In the four-day test match against Sri Lanka ‘A’ team at the Galle International Cricket Stadium yesterday (31st), the England Lions team showed a style of play befitting its name and managed to stay ahead of Sri Lanka ‘A’ team by 113 runs. Meanwhile, the England Lions team, which had 7 wickets remaining, had lost only 3 wickets.
The England bowlers led by Matthew Fisher managed to restrict Sri Lanka ‘A’ team to 136 runs after winning the toss and batting first. Matthew Fisher, who destroyed the Sri Lankan innings, took 5 wickets for 34 runs and Liam Patterson, who gave him great support, took 3 wickets.
The England bowlers had spent only 35 overs and 4 balls to suppress Sri Lanka ‘A’ batsmen led by Nipun Dhananjaya. Only the number five batsman Sadeera Samarawickrama managed to cross the 30-run mark due to the aggressive bowling of England bowlers. He scored 43 runs which included 7 fours. His innings were also ended by a ball from Matthew Fisher and No. 8 batsman Lakshitha Manasinghe scored 26 runs.
Opener Oshadha Fernando, who scored a double century in the National Super League, was dismissed for 21 runs in this match and captain Nipun Dhananjaya’s innings were limited to 15 runs. Alex Lees and Haseeb Hameed got off to a great start for England Lions as they put on a 125-run stand for the first wicket.
While scoring 56 runs, Alex Lees was run out by a ball from Lasith Amudeniya and at that time Lees had faced only 69 balls. Lees’ innings included seven fours and one six, while his fellow opener Haseeb Hameed was England’s top scorer yesterday.
Hameed scored 81 runs and was dismissed by Sahan Arachchige as the second wicket of the England Lions innings. Number 3 batsman Tom Haynes also scored a half-century for England. By the end of the day he was 62 not out and Josh Bohanmann was 26 not out. (Divaina)
Score summary
Sri Lanka ‘A’: 136/10; Oshadha Fernando 21, Nuwanidu Fernando 17, Nipun Dhananjaya 15, Sadheera Samarawickrama 43, Lakshitha Manasinghe 26
Bowling – Matthew Fisher 34-5, Liam Patterson 51-3
England Lions: 249/3; Haseeb Hameed 81, Alex Lees 56, Tom Haynes 62 not out
Bowling – Lasith Amudeniya 89/2 Sahan Arachchige 22/1
Get more sports news and information by connecting with Buzzer.lk and Buzzer Sports.
