Sri Lanka vs England 2018: Colombo Win Delights Kumar Sangakkara

Sri Lanka won the fifth ODI by 219 runs (DLS method) of the five-match ODI series against England on Tuesday at R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, and former captain Kumar Sangakkara was all but delighted with the win. Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka skipper, Dinesh Chandimal won the toss and opted to bat first. The pair of Niroshan Dickwella and Sadeera Samarawickrama played some brilliant cricket and added 137 runs for the first wicket.

Sangakkara delighted with Sri Lanka’s show

Later, Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Mendis played some excellent cricket to add another 102 runs for the third wicket. However. Mendis showed some class in him, as he scored 56 runs off 33 balls. His 56 runs included only a single boundary and six massive sixes. Meanwhile, Moeen Ali and Tom Curran were the picks of the bowlers, as each picked up two wickets.

While chasing down the target, England lost their three wickets within a short span. At one stage, the scoresheet read 4/3. Meanwhile, after the departure of Hales, Roy, and Buttler, it all came down to Root and Stokes. Though Root had departed early too, the onus fell on the shoulders of the star all-rounder.

However, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali added some valuable runs in the middle to give some hope in the dressing room. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka bowler, Akila Dananjaya rattled the middle order, as he picked up four wickets in the game. Dushmantha Chameera was the other bowler who did the job earlier in the innings. His figures turned out as 6-0-20-3.

Later, Sri Lanka opener, Niroshan Dickwella was awarded the Man of the Match award for his magnificent knock of 95 runs. Meanwhile, Eoin Morgan was assigned as the Man of the Tournament.

However, former Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar Sangakkara was delighted with the performance, and he is hoping to see much more good return in future from the Sri Lanka team.

“Great batting by @OfficialSLC. Example of why a solid opening partnership is vital to setting or chasing big totals when 2 new balls are in play. @KusalMendis1 shows what he can deliver. Remember and repeat process.”

Great batting by @OfficialSLC. Example of why a solid opening partnership is vital to setting or chasing big totals when 2 new balls are in play. @KusalMendis1 shows what he can deliver. Remember and repeat process.

— Kumar Sangakkara (@KumarSanga2) October 23, 2018