After two months of Ashes woe, England might need seen a change of scene as a blessing, however they’ve merely swapped one unconquered frontier for one more.
For his or her latest file in limited-overs internationals in subcontinental situations is on a par with their wretched sequence in Check cricket down beneath, over 4 excursions courting again to 2010-11.
They got here right into a sequence in opposition to Sri Lanka postponed since Covid on the again of 10 straight defeats abroad within the 50-over format, and 20 of their final 24 white-ball matches in Asia.
And so the 19-run defeat in Colombo at first of the build-up to subsequent month’s Twenty20 World Cup was, like their performances in opposition to Australia this winter, painfully predictable.
Through the 4-1 Ashes defeat, spin bowling was at a premium, with Nathan Lyon enjoying solely a bit-part position and Australia even foregoing a specialist in spin-friendly Sydney, however reputations in opposition to the turning ball on this a part of the world will not be simply forgotten.
Opponents are nicely conscious of their weak point. Over the course of these two dozen white-ball internationals stretching again to a tour of Bangladesh in 2023, England had been subjected to 47 per cent of the 842.1 overs they confronted being despatched down by spinners.
Harry Brook was unable to cease’s English cricket’s slide as they misplaced the primary ODI in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s stars have a good time after securing a 19-run win over England in Colombo on Wednesday
Sri Lanka are a superb dwelling facet, profitable 16 and dropping simply two of their earlier 19 accomplished ODIs on their very own soil. For this, the sixteenth, they took enjoying to their energy and England’s weak point to an excessive degree, opening with seven overs of seam inside the primary 9, however then turning virtually completely to spin for 34 of the subsequent 36.
Charith Asalanka, their captain, didn’t have the luxurious of calling upon his two most attacking exponents of the artwork in leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga and thriller man Maheesh Theekshana, as they had been rested with the World Cup in thoughts.
As an alternative, he went onto the defensive, utilizing his personal darted off-spin and that of Dhananjaya de Silva to dry up the runs. De Silva strung collectively 32 dots in eight overs, a course of that had the twin goal of constructing strain in actual time and softening the ball for later within the innings, making it more durable to hit off a sluggish pitch.
England have by no means chased greater than 240 to win an ODI in Sri Lanka and so though the century stand by Joe Root and Ben Duckett set a platform, its development was too sluggish.
In spinning situations particularly, chasing groups are finest suited getting forward of the required run price, however it was above a run a ball when Root was dismissed and touching 7.5 when Duckett departed quickly afterwards.
The center order of Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler and Sam Curran then did neither one factor nor the opposite, neglecting the chance to rotate the strike or discover the boundary in combining for 45 off 74 deliveries.
Joe Root scored 61 runs in England’s chase however it wasn’t sufficient as his facet struggled
Even accounting for Rehan Ahmed’s punchy cameo, there have been nonetheless 69 runs required off the ultimate 31 deliveries. And so, Jamie Overton’s late muscle, which contributed 34 off 17, merely narrowed the chasm.
It is a interval of change for English cricket off the sector. On Thursday, Luke Wright stepped down after three years as nationwide selector citing the necessity to spend extra time together with his younger household. Two acquainted faces in Troy Cooley and Carl Hopkinson have been welcomed again as bowling coach and fielding coach respectively this week.
Nevertheless it can not come shortly sufficient on it, primarily in the best way that their batters play spin, if England are to keep away from a winter of disappointment taking additional turns for the more severe.
