England bowlers Adil Rashid and Sam Curran limit Sri Lanka in first T20
The hosts need 130 to win at Cardiff.
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Your support makes all the difference.Adil Rashid and Sam Curran took two wickets apiece in a frugal bowling display from England, who have been set 130 to win the first Twenty20 after subduing Sri Lanka at Cardiff.
Rashid took two for 17 from his four overs without conceding a boundary while Curran collected two for 25 from his three on a pitch where timing appeared troublesome as Sri Lanka posted 129 for seven, having won the toss.
The tourists were grateful for Dasun Shanaka’s 50 from 44 balls on a day where Chris Woakes was the only bowler not to take a wicket in his first T20 for England since November 2015 – but he yielded just 14 from his three overs.
Woakes was immediately thrust into the fray, taking on new-ball duties in the absence of the injured Jofra Archer alongside Curran, who struck in his first over when Avishka Fernando clubbed a half-volley to Chris Jordan at mid-off.
There was a hint of frustration creeping in as Kusal Perera drilled Woakes, the ball bouncing under Curran at midwicket en route to the boundary before Danushka Gunathilaka cast off the shackles.
He used Mark Wood’s pace against him to take back-to-back fours and then had his third in three balls with a controlled edge off Jordan, but an attempted scoop from the next delivery looped into the gloves of Jos Buttler.
Captain Kusal Perera and Kusal Mendis settled for ones and twos as England’s seamers restricted Sri Lanka, who had to make do for a powerplay score of 39 for two, before Liam Livingstone’s introduction led to further inroads.
Switching between off- and leg-breaks, Livingstone – preferred to Moeen Ali in the absence of Ben Stokes – thudded one into Mendis’ front pad, the right-handed batsman missing a sweep.
Wood switched ends and claimed the wicket of Dhananjaya De Silva, looking to steer a wide bumper over third man but succeeding only in finding the hands of Rashid stationed on the boundary. At the halfway stage Sri Lanka were wobbling on 57 for four.
Perera swiped Wood over fine-leg for six to get the second half of their innings off to the ideal start, but while Sri Lanka’s batsmen were able to rotate the strike, the boundary count was alarmingly low.
Just four fours and that one six had come from 13 overs before Perera (30) attempted to up the ante against Rashid, looking to take advantage of the short straight boundary, but only picking out Jordan, running in from long-off.
Shanaka carved Wood for a couple of fours but Rashid had his second when Wanindu Hasaranga slammed to long-on, where Jordan once again completed the catch, Sri Lanka losing their sixth wicket before reaching three figures.
They belatedly got there in the 17th over before Shanaka creamed Jordan over long-on and then Curran over deep square-leg to swell Sri Lanka’s total.
Shanaka spooned Curran in the air from the final ball of the innings, Buttler taking a simple catch, as Sri Lanka were restricted to what looked a modest score at halfway.