his junior partner and congratulates him. Fuller and outside off, Thirimanne drives it to sweeper cover
J Anderson to Thirimanne, 1 run, dropped! Moeen Ali puts down a sitter. Anderson is not pleased, so is Morgan. It was the slower one just outside off, Thirimanne goes for the inside out loft, slices it towards cover-point, Moeen misjudges it completely, was late to react and spills a straightforward chance
J Anderson to Thirimanne, no run, repeat of the previous ball, Thirimanne drops it towards point, Sangakkara goes for the single and is sent back, he dives in and the fielder doesn't hit the timber
J Anderson to Thirimanne, no run, Sangakkara had to hurry back there. Thirimanne goes back and turns it to short mid-wicket, Sanga was halfway down the wicket before being sent back, the throw is at the non-striker's end, but fails to hit the mark, Sangakkara was diving in to make his ground
J Anderson to Sangakkara, 1 run, on a length and on middle, Sangakkara dabs it wide of backward point
J Anderson to Sangakkara, FOUR, what is Anderson doing? Banged in midway down the wicket, Sangakkara was in no position to play the pull, but keeps his eyes on the ball and pulls it to the left of deep mid-wicket this time
J Anderson to Sangakkara, FOUR, third time in the powerplay that the bowlers have bowled short and have been dispatched. He rocks back and pulls it in the front of square. The ball has travelled quickly to the fence
Broad to Sangakkara, 1 run, on a length just outside off, Sangakkara mistimes the heave to mid-wicket
Broad to Sangakkara, FOUR, terrific shot! Broad misses the yorker, bowls a low full toss on middle, Sangakkara clears his front leg, whips it to the left of mid-wicket for a boundary. No one protecting the fence in the deep
Broad to Thirimanne, 1 run, fuller and angling in, Thirimanne drives it to mid-on, scampers for a quick single
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, takes the pace off the ball, Thirimanne is early into the steer down to third man, ball beats the outside edge
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, back of a length outside off, Thirimanne late cuts and picks out short third man
Time for a drinks break! Sri Lanka are cruising along nicely. England need wickets and quickly. Morgan might have missed a trick as he prolonged getting his strike bowlers back into the attack. Sanga looks ominous and has carried the form from the previous game.
Finn to Sangakkara, 1 run, on a length close to off, Sangakkara eases it to sweeper cover for a single
Finn to Sangakkara, 2 runs, decides to give charge, toe-ends the loft straight down the ground, Broad and Morgan give chase from mid-on and mid-off respectively, they keep it down to a couple
Finn to Sangakkara, 2 runs, fuller and just outside off, Sangakkara drives it to the right of mid-off, Morgan fires a direct hit at the non-striker's end, Sangakkara was well in though. However, the ball ricochets and the batsmen pinch an extra run
Finn to Sangakkara, 1 run, good length ball on off and middle, Sangakkara closes the bat face early and gets a leading edge to sweeper cover
Finn to Sangakkara, SIX, superb shot! England are not learning their lessons. Finn starts the same way as Broad. Drops it short and on leg-stump, Sangakkara rocks back and pulls it over fine leg for a maximum. That brings up the second 100-run stand of the innings
Broad to Sangakkara, 2 runs, 94th ODI fifty for Sanga. Thirimanne walks up to him and shakes his hand. The veteran waves his bat at the crowd. Full and on the stumps, Sangakkara clips it through mid-wicket for a couple
Broad to Thirimanne, 1 run, Broad goes up for an lbw appeal, but the umpire gives it as runs. Slants it back in, Thirimanne stays rooted to the crease and gets an inside edge, the ball rolls towards third man
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, on a length around off, Thirimanne drives off the inside part to the left of the bowler
Broad to Sangakkara, 1 run, fuller and just outside off, Sangakkara drives it to mid-off, takes off as soon as he played that. A well judged run
Broad to Sangakkara, FOUR, poor start by Broad. Short and on leg-stump, Sangakkara swivels and helps it on its way, the ball bounced just before the rope. The fielder at fine was inside the ring
Finn to Sangakkara, 1 run, Sangakkara hangs back and steers it square of the wicket on the off-side, retains strike
Finn to Sangakkara, no run, this one holds its line, Sangakkara brings his bat down at an angle, ekes out an inside edge onto the pads, the ball rolls towards point
Finn to Thirimanne, 1 run, bit of extra bounce, Thirimanne rides it and nurdles it to backward square leg
Finn to Thirimanne, no run, back of a length on middle, Thirimanne bunts it to backward point. He is playing for his hundred now
Finn to Sangakkara, SIX, magnificent shot! He made that look so easy. Gives the charge to Finn, who drops it short, Sangakkara flat-bats it over wide long-off, where a spectator drops the catch. Sri Lanka slowly building momentum towards the final flourish
Moeen Ali to Sangakkara, 1 run, comes down the track and drills it down to long-on. Moeen Ali finishes his spell, his figures read: 10-0-50-1
Moeen Ali to Sangakkara, 2 runs, slower through the air, Sangakkara goes hard on the drive, the ball takes the outside half and rolls away behind point for a brace
Moeen Ali to Sangakkara, 1 run, advances down the wicket and knocks it to long-on, short mid-wicket dived across but couldn't get to the ball
Finn to Thirimanne, no run, on a length just outside off, Thirimanne guides it to backward point, the fielder dives to his right and stops the ball
Finn to Sangakkara, 1 run, shortish and on the body, Sangakkara gets inside the line and tucks it to backward square leg
Finn to Sangakkara, no run, no width for Sangakkara to work with, he camps on the back foot and taps it to backward point
Finn to Sangakkara, no run, back of a length on off, Sangakkara knocks it to cover off the back foot
Finn to Sangakkara, no run, bit more bounce on this occasion, Sangakkara rides it and drops it in front of short mid-wicket, Thirimanne wanted the single but Sanga sends him back, the throw comes in at the bowlers end, but Thiri had made it in
Finn to Thirimanne, 1 run, short of length on off, Thirimanne pats it wide of backward point, easy single taken
Moeen Ali to Sangakkara, no run, Buttler shouts "catch", but the ball lands safely. Slower through the air, Sangakkara checks his shot and lobs it back, the ball drops well in front of Moeen Ali. He was deceived there was Sanga
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, no run, goes for the slog sweep, doesn't make contact, it struck on the back thigh. Buttler goes up for an lbw appeal, but the impact was outside leg
Moeen Ali to Sangakkara, 1 run, flighted around off, Sangakkara drops it to cover-point for a single
Woakes to Sangakkara, 1 run, good running between the wickets now, it was a back of a length delivery just outside off, Sangakkara drops it in front of cover and sets off, Taylor from short cover runs forward, picks the ball and underarms a throw, but the batsman had made his ground easily
Woakes to Sangakkara, FOUR, great shot from Sanga now, it was short and wide outside off, Sangakkara stays on the back foot and cuts it past a leaping backward point, the ball rockets away to the fence
Woakes to Thirimanne, 1 run, in the channel outside off, Thirimanne waits for it, opens the face of the bat and runs it down to third man
Woakes to Sangakkara, 1 run, length delivery just outside off, Sangakkara leans forward and pushes it to the right of cover and sets off
Woakes to Thirimanne, 1 run, fuller and outside off, Thirimanne leans forward and drives it to sweeper cover
Woakes to Thirimanne, FOUR, lovely shot from Thiri, it was full and just outside off, Thirimanne drills it over the non-striker and the ball runs away to the fence, the fielder at mid-off was inside the circle and had no chance of cutting that off
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, 1 run, drifting on the pads as Thirimanne backs away, worked away past square leg for another run, he will keep the strike
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, no run, tossed up outside off, Thirimanne leans forward and drives it to short cover
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, SIX, he was trying to play the shot in the last over, but this time he connects well, it was floated up, Thirimanne kneels down and slog sweeps it over the deep mid-wicket fence
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, no run, pushed through on off and middle, Thirimanne defends with the full face of the bat
Woakes to Thirimanne, FOUR, this is just class batting from Thirimanne, it was a back of a length delivery outside off from round the wicket, Thirimanne allows the ball to come it and just ramps it past the keeper, the ball runs away to the fence in no time, the third man fielder was a little square there
Woakes to Sangakkara, no run, banged in short, Sangakkara lines up for the pull but can't connect properly, drags it back on his body off a bottom edge
Woakes to Sangakkara, no run, back of a length delivery outside off, Sangakkara opens the face of the bat and pushes it towards point, Thirimanne was backing up a little too much, the fielder has a shy at the non-striker's end, but Thiri reached in time
Woakes to Sangakkara, no run, fuller this time and just outside off, Sangakkara drives it to mid-off
Woakes to Thirimanne, 1 run, back of a length delivery just outside off, Thirimanne jumps in the crease and opens the face of the bat, drops it in front of the keeper and sets off, the batsmen finish the single comfortably as Buttler couldn't collect it properly
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, 1 run, tossed up outside off, Thirimanne leans forward and drives it to sweeper cover
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, no run, lines up for a big slog sweep, but it was too full for him, ends up dragging it towards mid-wicket
Moeen Ali to Sangakkara, 1 run, flighted delivery around off, Sangakkara pushes it down to long-off for another single
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, 1 run, floated up on off, Thirimanne drives it to long-off after coming forward
Moeen Ali to Sangakkara, 3 runs, drifting on the pads, Sanga tickles it fine, the fielder from short fine gives chase and saves a run for his team
Woakes to Thirimanne, no run, another bumper from Woakes, Thirimanne is happy to sit under it and leaves it for the keeper
Woakes to Thirimanne, no run, bowls this one slightly wide outside off, Thirimanne flashes at it, but there was extra bounce on this one and it beats the blade
Woakes to Thirimanne, no run, bangs this short from round the wicket, Thirimanne ducks underneath, the umpire calls it one bouncer for the over
Woakes to Sangakkara, 1 run, angling away outside off, Sangakkara forces it to sweeper cover and gets off strike
Woakes to Thirimanne, leg byes, 1 run, Woakes continues from round the wicket, Thirimanne was looking to nurdle it into the on-side, fails to connect and the ball rolls away behind square off the pad
Woakes to Sangakkara, 1 run, straying on the pads, Sangakkara works it to deep square leg for a single
Moeen Ali to Sangakkara, 1 run, gives this one more air outside off, Sangakkara presses forward and bunts it down to long-off
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, no run, uppish but safe! It was floated up on off, Thirimanne pushes it back towards the bowler, the ball goes on the bounce to him
Woakes to Sangakkara, no run, back of a length and angling away, Sangakkara punches it towards backward point
Woakes to Sangakkara, no run, touch fuller and around off, Sangakkara bunts it towards mid-on off the inside half of the bat, the batsmen don't take the single as the fielder dives to his right to stop the ball
Woakes to Thirimanne, 1 run, full and outside off, Thirimanne leans forward and lofts it towards sweeper cover, the ball goes on the bounce to the fielder
Woakes to Thirimanne, 2 runs, back of a length delivery outside off, Thirimanne opens the face of the bat and guides it late down to third man, the fielder was a little square and by the time Finn came across, the batsmen take two
Woakes to Sangakkara, 1 run, length delivery around off, Sangakkara opens the face of the bat and pushes it towards backward point, who dives but can't stop the ball cleanly, the ball rolls further away from him and the batsmen take the single
Woakes to Thirimanne, 1 run, length delivery outside off, Thirimanne drives it past a diving cover, the fielder from sweeper runs to his left and stops the ball, preventing the batsmen from taking the second
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, 1 run, tossed up on middle, Thirimanne just opens the face of the bat and pushes it through the vacant cover-point region, he will keep the strike
Moeen Ali to Sangakkara, 1 run, pushed through on off and middle, Sangakkara eases it down to long-on
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, 1 run, quicker and on the stumps, Thirimanne just drops it into the off-side and sets off
Moeen Ali to Sangakkara, 1 run, floated up outside off, Sangakkara leans forward and drives it to sweeper cover
Moeen Ali to Sangakkara, FOUR, poor delivery from Ali, he drags this one short, Sangakkara swivels across and pulls it to the deep backward square leg fence
J Root to Thirimanne, no run, quicker and outside off, Thirimanne was again looking to run it down to third man, but this time he can't connect
J Root to Thirimanne, no run, pushed through on off, Thirimanne defends off the inside half of the bat
J Root to Thirimanne, FOUR, good batting from Thirimanne, it was well wide of off, Thirimanne just waits for it, opens the face of the bat and sends it to the right of short third man, the ball runs away to the fence
J Root to Sangakkara, 1 run, drifting on middle and leg, Sangakkara eases it past the non-striker to get off strike
J Root to Sangakkara, 1 run, comes down the track and works this flighted delivery to deep mid-wicket
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, no run, full toss, bunted back to the bowler, Thirimanne missed out on that
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, no run, quicker through the air this time, Thirimanne pushes it back to the bowler, who dives to his right to stop the ball
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, 2 runs, a controlled chip from Thirimanne, it was tossed up outside off, Thirimanne leans forward and just chips it over cover for a couple
Moeen Ali to Sangakkara, 1 run, floated up around off, Sangakkara drives it past a diving silly mid-off for a single
Moeen Ali to Sangakkara, no run, tossed up on off and middle, Sangakkara drives it back to the bowler
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, 1 run, floated up around leg, Thirimanne backs away a touch and drops it in front of cover, the batsmen take a quick single
J Root to Sangakkara, no run, slower through the air on middle, Sangakkara presses forward and blocks
J Root to Sangakkara, 1 run, drifting on the pads, Sangakkara flicks it behind square and the batsmen cross over
J Root to Sangakkara, 1 run, flatter on middle, Sangakkara just wrists it towards square leg to get off the mark
Moeen Ali to Dilshan, out Caught by Eoin Morgan!! First wicket gone for Sri Lanka. He was in two minds there whether to sweep or work it through the on-side, it was on middle and leg, Dilshan goes for the clip and closes the bat face a little too early, ends up getting a leading edge that goes straight to short mid-wicket. A soft, soft dismissal for Dilshan. Dilshan c Eoin Morgan b Moeen Ali 44(55) [4s-4 6s-2]
Moeen Ali to Dilshan, no run, looks to tuck this quicker one off the pads, Dilshan fails to connect with it and wears it on the thigh pad
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, 1 run, 100 on the board and 100 of the partnership comes up, it was floated up around off, Thirimanne drives it to long-off
Moeen Ali to Dilshan, 1 run, was looking to go big, but ends up dragging the slog sweep behind square for a single
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, 1 run, 13th ODI fifty for Thirimanne, he has batted well today, it was flatter and outside off, Thirimanne goes back and cuts it square of the wicket
Finn to Thirimanne, 1 run, fuller in length and outside off, Thirimanne drives it in the air over cover, but there was protection in the deep
Finn to Dilshan, 1 run, straying on the pads, Dilshan nurdles it to fine leg and gets to the other end
Finn to Thirimanne, 1 run, length delivery just outside off, Thirimanne leans forward and mistimes the drive to sweeper cover, the batsmen take a single
Finn to Dilshan, 1 run, banged in short and at the batsman, Dilshan stays back and pulls it behind square for a single
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, no run, short and little wide outside off, Thirimanne hangs back and cuts it to backward point
Moeen Ali to Dilshan, no run, drifting on middle and leg, Dilshan works it towards mid-wicket, who moves to his right and stops the ball
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, 1 run, flighted delivery outside off, Thirimanne pushes it past a diving bowler to long-off
Drinks are on the field now. Sri Lanka have started really well here. England are on the back foot as they have failed to pick a wicket till now. The only real chance was the outside edge from Thirimanne, but Root at first slip put it down. Since then, both these batsmen have batted sensibly, keeping out the good ones and thrashing the loose ones. England desperately need a wicket here.
Finn to Dilshan, no run, in the channel just outside off, Dilshan flashes at it, but mistimes it to cover once again
Finn to Thirimanne, 1 run, angling away outside off, Thirimanne steers it down to third man for a single
Finn to Dilshan, 1 run, back of a length delivery outside off, Dilshan opens the face of the bat and pushes it past backward point
Finn to Dilshan, FOUR, great short, it was angling down the leg-side, Dilshan flicks it on its way behind square, Woakes from fine leg runs to his left, puts in the dive, but the ball beats him to the fence
Finn to Thirimanne, 1 run, back of a length delivery on leg, Thirimanne tucks it away off his hips to fine leg
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, 1 run, flatter and on off, Thirimanne punches it to the left of Moeen Ali, who dives into Dilshan
Moeen Ali to Dilshan, 1 run, kneels down and sweeps it past the diving square leg fielder, but there is protection in the deep
Moeen Ali to Dilshan, no run, comes down the track, takes it on the full and drives it back to the bowler
Moeen Ali to Dilshan, FOUR, just a bit of width from Moeen Ali, Dilshan rocks back and cuts it off the outer half, Finn thinks about diving to his left, but decides against it and then escorts the ball to the fence
Finn to Dilshan, 1 run, back of a length just outside off, Dilshan mistimes the punch to the left of cover
Finn to Dilshan, FOUR, Finn is getting nice shape on the ball, but gets the line wrong this time. Starts on middle and slants it in, Dilshan leans forward and flicks it to the deep mid-wicket fence
Dilshan backs away as Finn sprints in. Something went into his eye. Umpire Oxenford helps him to get it out. All sorted out and ready to resume..
Finn to Dilshan, no run, short of length on off, Dilshan shuffles back and across, defends it to mid-on
Finn to Dilshan, no run, nips back in sharply, Dilshan is hurried onto the nudge, is pinged on the back thigh and lobs to the slip fielder
Woakes to Thirimanne, FOUR, gorgeous shot! He makes it look so pleasing to the eyes. Tad overpitched and outside off, Thirimanne leans forward and drives it past the diving cover fielder. The sweet timing takes it to the fence
Woakes to Dilshan, 1 run, full and homing in on off, Dilshan squeezes it to mid-off and sets off, he slipped a bit in the middle but made it easily in the end. In fact, his shoe came off and that's why the slight stutter
Woakes to Thirimanne, 1 run, on the middle stump line, Thirimanne leans forward and nudges it to deep mid-wicket
Woakes to Thirimanne, no run, back of a length on off, Thirimanne drops it with soft hands to the off-side, looks at Dilshan for the single, but doesn't get the desired response
Finn to Thirimanne, 1 run, again, the length is touch short, Thirimanne stands up and lifts it over cover for a single
Finn to Thirimanne, no run, back of a length and tucks the batsman for room, Thirimanne knocks it to short mid-wicket
Finn to Thirimanne, FOUR, fantastic shot! Finn generates some extra bounce, Thirimanne arches back and ramps it over the slip fielder, third man was very square and had no chance of stopping the ball
Finn to Thirimanne, FOUR, pitched up around off, Thirimanne squeezes the drive to the right of mid-off, Broad runs to his left and dives over the ball. He should have done better. Thirimanne didn't middle it, but had enough fuel to get a boundary
Finn to Thirimanne, wide, can't get away this time, splays it down leg, too far for Thirimanne, wided by the umpire
Finn to Thirimanne, no run, short of length on the pads, Thirimanne fails to middle the clip, wears it on the thigh pad
Finn to Thirimanne, no run, starts with a bumper on leg-stump, it was a wide but umpire Tucker signals it went over the right shoulder. It was way too high as well, Finn gets away with one
Woakes to Dilshan, no run, on a length just outside off, Dilshan drives it on-the-up to the left of the bowler, Woakes sticks his hand out and stops the ball
Woakes to Dilshan, no run, back of a length on the fourth stump line, Dilshan mistimes the cut to point, picks out the fielder
Woakes to Dilshan, no run, shortish and on off, Dilshan chops it to backward point, he was cramped for room there
Broad to Thirimanne, 2 runs, fraction short, Thirimanne pulls it behind square for a couple, Ballance tidies up near the rope
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, shortish and on the body, Thirimanne closes the bat face early and gets a soft leading edge towards cover
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, too full and just outside off, Thirimanne squeezes it back down the wicket
Broad to Dilshan, 1 run, back of a length on middle and leg, Dilshan doesn't get hold off the pull, gloves it to deep backward square
Broad to Dilshan, no run, shortish and close to off, Dilshan backs away slightly and can't connect with the cut
J Anderson to Thirimanne, no run, now solid in defence, moves forward and blocks it with the bat and pad close together
J Anderson to Thirimanne, FOUR, Thirimanne is surely winning the battle against Anderson today. Good length ball just outside off, Thirimanne presses forward and drives it through cover-point, no chance for the backward point or the cover fielder to stop that
J Anderson to Dilshan, 1 run, short and on the stumps, Dilshan swivels and pulls it to deep backward square leg, Moeen Ali dives and saves three runs for the side
J Anderson to Thirimanne, 1 run, run-out chance! It needed a direct hit, Broad fails to hit the target. Thirimanne works it towards mid-on and sets off for a risky single, Broad runs forward, picks up the ball and shies at the non-striker's end, Thirimanne had to dive in, but even that wouldn't have saved him
J Anderson to Thirimanne, no run, on a length just outside off, Thirimanne push-drives it to short cover
J Anderson to Thirimanne, FOUR, cracking shot! That was all power from Thirimanne. Anderson comes round the wicket, keeps it fuller and outside off, he comes forward and creams the drive, he hit it hard but found the placement as well, the ball rocketed away to the fence
Broad to Dilshan, 2 runs, full and homing in on the stumps, Dilshan flicks it through mid-wicket, they take two before Finn hunts the ball down
Broad to Dilshan, no run, second full toss of the over, Dilshan failed to put it away, wrists it to mid-on
Broad to Dilshan, SIX, that's a Dilshan special. Only he can play that shot with some precision. Good length ball on middle, Dilshan picks it up and launches it over backward square. The ball sailed away over the fence
Broad to Dilshan, no run, full and too far outside off, Dilshan goes chasing it, it was very close to the outside edge
Broad to Dilshan, no run, misses out on a full toss now, Dilshan was surprised and was not ready, he reacted late and it was a good take by Buttler as the ball bounced just in front of him
Broad to Dilshan, SIX, superb shot! Dug in midway down the wicket, Dilshan was quick to pick up the length, he rocks back and smashes the pull over deep square leg for a maximum. That made a good sound when the ball made contact with the bat
J Anderson to Thirimanne, no run, excellent save from Taylor, he stopped a certain boundary. Short and wide of off, Thirimanne forces it front of square, Taylor dives to his left and fields the ball
J Anderson to Thirimanne, 2 runs, strays onto Thirimanne's pads, nurdled away behind square, the duo pick up two before Woakes hunts it down from square leg
J Anderson to Dilshan, 1 run, not all that short from Anderson, but Dilshan still goes through with the pull, gets it down to deep backward square leg
J Anderson to Dilshan, no run, punches the back of a length delivery towards cover, where Taylor swoops in on the ball
J Anderson to Dilshan, no run, short of length on off, blocked down the wicket with the straightest of bats
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, maiden from Broad. Targets the stumps with a good length delivery, Thirimanne defends to the right of the bowler
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, as expected there comes the lifter, Thirimanne sinks under it and eludes it comfortably
The bat has been damaged. The substitute brings him a replacement. Meanwhile, Morgan brings in a short leg. Taylor the man under the helmet.
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, full and outside off, Thirimanne jams it back to the bowler, Broad tries a mock throw even before he collects the ball. He then has a glare at the batsman
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, hits his favorite length, that is short, Thirimanne stands tall and punches it to backward point
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, too full, almost a yorker, Thirimanne squeezes it to the left of the bowler
J Anderson to Dilshan, no run, short of length just outside off, Dilshan looks to force it off the back foot, the extra bounce takes it past the outside edge
J Anderson to Dilshan, no run, cramps the batsman for room, Dilshan shuffles across and turns it to short mid-wicket
J Anderson to Thirimanne, 2 runs, on a length just outside off, Thirimanne looks to take the aerial route, doesn't get hold of it, the ball spoons over mid-on for a couple of runs
J Anderson to Thirimanne, FOUR, in the air and safe! Fullish and on the fourth stump, Thirimanne presses forward and drives it uppishly, the ball was in the air for a long time, but was well wide of the mid-off fielder
Broad to Thirimanne, 1 run, back of a length close to off, Thirimanne opens the face of the bat and guides it down to third man
Broad to Thirimanne, byes, FOUR, Broad decides to test the bounce on the wicket, bangs it in short, the ball rises steeply, Thirimanne sinks under and Buttler had no chance of stopping that
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, shortens the length just outside off, Thirimanne taps it in front of backward point
Broad to Thirimanne, FOUR, dropped! Thirimanne's lady luck in this World Cup keeps shining. It was back of a length and angled across off, Thirimanne pokes at it and gets a thick edge, Buttler moved to his left and was a distraction to Root at first slip, who got both hands but couldn't cling onto it
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, Broad thought there was an edge, but no appeal from Buttler. Bit more bounce on this short of length delivery, Thirimanne has a late waft at it, the ball whizzes past the outside edge. Umpire Tucker was quick to say not-out
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, bumper on the stumps, Thirimanne gets his head out of the way and lets it go through to Buttler
Anderson has dimissed Thirimanne 4 times in ODIs. And he has played against him 4 times. Will it be 5 out of 5?
J Anderson to Thirimanne, no run, on a length close to off, Thirimanne plays an extended forward defence to backward point
J Anderson to Thirimanne, no run, good length ball on off, Thirimanne is half-forward and defending to the off-side
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, yorker aimed at the base of middle, Thirimanne manages to bring his bat down and jam it to the right of the bowler
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, fullish and close to off, Thirimanne drives it to mid-off, the bat turns in his hands and he could not get it off the middle
Broad to Dilshan, 1 run, banged in halfway down the wicket, Dilshan swats the pull behind square, his bottom hand came off the bat. Hence, didn't get the timing right behind the shot
Broad to Dilshan, no run, England go up for a caught behind appeal, but umpire Tucker signals that it came off the pad. Sprayed down leg, Dilshan can't connect with the glance, the ball brushes the pad on the way to Buttler, who dives to his left and collects it
Broad to Dilshan, FOUR, Broad knows it was not the best of deliveries, he shakes his head and walks back to his run-up. Provides plenty of width outside off, Dilshan throws the kitchen sink at it, the ball takes the edge and flies over the slip cordon
J Anderson to Dilshan, 1 run, fuller and close to off, Dilshan drives it to the left of mid-off, wants the single, sets off immediately and makes it in comfortably
J Anderson to Dilshan, no run, short of length around off, Dilshan stays back and bunts it in front of cover
J Anderson to Dilshan, no run, short and outside off, Dilshan misses out, he goes hard on the cut, mistimes it towards point
J Anderson to Dilshan, no run, good length ball and on off, Dilshan waits for the ball to move, presents the straight bat and knocks it to mid-off
J Anderson to Dilshan, no run, back of a length and shaping away outside off, Dilshan keeps his bat inside the line and lets it pass
J Anderson to Thirimanne, 1 run, some extra bounce for Anderson to start off with, the line is on leg-stump, Thirimanne fends it awkwardly behind square and opens his account
Welcome back... England managed to score more than 100 runs in the last 10 overs. That has given them a very good score. Can Anderson and Co. restrict the Sri Lankan batsmen? Thirimanne and Dilshan are out in the centre. Anderson with the new ball. He has a couple of slips to assist him...
Not much to be said about the Sri Lankan bowling. Lakmal was unlucky as there were a couple of catches were dropped off his bowling in his second over. Malinga still doesn't look like his old self. Herath was used sparingly, Mathews and Dilshan were economical and were the best bowlers on display for Sri Lanka. The fielding at the start of the innings was very poor, they dropped as many as three catches. Nonetheless, it is now upto their batsmen to chase this down. Can they register their third consecutive win? Or will England win their second game of the World Cup? Join us in a short while to find out....
However, Root kept the scoreboard ticking at one end. He knocked the ball around and pounced on anything that was loose. Once he got to his 4th ODI hundred, he changed gears and thrashed Thisara Perera - carving him for 18 runs in his 8th over. In the process, he became the youngest England player to score a World Cup ton. Buttler and Taylor played crucial cameos at the end to propel the score past the 300-mark. It is the second successive time England have scored more than 300.
Ian Bell provided England a quick start. He took a particular liking to Lakmal as he smashed him for three boundaries in his second over. Mathews and Dilshan then put the brakes on the free-flowing runs and even managed to scalp the wickets of Moeen Ali and Gary Ballance. Bell fell after adding 30 runs with Root. Morgan looked good but he also threw away the start he got.
Dilshan to Buttler, FOUR, flighted delivery from Dilshan, Buttler backs away and heaves it to the wide long-on fence, England finish with 309, 22 runs came off the last over. 106 runs came off the last 10 overs and going into lunch, England will definitely be very happy with this score
Dilshan to Buttler, 2 runs, floated up outside off, Buttler drives it to long-off and hares back for the second, the throw comes in at non-striker's end and Woakes was diving to get back, Dilshan didn't collect the ball properly and Woakes survives
Lakmal to Buttler, no ball, ohh dear! Lakmal has got his second warning for the beamer and he's off, Buttler had to get out of the way, he takes evasive action and falls down on the ground, did well to get away and it is another no-ball as well, Dilshan will bowl the final 2 balls
Lakmal to Buttler, SIX, too good! Marginally overpitching outside off, Buttler leans forward and lofts it over the deep extra cover fence for a maximum, there was not much elevation on that one but the ball just cleared the rope easily
Lakmal to Buttler, no run, yorker outside off, Buttler jams it out back to the bowler, who under-arms the throw at the non-striker's end, Woakes would have been out had that hit
Lakmal to Buttler, no run, lower full toss wide outside off, Buttler shuffled across and the ball went under his bat, maybe, that's the reason why it was not called a wide
Lakmal to Buttler, FOUR, consecutive boundaries for Lakmal, it was full and outside off, Buttler drills the drive past the bowler and the fielder at mid-off had no time to run to his left and stop that, the ball runs away to the fence
Lakmal to Buttler, no ball, FOUR, that's a freebie from Buttler, it was a high full toss above the waist, Buttler pulls it behidn square and the ball runs away to the fence, poor ball from Lakmal, the umpire gives him a warning as well
Lakmal will bowl the last over of the innings. Can England get to 300? Let's find out. Long-on is being brought inside the circle and cover is in the deep
T Perera to Woakes, FOUR, that would have been a wide had Woakes left it alone, but he goes right after it and slices the drive over backward point, the ball runs away to the fence, the fielder at third man had no chance of cutting that off
Herath to Buttler, 1 run, dropped! Herath's finger is bleeding as well, that must be hurting a lot, Buttler backs away and was looking to go inside-out, but Herath follows him, Buttler drills it back uppishly back at the bowler, who couldn't get out of the way as well, the ball his his finger and he can't continue, he has gone off the field to receive some treatment, Perera will finish the over
Herath to Woakes, 1 run, gives the charge and converts this fullish delivery into a full toss, he helps it away to cover for a single
Herath to Woakes, no run, slower and down leg, Woakes was moving away to try and work it through the on-side, but can't connect and wears it on the pad
Herath to Buttler, 1 run, gives the charge and almost yorks himself, but manages to drill it down to long-off for a single
Herath to Woakes, 1 run, tossed up around off, Woakes backs away and drives it inside out towards widish long-off for a single
Malinga to Woakes, 1 run, slow and low full toss on middle and leg, Buttler gets under it and works it to deep mid-wicket, he will keep the strike
Malinga to Buttler, 1 run, another full delivery outside off, Buttler drives it to deep extra cover for a single
Malinga to Buttler, FOUR, super shot by Buttler! It was the yorker outside off, Buttler squeezes it out past backward point and the ball runs away to the fence in no time
Malinga to Woakes, 1 run, slower ball on a good length, Woakes waits for it inside the crease, opens the face of the bat and runs it down to third man
Malinga to Buttler, 1 run, full outside off once again, Buttler drives it to deep extra cover, but this time he can only get a single
Malinga to Buttler, FOUR, great placement from Buttler, it was full and outside off, Buttler just leans forward and creams the drive to the fence, splitting the fielder at sweeper and deep extra cover
Herath to Buttler, 1 run, another quicker one from Herath, Buttler drives it to extra cover for a single, just 3 runs came off that over
Herath to Woakes, 1 run, flow full toss outside off, Woakes drives it past a diving cover, the batsmen take a single
Herath to J Root, out Lbw!! An amazing innings from Root comes to an end. It was the arm-ball from Herath, Root went for the reverse sweep, but failed to connect. The ball hit him in line with middle and leg, Herath was pleading for the lbw decision and the the umpire obliged by raising his finger. He walks off to a big applause, raises his bat to the crowd. J Root lbw b Herath 121(108) [4s-14 6s-2]
Root has been given out lbw. He has decided to review the decision. He didn't get the inside edge, the ball flicks the pad. That looks out to me. Hawk-Eye shows that the ball was clipping leg and the onfield decision is upheld
Herath to Buttler, 1 run, employs the reverse sweep this time and gets it to the right of backward point, where Jayawardene does very well to dive and make half a stop, the batsmen can only take a single there
Malinga to Buttler, 1 run, full outside off, Buttler drills the drive to sweeper cover and he will keep the strike
Malinga to Buttler, FOUR, Buttler replies in style! It was another short one from Malinga and around off, Buttler pulls it behind square and the ball runs away to the fence
Malinga to Buttler, no run, ohh that's pinged Buttler on the grille! It was a good short ball from Malinga, Buttler ws surprised by it, he looks to fend it away but misses, that must have hurt a little as it hit the grille area around the ear, the umpires and Sri Lankan players around him check whether he is okay or not, he takes off his helmet and is taking his time to get himself together
Malinga to James Taylor, out Caught by Dilshan!! Taylor perishes for the cause. It was the wide yorker from Malinga, Taylor tries to squeeze it out over the fielder at backward point, but can't get the elevation. He slices it straight to the man at backward point. Taylor and Root punch gloves as he walks off, Root also pats him on the helmet. James Taylor c Dilshan b Malinga 25(26) [4s-1 6s-1]
Malinga to J Root, 1 run, full and outside off, Root clears his front leg and lofts it inside-out over cover, but there's protection in the deep and it will only be a single
Malinga to James Taylor, 1 run, Taylor gives the charge and converts this full delivery into a full toss, helps it down to mid-off for a quick single
T Perera to J Root, FOUR, comes back over the wicket but still goes for a boundary to end the over, Perera has been taken to the cleaners here, it was full and outside off, Root gives the charge and goes for the drive, gets an outside edge that runs away down to the third man fence, Sanga moved to his right but had no chance of catching that, 25 runs came off that over
T Perera to J Root, FOUR, bangs this one short and Root latches onto it in a flash, he pulls it to the cow corner fence for another boundary
T Perera to J Root, SIX, this time it carries over the fence, it was full from Perera, Root changes his stance once again and scoops it over the third man fence for a six, this is great batting from Root
T Perera to J Root, FOUR, changes his stance and reverse hits the ball, places it to perfection, splitting backward point and short third man
T Perera to James Taylor, 1 run, comes round the wicket and bowls this full and on middle and leg, Taylor works it through mid-wicket for a single
T Perera to James Taylor, SIX, what a shot! Sweet sound off the bat as well, Taylor gives the charge and Perera drops it short, Taylor still muscles the pull over the deep mid-wicket fence
Mathews to J Root, 2 runs, short and wide outside off, Root edges the cut to third man and comes back for the second run
Mathews to J Root, FOUR, 4th ODI hundred for Root, he becomes the youngest English batsman to score a century in World Cups, it was shortish and outside off, Root cuts it to the sweeper cover fence, the fielder from cover gives chase, but the ball beats him to the fence. Root had dropped his bat at the non-striker's end, but had his arms up in joy. He takes off his helmet and then soaks in the applause by raising his helmet
Mathews to J Root, no run, length ball a little wide outside off, Root looks to drive, but gets beaten
Mathews to James Taylor, 1 run, run-out chance missed! It was slower and around off, Taylor just wrists it towards mid-on and sets off, Jayawrdene from mid-wicket moves to his left, picks it up and fires in the throw at the non-striker's end, Taylor dives and takes Mathews with him, the ball hit Taylor's helmet as well, a direct-hit would have caught him short
Mathews to James Taylor, no run, back of a length delivery outside off, Taylor comes down the track and pushing it towards point
Malinga to J Root, FOUR, I spoke too soon as the last ball goes for a boundary, it was full outside off, Root backs away and squeezes out the drive towards the squarish third man region, the third man fielder was a lot finer, he runs to his right but the ball beats him to the fence
Malinga to J Root, no run, this is turning out to be a great over, it was full and outside off, Root opens the face of the bat and drives, but picks out point
Malinga to J Root, no run, fuller and around off, Root backs away a touch, mistimes the drive towards mid-off, it went on the bounce to the fielder
Malinga to J Root, no run, full toss well outside off, Root flashes at it after backing away, but can't connect and Malinga gets away with it
Malinga to James Taylor, 1 run, short and on leg, Taylor moves across and pulls it to fine leg, he rolled his wrists over it to send it along the ground
Mathews to James Taylor, 1 run, short and slightly wide outside off, Taylor cuts it to third man and he will keep the strike
Mathews to J Root, 1 run, gives the charge this time and wrists this length ball just outside off to long-on
Mathews to James Taylor, 1 run, slightly back of a length and outside off, Taylor stays back and cuts, the ball goes fine towards third man and the batsmen take a single
Mathews to James Taylor, no run, goes right across to this length delivery outside off, but ends up pushing it back to the bowler
Mathews to J Root, 1 run, length delivery angling in on the stumps, Root bunts it down to long-on for a single
Mathews to James Taylor, 1 run, bowls this one well outside off and was short in length, Taylor cuts and the ball goes on the bounce to third man
Lakmal to J Root, no run, premeditated by Root, he was shuffling across and was looking to scoop it over short fine, but Lakmal bowls it outside off, Root then tries to guide it down to third man, but can't connect
Lakmal to J Root, 2 runs, short and on the stumps, Root backs away just a touch and pulls it to deep mid-wicket, the fielder there runs to his left and stops the ball, the batsmen take two
Lakmal to J Root, FOUR, pitched up just outside off, Root uses the depth of the crease and drills it to deep extra cover, no chance for cover or sweeper cover. It was hit with immense power
Lakmal to J Root, no run, slower ball around off, Root guides it to backward point and calls "wait" for the single
Lakmal to J Root, no run, not all that short, Root goes back and mistimes the pull to short mid-wicket
Jamie from the ground tells us, ?Just had a walk around the stadium, both outside and around the top tier. Not a large crowd in but there?s plenty of activity down below. The more active ones are doing their bit to try and get a fun mood up - and barring one failed attempt at a Mexican Wave, they are doing alright.?
Malinga to J Root, 1 run, back of a length on the fourth stump, Root runs it to third man with an angled bat
Malinga to J Root, 2 runs, Malinga is not getting his length right, drops it short and offers plenty of room, Root slaps it in front of square, the pair come back for the second. Root was made to hurry by Chandimal, but he made it quite easily
Malinga to James Taylor, 1 run, back of a length around off, Taylor glides it off the face of the bat to third man
Malinga to J Root, FOUR, another edge and another four! Shortish and outside off, Root throws his bat at it, gets an under edge that runs away fine, no chance for the fielder in the deep
Lakmal to James Taylor, FOUR, streaky! But England will take that. Low full toss just outside off, Taylor goes hard at that, the ball takes the edge and runs away to the third man fence
Lakmal to J Root, leg byes, 1 run, Lakmal gets away with a nice juicy full toss, Root misses the heave across the line, is struck above the knee roll. The ball rolls towards point and the duo scamper across for a brisk single. Root had to dive in as the throw was at his end. He was safe though. Sri Lanka reviewed it. Lakmal's front foot is fine. No inside edge and the impact was outside leg. It was a shocking review from Sri Lanka
Lakmal to J Root, no run, can't beat the man at mid-wicket, leans forward and works it straight to the fielder
Lakmal to James Taylor, 1 run, shortish and on the stumps, Taylor pulls it behind square leg for a single
Lakmal to James Taylor, no run, starts with a slower one, Taylor watches it well and knocks it to short mid-wicket
Malinga to James Taylor, 1 run, slower delivery on off, Taylor wrists it to mid-on for a sharp single
Malinga to James Taylor, no run, yorker down leg, Taylor could have left it alone, instead he jams it to short mid-wicket
Malinga to James Taylor, wide, slips the slower one down leg, Taylor can't lay bat on that, wided by umpire Tucker
Malinga to J Root, 1 run, too full and on off, Root squeezes it out to mid-on, scampers across for a quick single
Malinga to J Root, FOUR, digs it in mid-way down the wicket, it sat up nicely for Root, who swivels on the back foot and pulls it behind square, no chance for deep square to stop the ball reaching the fence
Malinga to James Taylor, 1 run, full and on the pads, Taylor leans forward and flicks it to deep square leg
T Perera to J Root, 1 run, too straight, on middle and leg, Root nurdles it to deep square leg for a single
T Perera to J Root, FOUR, bad delivery and deserved the treatment. Short and well wide of off, Root goes deep in the crease and cuts it fiercely behind point, the ball rocketed to the fence
T Perera to J Root, 2 runs, drops it short, Root fetches it from outside off and pulls it to deep mid-wicket for a brace
T Perera to James Taylor, 1 run, short and outside off, Taylor rides the bounce and cuts it to sweeper cover
T Perera to J Root, 1 run, on a length just outside off, Root charges down, dabs it to the left of backward point, first call was for "wait", but they go through as soon as the ball passed the fielder
Herath to James Taylor, 2 runs, that was excellent running, but lazy effort from the fielder. Takes a couple of steps down the wicket, pushes it gently to long-off, the fielder took his own time to reach the ball
Herath to J Root, FOUR, lovely shot! They need more of this. Tossed up on off, Root kneels down and pulls it in front of square, the fielder from deep mid-wicket had no chance of cutting that
Herath to J Root, no run, floated up just outside off, Root drives it to extra cover, picks ou the fielder there
T Perera to James Taylor, no run, bit fuller than the previous deliveries, Taylor presses it to cover after coming forward
T Perera to James Taylor, no run, back of a length on off, Taylor gets behind the line and defends to cover
That will be drinks! Sri Lanka have pulled things back nicely. This partnership was gaining momentum, but Morgan threw it away. Root will have to guide the innings, with Taylor and Buttler playing the supporting roles. Can they get to 300? We'll find out..
T Perera to Eoin Morgan, out Caught by Dilshan!! England again lose a wicket against the run of play. Huge wicket with the batting poweplay coming up. A poor delivery fetches Thisara his first wicket. Short and outside off, Morgan slaps it straight to backward point, Dilshan hangs onto a fine catch. He hit that right off the meat and the ball was travelling at a good speed. Eoin Morgan c Dilshan b T Perera 27(47) [4s-2 6s-1]
T Perera to Eoin Morgan, no run, keeps it short and around off, Morgan dabs it to backward point, another loud call of "no"
T Perera to Eoin Morgan, 2 runs, back of a length close to off, Morgan chops it to third man, it came off the under edge, Herath runs across to his right, slides and keeps it to two
Mathews to J Root, 2 runs, fifty for Root, his 9th in ODIs. First in the World Cup. Too straight, on middle and leg, Root nurdles it to deep backward square leg, calls for two and has to put in the dive as the throw is right on top of the stumps, Sanga whips the bails off, but Root had made it in
Third umpire called in to have a check at the run-out chance. Root has made it in. Easy call for the umpire. Not Out flashes on the big screen.
Mathews to J Root, no run, short and outside off, Root cuts it to backward point, Dilshan dives to his right and fields the ball
Mathews to Eoin Morgan, no run, change of pace, on leg-stump, Morgan wrists it straight to short mid-wicket
Mathews to Eoin Morgan, no run, no room for Morgan to work with, he dabs it in front of backward point
T Perera to Eoin Morgan, no run, hint of inward movement, Morgan fails to make contact with the nudge, is pinged on the thigh pad
T Perera to Eoin Morgan, no run, on leg-stump, Morgan tucks it to short mid-wicket, shouts "wait" to Root
T Perera to Eoin Morgan, no run, back of a length on off, Morgan jabs at it, inside edges it onto the pads, the ball dribbles to the pads, wants the single but Root is not interested
Herath to Eoin Morgan, leg byes, 1 run, Sanga appeals for lbw, but that was clearly not-out. Too full from Herath, Morgan misses the reverse sweep, is struck low on the pads, but the impact was well outside leg
Herath to Eoin Morgan, 1 run, backs away slightly and guides it square of the wicket on the off-side
Herath to Eoin Morgan, FOUR, fabulous shot! Lovely use of the feet from the England skipper. Tossed up on off, Morgan dances down the wicket and lofts it straight back over the bowler's head, one bounce and into the fence
Malinga to J Root, no run, slower ball yorker, Root spots it early and digs it out to short mid-wicket
Malinga to Eoin Morgan, 1 run, banged in halfway down the wicket, Morgan nails the pull to deep square leg, he hit it hard and straight to the fielder
Malinga to Eoin Morgan, no run, yorker on off, Morgan brings his bat down and jams it to backward point
Malinga to Eoin Morgan, no run, Malinga gets away with a wide, short and down leg, Morgan stands his ground and lets it pass, umpire Oxenford feels it was on leg-stump
Malinga to Eoin Morgan, no run, almost a yorker around off, Morgan squeezes it out back to the bowler
Herath to J Root, 1 run, almost drags it back on! It was touch quicker and just outside off, Root was looking to cut, gets an inside edge that goes past the stumps and rolls away towards short fine leg
Herath to J Root, no run, gives the charge and bunts this flighted delivery around off back towards the non-striker, where both Herath and the fielder from short mid-wicket were converging, the ball rolls away into the on-side off Morgan's leg
Herath to J Root, FOUR, on the pads from Herath, Root kneels down and sweeps it behind square and the ball races away to the fence
Dilshan to J Root, no run, flighted delivery outside off, Root shuffles across and flicks it towards mid-wicket
Dilshan to Eoin Morgan, 1 run, drags it short and a little wide outside off, Morgan cuts it square of the wicket for a single
Dilshan to Eoin Morgan, no run, quicker and on the stumps, Morgan punches it towards cover, who dives to his right and stops the ball
Dilshan to Eoin Morgan, SIX, first maximum of the day from the bat of Morgan, it was floated outside off, Morgan kneels down and slog sweeps it over the deep mid-wicket fence for a six, great shot
T Perera to J Root, 1 run, full and outside off, Root drives it square of the wicket for a single, he will keep the strike
T Perera to J Root, FOUR, that was lucky for Root, it was on a good length and just outside off, Root was looking to cut it, but it was neither that short nor that wide, gets an inside edge that runs away past the off-stump and to the fine leg fence
T Perera to Eoin Morgan, 1 run, touch fuller and around off, Morgan pushes it to the left of the bowler, who bends down and tries to stop it with his left hand, he fails and the batsmen charge through for a single as the ball rolls away to mid-on
T Perera to J Root, 1 run, length delivery just outside off, Root waits for it and guides it down to third man after opening the face of the bat
Dilshan to Eoin Morgan, no run, flighted delivery around off, Morgan leans forward and pushes it back to the bowler
Dilshan to Eoin Morgan, no run, quicker and on the stumps, Morgan was looking to force it through the off-side after backing away, he gets an inside edge that runs away behind square on the on-side
Dilshan to J Root, 1 run, comes down the track and converts this fullish delivery into a full toss, driven to the right of sweeper cover for a single
T Perera to J Root, 1 run, bit too straight this time in line, Root tucks it away behind square for a single
T Perera to J Root, no run, angling in on off and middle, Root works it towards mid-wicket, who dives to his right and stops the ball
T Perera to Eoin Morgan, 1 run, length just outside off, Morgan leans forward and drives it through the covers, the batsmen were looking for a couple there but don't go through as Karunaratne from sweeper cover was quick to run across and stop the ball
T Perera to Eoin Morgan, no run, fuller and angling away, Morgan drives away from his body, but can't beat the man at point
T Perera to Eoin Morgan, no run, angled across off, Morgan gets behind the line and defends it to the right of the bowler
Dilshan to J Root, no run, drags this one short and outside off, Root rocks back and pulls, but Jayawardene at square leg dives to his left and saves some runs for his team
Dilshan to Eoin Morgan, 1 run, quicker this time from Dilshan, Morgan backs away and punches it to sweeper cover
Dilshan to Eoin Morgan, no run, gives this one more air on off and middle, Morgan comes down the track and pushes it back to the bowler
Dilshan to Eoin Morgan, no run, tossed up around off, Morgan drives it back to the bowler off the inside half of the bat
Dilshan to J Root, 1 run, worked away towards short mid-wicket, who misfields after putting in the dive and the batsmen go through with the single
Dilshan to J Root, no run, flighted delivery around off, Root pushes it to the right of the bowler, where Dilshan dives across and stops the ball
T Perera to J Root, 1 run, back of a length delivery outside off, Root had shuffled across there, he was looking to cut at first but was cramped for room, he did well to steer it down to third man at the end
T Perera to J Root, no run, just short of a good length and just outside off, Root hangs back and defends by offering the full face of the bat
T Perera to J Root, no run, fuller and angling in from just outside off, Root pushes it to the right of the bowler, who collects in his followthrough
Lakmal to J Root, FOUR, good shot from Root, it was short and slightly wide outside off, Root transfers his weight on the back foot and cuts it towards the square third man region, Herath from third man, which was finer, runs to his right and puts in the dive, but can't stop the ball
Lakmal to J Root, 2 runs, in the airrr, but safe! It was banged in short and at the batsman, who went for the pull, but gets a top-edge that goes towards the fine leg region, where Thisara Perera was a litle square, by the time he runs to his right and stops the ball, the batsmen take two
Lakmal to J Root, no run, gets this to shape away from well outside off, Root is not going to play at those, especially at this stage, he watches it go into Sanga's mitts
T Perera to J Root, 1 run, angling in from just outside off, Root shuffles across just a touch and clips it to deep mid-wicket, he will keep the strike
T Perera to Eoin Morgan, 1 run, back of a length delivery angling away just outside off, Morgan stays back, opens the face of the bat and runs it down to third man
T Perera to Eoin Morgan, no run, back of a length delivery around off, Morgan gets behind the line and defends it into the off-side
T Perera to Eoin Morgan, no run, touch fuller and angled across off, Morgan drives it off the front foot, the fielder from cover runs slightly to his right, dives and stops the ball
T Perera to Eoin Morgan, no run, in the channel outside off, Morgan watches it closely and lets it go
T Perera to J Root, 1 run, short delivery outside off, Root pulls it to deep mid-wicket for a single
A quick update from Jamie, who is at the ground, ?Far from a full house here at Westpac Stadium. Plenty of yellow buck seats visible. As expected, the fans from both sides are backing their teams with vigour; the Sri Lankans more so with bugles and such.?
Lakmal to Eoin Morgan, FOUR, good shot to get off the mark, it was touch fuller this time and outside off, Morgan comes on the front foot and drives it to the long-off fence, the fielder at mid-off was a little square there and the ball races away through the quick outfield
Lakmal to Eoin Morgan, no run, back of a length delivery outside off, Morgan is happy to leave that alone
Lakmal to Eoin Morgan, no run, looks to leave this one outside off, Morgan was a little late to pull his bat back, the ball catches the bat on its way to the slip fielder, went on the bounce though
Lakmal to Eoin Morgan, no run, banged in short and angling away outside off, Morgan sways away from the line and lets it go
Lakmal to Bell, out Bowled!! Ohh dear! Bell drags one back right before reaching his fifty. Lucky break for Lakmal here, the bowler he was especially severe on during the early part of the innings. It was fuller and around off, Bell looks to drive, the ball shapes in just a touch, gets an inside edge onto the pad and then the ball crashes into the stumps. Bell shakes his head in disappointment. Bell b Lakmal 49(54) [4s-7]
Lakmal to J Root, 1 run, on a length and in the channel outside off, Root runs it down to third man after opening the face of the bat
Herath to Bell, 1 run, flighted delivery on middle, Bell employs the reverse sweep but can't get it fine, the batsmen take a single as the ball rolls away towards backward point
Lakmal to J Root, no run, length delivery just outside off, Root leans forward and defends it to his right
Lakmal to Bell, 1 run, in the channel outside off, Bell stays back and guides it down to third man after opening the bat face once again
Lakmal to J Root, 1 run, just short of a good length and outside off, Root drops it with soft hands in front of cover-point, sets off and makes it comfortable at the end
Lakmal to Bell, 1 run, length delivery outside off, Bell waits for it inside the crease, opens the face of the bat and steers it down to third man
Lakmal to J Root, 1 run, banged in short and at the batsman, who swivels and looks to pull, gets it high on the bat and the ball was in the air for a little while, but in a safe zone, the batsmen take a single as it rolls away to deep square leg
Mathews to Bell, no run, fuller and homing back in from outside off, Bell was thinking about playing at that but decides to shoulder arms as the ball came in just a touch, not enough to trouble the batsman though
Mathews to J Root, 1 run, angling in on the stumps, Root clips it towards deep mid-wicket for a single
Mathews to J Root, no run, just short of a good length and outside off, Root hangs back and looks to run it down to third man, but picks out backward point, who moves to his left and stops the ball
Mathews to J Root, no run, fuller and just outside off, Root drives it back to the bowler, who bends down in his followthrough to stop it
Mathews to Bell, 1 run, back of a length delivery around off, Bell nudges it towards mid-wicket and the batsmen cross over
Drinks are on the field now. England started off in superb fashion, going after the Lankan bowlers. Bell was not holding anything back at the start, but has settled down now. Sri Lanka have pulled things back ever since Moeen Ali departed and Ballance followed him soon after too. Sri Lanka though have been poor on the field. We are just 17 overs in and they have already dropped three chances today. The fielders need to do better if they want to restrict England.
Dilshan to J Root, 1 run, drifting on the pads, Root nurdles it to fine leg, the batsmen were looking for the second there, but Bell decides against it
Dilshan to Bell, 1 run, drags this one short and outside off, Bell rocks back and pulls it to deep mid-wicket
Dilshan to J Root, 1 run, tossed up a little wide outside off, Root leans forward and drives it to sweeper cover
Dilshan to Bell, no run, slower and on the stumps, Bell goes back, opens the face of the bat and guides it towards short third man
Mathews to J Root, no run, angling in on off this time, took the pace off the ball as well, Root shuffles across a touch and defends it to mid-on
Mathews to J Root, no run, touch fuller and just outside off, Root drives it off the front foot to mid-off
Mathews to J Root, no run, back of a length delivery outside off, Root covers the stumps and defends it to cover
Mathews to J Root, FOUR, beautiful shot! It was a wide half volley and Root cashes in. He gets a good stride forward, present the high elbow while playing the drive, times it handsomely through extra-cover
Mathews to J Root, no run, back of a length on off, Root nurdles it off the inside part to square leg
Dilshan to Bell, no run, wrists it to the right of the bowler, Dilshan moves quickly, dives and parries it to short mid-wicket. Saved the single
Dilshan to J Root, 1 run, goes deep in the crease, rolls his wrists it and works it in front of square
Mathews to Bell, no run, shortens the length around off, Bell taps it gently in front of backward point
Mathews to J Root, wide, splays it down leg, Root can't connect with the flick, good take by Sanga diving to his left
Mathews to J Root, no run, did that carry? Yes, it did. Mahela has spilled the third catch of the innings. He is disappointed with himself. Bumble on comm says, "That is a rarity, he catches everything". Good length ball in the corridor of uncertainty, Root goes chasing at that, the outside edge is found and goes low to first slip, Mahela dives, gets both hands but grasses it
Mathews to J Root, no run, teasing stuff from Mathews, probes away just around off, Root lifts his bat and lets it go
Dilshan to Bell, no run, slower and turning in, Bell misses the tuck to the on-side, is struck on the pad. No appeal for lbw as it was spinning down leg
Dilshan to J Root, 1 run, hangs back in the crease and milks it wide of mid-wicket, the fielder dives and tries to stop, but all in vain
Dilshan to Bell, 1 run, Bell emulates Root and works it between the two close-in fielders on the leg-side
Dilshan to Ballance, out Caught&Bowled!! Another soft dismissal! Dilshan goes on a celebratory run. Ballance never looked at ease. Sri Lanka slowly but surely pulling things back. This was given bit more air, Ballance deceived in flight, checks his shot and chips it back towards the bowler, Dilshan dives to his left and clings onto a superb catch. 100th ODI wicket for Dilshan. Ballance c and b Dilshan 6(14) [4s-1]
Mathews to Bell, leg byes, 1 run, strays onto the pads, Bell fails to connect with the glance, ball runs off the thigh pad to fine leg
Mathews to Ballance, FOUR, that should make him feel better, pitched up on the fourth stump line, Ballance strides forward, presents the full face and drives it past short cover. The timing was exquisite on that
Mathews to Ballance, no run, shortens the length outside off, Ballance cuts and misses. It was too close to be playing that shot
Mathews to Ballance, no run, fuller and just outside off, Ballance drives without much purpose to cover-point
Dilshan to Bell, no run, keeps it wicket-to-wicket, Bell goes back and across, defends it to the right of Dilshan
Dilshan to Ballance, 1 run, opens his account, finally. Knocks the quicker delivery to the right of cover and hares across to the other end
Dilshan to Ballance, no run, push-drives it back to the bowler and already he has played out 7 dot balls
Mathews to Ballance, no run, third leave of the over, it was well wide of off, Ballance sees the ball settle into Sanga's mitts
Mathews to Ballance, no run, tight from Mathews, in and around off, Ballance is slightly forward and knocks it to backward point
Mathews to Moeen Ali, out Caught by Lakmal!! Tame dismissal! How many times has Mathews done that? Providing the crucial breakthrough for his team. It was a nothing shot from Moeen. Fullish and outside off, he reaches out for it and drives it in the air to mid-off, Lakmal hangs to a dolly. Actually, Moeen was trying to hit it over the fielder, but was not able to get the elevation. An important wicket for Sri Lanka. Moeen Ali c Lakmal b Mathews 15(26) [4s-3]
Mathews to Moeen Ali, no run, back of a length outside off, Ali looks to swipe it across the line, is nowhere close to the ball
Dilshan to Bell, no run, fraction short and outside off, Bell cuts and picks out backward point. Good start from Dilshan
Dilshan to Moeen Ali, 1 run, flatter and on the stumps, Ali wrists it to mid-on and scampers through for a quick single
Dilshan to Moeen Ali, no run, slower than the previous delivery, Ali leans forward and pushes it cover
Mathews to Bell, no run, sliding onto leg-stump, Bell fails to glance it away, the ball takes the pad and rolls to short fine
Mathews to Moeen Ali, 1 run, shortish and around off, Ali goes for the pull, mistimes it to mid-on. He was looking to go over the fielder, but didn't get the elevation or the timing
Mathews to Bell, 1 run, good length ball just outside off, Bell knocks it to cover-point for a comfortable single
Mathews to Bell, byes, FOUR, beauty! Mathews thought he had his man. Jags back in from a short of length, Bell is caught in the crease, the ball cuts him into half, brushes the back pocket of the trouser and runs away to the left of Sanga. Umpire Oxenford didn't spot the brush and gave it as byes
Mathews to Bell, FOUR, top shot! It was tad overpitched outside off, Bell gets a good stride forward and drives it through cover, in the air for a while, but it was in the gap. Calls third man in and sends cover back
Malinga to Moeen Ali, no run, Malinga gets away with a wide, bouncer which is just down leg, Ali watches it sail over his right shoulder
Malinga to Moeen Ali, no run, the attempted slower ball yorker, ends up being a high full toss, Ali is surprised but does well to knock it to backward point. It was not above waist high
Malinga to Bell, wide, that brings up the 50 for England in just the 7th over. Slips the slower ball yorker down leg, wided by the umpire
Malinga to Bell, FOUR, lovely shot! Malinga goes too straight and it is too easy for Bell. Leans forward nicely, flicks it through mid-wicket, the timing and placement was sublime
Malinga to Bell, no run, back of a length on off, Bell stays back and turns it to mid-on, rolled his wrists on top the ball
Malinga to Bell, no run, good length ball on off, Bell comes half-forward and defends to cover-point
Mathews to Moeen Ali, no run, angled across the left-hander, Ali goes for the drive with laden feet, is beaten and the ball hardly carries to Sanga. In fact, it went on the bounce
Mathews to Bell, 2 runs, pitched up outside off, Bell frees his arms and lifts it over the in-field on the off-side, no timing on that as it slows down just before the rope. Chandimal runs back and hauls it in
Mathews to Bell, no run, short of length on off, Bell gets right behind the line and defends it towards cover
Mathews to Bell, no run, back of a length on off, Bell shuffles across, dabs it with an open face, Mahela runs to his right from slip, dives and stops the ball. Saves a run for the team
Mathews to Bell, no run, on a length and on the fourth stump line, Bell covers his sticks, lifts his bat and lets it go
Malinga to Moeen Ali, FOUR, Malinga is just overdoing the yorker now. This one ends up as a low full toss, Ali presses forward, presents the straight bat and drives it between extra cover and mid-off, Mathews had no chance of chasing that down
Malinga to Moeen Ali, no run, takes the pace off the ball, Ali watches it carefully and blocks it down the wicket
Malinga to Moeen Ali, no run, Ali misses out there, half volley on the pads, he goes for the flick and misses, wears it on the pads
Malinga to Moeen Ali, no run, excellent yorker. It was very similar to the delivery that Southee bowled to Ali. Curling in on off and middle, Ali manages to get his front leg out of the way and jam it to the off-side
Malinga to Moeen Ali, no run, slower ball yorker just outside off, Ali is deceived by the lack of pace, he is into the shot early. The ball goes on the bounce to Sanga
Malinga to Moeen Ali, no run, too full and on off, Ali drives it straight down the wicket, Malinga sticks out his right boot and stops it
Lakmal to Bell, FOUR, was that another drop? Need replays to confirm it. Dilshan was the fielder this time. Short and outside off, Bell cuts it in the air to backward point, goes low to the fielder. Dilshan can't even get a finger to it. He was late to react there. Two chances for Bell and 19 runs off the over
Lakmal to Bell, 2 runs, Chandimal almost pulled off a stunner. But, that will go down as a drop. In fact, he went too far across and didn't time his move. It was full and outside off, Bell drives it in the air towards cover-point, Chandimal moves to his right, goes for it with one hand, can't hang on
Lakmal to Bell, no run, repeat of the previous ball, Lakmal keeps it well wide of off, Bell has nothing to do with it
Lakmal to Bell, no run, shortens the length outside off, Bell walks across and watches it go through to Sanga
Lakmal to Bell, FOUR, this is bread and butter for Bell, full and too straight, Bell leans forward and plays the pick up shot over mid-wicket, lofts it elegantly over the in-field. The rich timing takes it to the fence
Lakmal to Bell, 5 wides, poor bowling from Lakmal. No chance for Sanga to collect that. Drifts it down leg and swings away further, Bell can't connect with the glance, Sanga dives to his left in vain
Lakmal to Bell, FOUR, anything outside off and Bell is throwing his bat at it. Fullish and wide of off, Bell goes hard on that, slices it off the outer half over backward point, the ball races away to the boundary
Malinga to Moeen Ali, no run, yorker that tails back in, Ali gets his bat down and works it to mid-on
Malinga to Bell, 1 run, back of a length close to off, Bell opens the bat face and runs it down to third man
Malinga to Bell, FOUR, a controlled edge from Bell, good length ball close to off, Bell plays it late, gets a thickish outside edge that rolls past second slip. Herath at third man has no chance of catching up with that
Malinga to Bell, FOUR, offers a bit of width and Bell throws his bat at it. Short and wide of off, Bell cuts it in the air, just manages to evade Dilshan at backward point. He could have done slightly better there
Malinga to Bell, no run, on a length just outside off, Bell opens the bat face and drives it to backward point
Malinga to Bell, no run, short of length on off, Bell shuffles back and across, taps it in front of cover
Lakmal to Moeen Ali, no run, back of a length on off, Ali goes back and punches it to mid-off. Good finish to the over after conceding two boundaries off the first two balls
Lakmal to Moeen Ali, no run, tight line from Lakmal, close to the off-stump, Ali presses it to cover after coming slightly forward
Lakmal to Moeen Ali, no run, drags the length back, Ali stays in the crease and pats it with soft hands to short mid-wicket
Lakmal to Moeen Ali, FOUR, lovely shot! He is relying more on timing rather than power. Fuller and shapes back in, Ali pushes it to the left of Lakmal, beats mid-on and the ball races away to the fence. Mathews gives chase and comes second
Lakmal to Moeen Ali, FOUR, super shot! It is not a bad delivery but it was a fantastic shot from Ali. On a length just outside off, Ali leans forward and caresses the drive to the right of mid-off. The timing takes it to the fence
Lakmal to Moeen Ali, wide, not the ideal start for Lakmal, full toss that shapes away down leg, Ali can't connect with the flick and Sanga stops it diving to his right
Malinga to Bell, no run, back of a length and straightens, Bell is opened up slightly as he knocks it to cover. End of a good first over from Malinga
Malinga to Bell, no run, short of length and tailing away outside off, Bell was shaping up to play that, but decides against it and shoulders arms. Good carry to Sanga, who collects it head high
Malinga to Bell, no run, homing away around off, Bell waits for the ball to swing and then taps it gently to mid-off
Malinga to Moeen Ali, 1 run, pulls the length back, the line is too straight, Ali tucks it to the right of square leg and gets off the mark
Malinga to Moeen Ali, no run, there comes the yorker, right on the off-stump line, Ali brings his bat down and squeezes it out to mid-on
Malinga to Moeen Ali, no run, bit of swing straightaway, it holds up on the wicket as well, Ali checks his forward push, the ball goes uppishly towards mid-off, on the bounce to Mathews
The national anthem of both the countries are played out. Sri Lankan players are in a huddle. The openers are waiting at the boundary rope. They slowly stride out to the middle. Malinga marks his run-up. Moeen Ali will take strike first up. The countdown begins. The umpire says play and here we go..
Pitch Report: "It looks like a very good surface. It is exactly the same pitch that England played New Zealand on about a week go. Quite a bit of grass rolled into the surface. It feels quite firm. The average score here is 215. It will be a good even contest between bat and ball," reckons Michael Atherton.
Mathews: "We have been playing really good cricket against them and in the last two games. So, hopefully, we can repeat the same performance again. I would have batted first as well. The wicket might assist the fast bowlers a little bit in the first 10-15 overs. So, we will look to exploit that early on. They are all fit. We played some good cricket in the last game. So, hopefully we can continue. You got to peak at the right time and hopefully, we can peak from here onwards."
Morgan: "The last game we played here was a little bit of a disaster. Again, looking to rectify and build on our performance against Scotland here today. We have played a lot of cricket here before and the last game we played, we learned something about the ground, it swung a little bit and the wicket played a little differently than we expected. We are going to have a bat. Again, it's similar to the other day. Looked a really good wicket and the sun is out. Again, if it does swing, that will be no surprise to us. Hopefully, we will bat better. We are unchanged today. We have been out of our tracks little bit late, but hopefully, the Scotland game will give us a little bit of momentum for our performance today and we are all looking to win a game of cricket today."
Head-to-Head: England and Sri Lanka have played each other 9 times in World Cups, with the former winning 6 of those games. However, off late it is the Islanders, who have had the better of them, winning the last 2 matches in 2007 and 2011.
Moeen Ali was outstanding in the game against Scotland. The southpaw scored a superb hundred and gave the foundation to set a massive score. The middle-order, however, did not capitalize and could only manage to scrape past 300. Nonetheless, the bowlers did not disappoint. Steven Finn put the horrors of McCullum's bashing to rest with a terrific display. He scalped 3 wickets and was the pick of the bowlers. England might bring in Ravi Bopara for Gary Ballance, who has not fired in all the three matches that he has played in the World Cup.
England return to Wellington, the same place where they were blown away by Tim Southee. But, according to Chris Woakes they have put that behind them. And they must as this is a very important game for them. Having lost their first two games to Australia and New Zealand, England managed to register their first win in the competition against Scotland. So, if they lose this, then they will make it more difficult for themselves to qualify for the quarter-finals.
The problematic areas for them is the over dependancy on the big three - Dilshan, Sangakkara and Mahela. As it can be seen, in the two wins that they have registered, these three veterans have played crucial roles. Thirimanne, Mathews and Karunaratne have all got starts, but have not converted them into big scores and that is where experience comes in. Malinga is slowly getting back to his best and that was evident in the game against Bangladesh. Herath has done the holding job to perfection, but they need him to take wickets as well. One bowler who has been consistent is Suranga Lakmal. The tall fast bowler has hit the deck hard and troubled the batsmen. However, they need all of them to fire in unison.
Sri Lanka have been inconsistent. Though they have registered two back-to-back wins, they still have areas of concern. After being outplayed in their first game against New Zealand, the Islanders managed to claw their way past a spirited Afghanistan, thanks to a brilliant ton from Mahela Jayawardene and some late order hitting from Thisara Perera. The most convincing win came against Bangladesh in their last game. Dilshan and Sangakkara notched up hundreds, set a mammoth target and then the bowlers restricted the opposition quite comfortably.
These two countries have played each other a lot in the recent past. With 8 wins out of 12 games last year, Sri Lanka hold the upper hand in their head-to-head meetings recently. But, that might count to nothing as this is the World Cup and this is the stage where it matters the most. Let us have a look as to how both teams have fared so far in the tournament.
The World Cup just got spicier the last couple of days. There were some close fought contests. And we also witnessed one of the best games of the tournament so far. The New Zealand-Australia game had everything in it and in the end it was the Kiwis, who prevailed in a nail-biting finish. Today, we travel back towards Wellington, where England take on Sri Lanka. A crucial match for both teams as we enter the second phase of the group stage.
England are back in Wellington, where on February 20 they were bowled out for 123 in 33.2 overs and lost to New Zealand by eight wickets with 226 balls remaining. That defeat equaled their heaviest defeat in terms of balls remaining, and against Sri Lanka at the Westpac Stadium on Sunday they will be looking to be much, much better than their last trip here.
Chris Woakes, the fast bowler who emerged from Brendon McCullum's assault with exemplary figures of 3-1-8-2 on that dismal day last Friday, chose not to dwell on any possible trepidation of England's return to the 'Cake Tin' and instead said this World Cup fixture was an opportunity to go back and right a wrong.
"I think we've got a good opportunity to turn things around really," he told reporters ahead of a training session at the Basin Reserve at the other and of Wellington. "Obviously, last time we were there it didn't exactly go to plan. It's hard to read too much into that game, I suppose. We were pretty poor. We obviously didn't get a total on the board, and Tim Southee bowled exceptionally well, as well. Hopefully we're past that now and can put that behind us, but it would be good to get back there and show people what we can do. I think it's a good opportunity for us to put that completely behind us, and as I said before, show people what we can do and put in a solid performance."
To be better, England will need to bat better. In their last match, against Scotland in Christchurch, they were 172 for 1 in 30.1 overs and ended up with 303 for 8. After Ian Bell and Moeen Ali departed, Gary Ballance , Joe Root and James Taylor fell cheaply and skipper Eoin Morgan was far from fluent during his 42-ball 46. It is likely that Ballance will lose his place at No 3, with Ravi Bopara fitting back into the batting order.
These two teams know a lot about each other, having played 12 ODIs in the last 12 months. Sri Lanka won eight of those in the course of series wins home and away, and so England know what their challenges are. During their 5-2 defeat in Sri Lanka, England often competed in spurts and struggled against spin overall, with only Root really showing a masterly grip of how to score off Sri Lanka's slow bowlers. While spin is not expected to play a big factor in Wellington - after Daniel Vettori's 20 wickets in 20 ODIs here, the next most successful spinner is Jeetan Patel with seven - England will need to be wary of the threat in Sri Lanka's ranks.
With Jeevan Mendis ruled out of the World Cup due to injury, the spinning responsibility has increased on veteran Rangana Herath, and Sri Lanka coach Marvan Atapattu hinted at playing the offspinner Sachithra Senanayake who has 14 wickets in seven ODIs against England at an average of 14.57 and economy of 3.73. Herath, 36, has featured in each of Sri Lanka's World Cup games so far, taking two wickets while playing a holding role and Atapattu felt he was doing well. "Rangana has been good, but it's different conditions for him," he said. "Obviously the ball hasn't turned as much as it does, but having said that, our seven match series against New Zealand, he was a big factor when we won, the two games that we won, so on the day, on the wicket, conditions may change."
Sri Lanka have bounced back from defeat in the tournament opener in Christchurch on Valentine's Day, winning against Afghanistan and Bangladesh to currently occupy second place in the Pool A points table. While the Afghanistan win took some doing - they won with four wickets and ten balls in hand - there was enough for Atapattu to believe the team was ready for tougher examinations.
"Certainly, the last two games have been good for us, although we came very close it was a very close game against Afghanistan," he said. "Having said that, we would expect our No 8 to score the way he scored in the Dunedin game. Yes, we would like to take game by game at this stage. We know in World Cups every game is important, and peaking at the right time is the most important thing. We as a group believe in that, and we think game by game, and hopefully we have a good result tomorrow."
Sri Lanka did not train at the Basin Reserve today owing to what Atapattu termed "a tough day" of travelling from Melbourne, and players were allowed much-needed downtime. Several of them took to the streets of Wellington, with Lahiru Thirimanne enjoying a leisurely stroll of the city's central business district on his own. England trained under a harsh sun, following two days of what Woakes termed as "hard practice", undoubtedly seeking to get their World Cup campaign on track. The forecast for Sunday is warm, but Wellington's notorious wind can be expected to play a factor.