Cricket

Dark clouds are gathering over more than the ODI series for Sri Lankan cricket as one of their legendary stars faces serious accusations of match-fixing and the population is rapidly deserting a losing team

Janath Jayasuriya is charged with two counts of not cooperating with anti-curruption officers investigating match-fixing allegations.
 
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In Pallekele in the hill country of Kandy, where the third ODI is due to start today at 10am BST, a predictably iffy weather forecast means Duckworth Lewis Sterne could again decide things, only this time it could be determined purely on the luck of the toss who should win.

Morgan's record isn't good having lost both tosses so far, is that losing streak set to continue? Possibly 50/50 I would say. lol

The weather forecast is awful with thundery showers predicted right from the scheduled start, must be an excellent chance of a complete washout, and there's no reserve day set aside this time.

Meanwhile the match in Abu Dhabi has completely turned Pakistan's way, as their total of only around 280 looks as though it could be plenty with Australia reduced to only 71-4, (one of those wickets being the nightwatchman though so perhaps not as bad).

Update:- Poor Australia 91-7 at lunch lol

Back to SL,

Apparently bright sunshine right now according to cricinfo, but ominous dark clouds brooding away to their observers left, just in time for the start probably....
 
Predictably it looks like Rain 2 Sri Lanka 0 England 1 will be the situation after the third ODI.

The ECB has even had to issue an explanatory note on as to exactly why they've scheduled this series to be played in the middle of the monsoon season.

"In respect of touring Sri Lanka at this time of year," says @EnglandCricket. "The Future Tours Programme is congested involving 13 Boards whose schedules all interconnect, so there are unfortunately a number of tours that have to take place outside prime match-staging periods."

Which, if you leave aside the lunacy of the congestion itself, still begs the question of why you'd try to play cricket in the only conditions (other than pitch-black darkness) in which playing cricket simply isn't possible!

In Abu Dhabi....

Australia were skittled for only 140 odd, including a late stand of 37 which all ended with a moment of madness from Labuschagne. After Starc drove Yasir tamely back to the bowler, Yasir got a touch onto the ball as it headed towards the stumps. Labuschagne had his bat in the air as he watched it hit the stumps, inexplicably failing to ground the bat.

Mohammed Abbas took 5-33 and together with Bilal Asif secured a 137 first innings lead.

Pakistan second inns - 51-1 lead by 188
 
In Abu Dhabi..

At the close of play today

Pakistan had reached 144-2 a lead of 281

Fakhar 66 (c & b Lyon), Azhar Ali 54 not out

Looking very much as if this is even beyond a stupendous rescue act as Australia stare defeat in the face, and by a huge margin too.

In Pallekele..

As predicted lots and lots of rain
 
Wow the covers are off and England won the toss will field first in a vastly reduced 21 overs per side game

Sri Lanka wanted to bat first.

DLS will always favour the bowl first option, possibly losing the toss means SL will say they wanted to bat anyway even if completely the opposite
 
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Turning into a cracking bowling performance now, ever since the first wicket they've dominated this innings. I notice them do this a lot these days, they can get off to terrible starts but just need that first wicket and bang, confidence raises a couple of notches and all the tricks come out. So many slower balls here.
 
Well that was far easier than expected.

England won by 7 wickets with plenty to spare

Sri Lanka were as quick as Usain Bolt initially, 55-0 off 5 overs then....

Oh dear oh dear, it was as if they'd pulled a hamstring as the last 16 overs gave a score of 96-9. The sort of total England could stroll to without even moving up from first gear, and even that's stretching it.

The shorter the game the better the chances of the weaker side as the stronger has less time to make it's superiority tell.

However after the initial Sri Lankan spurt this just never even look like being the case here. A complete mismatch.

Rashid picked up tge man of the match

Impressive bowling from Rashid, Tom Curran and Stokes

Morgan and Stokes the main men seeing England home in the batting
 

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