END OF OVER:50 | 13 Runs | ENG: 286/8 (1 run required, RR: 5.72)
- Liam Plunkett22 (11b)
- Chris Woakes95 (92b)
- Nuwan Pradeep10-0-64-2
- Suranga Lakmal10-0-65-2
10.10pm Right, that's been quite a start to the series. George Dobell's match report will be here when he has caught his breath, and here are some pics of a memorable night. . From myself, Andrew Miller, and Alan Gardner, good night and tune in on Friday for the second ODI at Edgbaston.
10.02pm Here are the captains. First, Mathews: "We had the game in the bag for most of the overs, but unfortunately the yorker fell just off-line. It happens, unfortunately for bowlers. All the bowlers bowled really well, we should have got at least 300 on that wicket. We bowled pretty well but were pretty poor in the field."
His hamstring, he attempts, is "pretty stiff". Let's hope he recovers before Edgbaston.
Morgan: "To come out with a tie is pleasing because a performance like that can mask what a poor day we've had. Buttler, Woakes and Liam Plunkett got us out of a hole at the end. Jos called on his experience and Chris played out of his skin."
Chris Woakes is the Man of the Match for two wickets and a vital 95. "It's great to tie after being in a tricky position. We were calm in that partnership, ticking over nicely. But when you are in that position you don't think too much. When you need ten off two you have to clear the ropes, and for Plunksy to hit that ball like that was exceptional. I was struggling to find the fence."
10pm The key to that grand finale, of course, was England's scrambled three off the penultimate ball ... Sri Lanka thought they'd won it there and then. Kapil: "I would rate that to foolishness of Mahroof. There was no 3 there and maximum 2 should have been the result. And he if all remember bowled poorly on that last over and couldn't hit even a 2 off the last ball. "
Kalyan: "Players to tie an ODI with a 6 off the last ball: A Mujtaba v AUS, Hobart, 1992 M Rippon v IRE, Amstelveen, 2013 L PLUNKETT today " That is too definitive a list to ignore ... our stats bods will doubtless dig out a full link in due course.
simon: "Finally England might take to take Liam Plunkett seriously - I am a massive fan, even if he is a damned Northerner. He has been undervalued by the powers-that be"
9.55pm Cricket, bloody hell ...! What a sensational contest.
And here is Plunkett: "Nice to get that one out ... Woakesy put us in a great position and we bat all the way down. We scrambled that three, then hoped he'd just miss it a bit. It's good for the team to know we bat all the way down ..." And some... he was meant to be England's No.11!
No Super Over by the way, none of those gimmicks in 50-over cricket!
Gosh. Lots of conflabs among the brains trust. Tell them to go away, Nuwan!