England v Sri Lanka, 2nd ODI - 5 Talking Points

England thumped Sri Lanka in the second ODI of the five-match series as they clinched a massive 10-wicket win at Edgbaston. While Liam Plunkett and Adil Rashid did well to restrict the Lankans on a good batting wicket, it was the heroics of Jason Roy and Alex Hales that saw England home with a comfortable victory.

The two England openers smashed twin centuries as the home team reached the target of 255 in just 34 overs. The only shining light as far as the Lankans were concerned was the performance of Upul Tharanga who is still in the process of making his way back into the side. While that is certainly a talking point, we take a quick look at five things that changed the match.

1. Lankans win toss on a batting paradise

The Lankans won the toss and chose to bat first. Looking at the wicket, it was an absolute batting paradise. There wasn’t a hint of grass on it, and you couldn’t tell the hint of grass on the wicket. However, in spite of the pristine condition of the batting wicket, some irresponsible shot-making from the Lankans eventually spelled their doom as they were put into a straightjacket by the likes of Liam Plunkett and Adil Rashid.

2. Chandimal and Mathews to the rescue again

In spite of a decent start provided by openers Gunathilaka and Perera, the visitors soon found themselves on 3-77 with a collapse imminent. However, the two captains of the side Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews began the rescue act soon after. They smashed 52 and 44 respectively as they added 82-runs for the fourth wicket. In spite of using up a lot of deliveries to do so, they brought about a sense of stability to the Sri Lankan innings.

How did Twitter react to the game? – Twitter Reactions: Hales-Roy storm England to a 10-wicket victory over Sri Lanka

3. Upul Tharanga makes it count

Upul Tharanga has barely played a few matches after his hiatus from the Lankan side. Having made a comeback, the 31-year old was pushed down the order to the number 7 slot, a position he is not really accustomed to. However, at Edgbaston, Tharanga showcased some phenomenal pinch-hitting skills by smashing a quick 53 off just 49 deliveries. This helped the Lankans post a par total. A return of form perhaps for the incoming Tharanga.

4. The Roy and Hales show

With Jason Roy and Alex Hales not really making an impact in the last few matches, it was rarely expected that they would put on a 250-run partnership. In addition, both players being dashers as they were, it was highly expected that at least one of them would be dismissed in the powerplay. However, they absolutely decimated the Lankan attack. Roy and Hales remained unbeaten on 112 and 133 respectively as they smashed 256 runs in just 34 overs, becoming the highest opening stand in ODIs for England.

How did the match pan out? – Eng v SL 2nd, ODI Review: Tons from Roy, Hales crush Sri Lanka by 10 wickets

5. Baffling bowling tactics from Lankans

With Jason Roy and Alex Hales running riot, Angelo Mathews had a blank look after the end of the match. While Maharoof, Lakmal, and a few others were allowed to have a bowl, Lakmal was the only bowler who conceded less than six runs an over. However, despite that, Lakmal bowled the least amount of overs with just 5 while the likes of Sekkuge Prasanna and Suraj Randiv bowled 8 overs each. Prasanna’s economy rate was 9.55.