Magic Malan, impressive Chameera, and how much did we actually learn? ENGLAND v SRI LANKA T20I TALKING POINTS

SAM DALLING AT THE AGEAS BOWL: England won the game, and the series, but there were plenty of points of discussion from both sides

Sri Lanka bat second…finally

Thrice this series the coin has fallen kindly for Kusal Perera. Unlike in Cardiff, here he asked his bowlers to work up a sweat first: a good call having seen his batters post just 240 across two innings.

Come their chance to bat, the preliminary aim was to avoid recent history repeating itself, having failed to find the boundary in the powerplay on Thursday – a first for Sri Lanka in T20Is. In the post-mortem, Mickey Arthur called on his top-order to be more “proactive”. And his charges certainly responded, although it was not always measured.

Opener Danushka Gunathilaka crashed the innings’ opening ball through the covers – ensuring lightning did not strike twice - but nicked David Willey’s very next ball to Dawid Malan at second slip.

Then in the fifth over, Kusal Mendis deposited Willey straight back over his head for six. Again though, the following delivery he edged behind to Jonny Bairstow. Despite immediately turning his head knowingly, Mendis reviewed. It only delayed Willey’s gratification.  

Oshando Fernando smashed Chris Jordan for six before swiping and missing at the next three, while the penultimate over Binura Fernando hit Liam Livingstone for six, the following delivery crashing into his stumps. Controlled aggression, lads.

Dawid Malan is back

Well, he never really went away. Such is the rhetoric that surrounds Malan, a couple of low scores (4 and 7 in Cardiff) and suddenly he ought to be dropped.

Asked about his recent form before the toss, Eoin Morgan laughed, pointed that out from Everest’s peak - to which Malan had sprinted wearing only a loincloth - the only way was down. Remember, naysayers, that Malan is still the world’s No.1 ranked men’s batter in this format.

Malan has only opened a handful of times in T20Is but - as he pointed out during the interval – has done so extensively in domestic cricket. His 105 innings have brought 3,173 runs at a strike rate of 132.

As has become his trademark, Malan started watchfully, although clipping Binura Fernando over the gargantuan legside boundary was the shot of the day. Otherwise, he was content to allow Bairstow to farm the strike, facing just 12 balls in the powerplay to his partner’s dozen. By the end of the eighth over Malan had 18 from 15.

Now at this point the pendulum is poised most delicately. Push on and hero status comes, fall and you’re the fool who slipped carrying the birthday cake.

Today it went the latter way, Malan taking a shine to Wanindu Hasaranga. A star of the future, Hasaranga has been outstanding in his fledgling international career. In T20Is he leaks runs at just 6.38 an over, striking every 13.3 balls. In Cardiff he went at fours.

First a Malan reverse sweep dissected a pair for sprawling fielders. Then, later in the same over, a slog-sweep brought six. Having forced a field change, a beautiful drive over cover took him to 33 of 19. A deft-dab off Udana brought up the team hundred, and he reached a 125h 50-plus T20I score from just 30 deliveries.

By the time he holed out, he had clubbed 76 from just 48. Doubters silenced, for a few weeks at least: like bees to honey, they will be back.

^{Dawid Malan made an excellent half-century}

More than one sport on show

Thursday night saw Sam Curran practising his fancy footwork, running out Danushka Gunathilaka with his right boot. Today it was another left-arm paceman showcasing his multi-sport skills.  Having made his international bow as a 20-year-old in 2015, Binura Fernando was forced to watch from the sidelines for nearly six years. 

Keen to make an impression, his 1 for 17 was a decent start on Thursday, and in his first over on Sunday he used every inch of his 6ft 7in frame to floor Malan; not with the ball, though. Malan was called through for a quick single and Fernando, quite deliberately, dropped his shoulder. The pair ended in a heap and thankfully no harm was done. Odd, very odd.

Sri Lankan spirit

Kudos to the visitors. Two-zip down and staring down the barrel of a huge chase: 15 overs gone and England were 143 for 1, Malan unbeaten on 69. But something stirred from deep and 23 balls later England had lost five wickets for just 19 runs.  

It never looked likely to prevent them slipping to 12th defeat in 13 matches, but it’s essential they draw positives wherever possible. Their recent woes mean they will not be automatic entrants into the Super 12s at the upcoming World Cup but they should have enough quality to get through round one.

Mickey Arthur has spoken candidly during the series about the gulf in class between the two sides. That was apparent today. But once his rage subsides and the shorts are safely packed away, Arthur can take comfort in the fact that, for a mini-period at least, they matched arguably the world’s leading white-ball outfit.  

^{Jonny Bairstow looked in good nick}

Dushmantha Chameera is excellent

File under: 'bowling: death; masterclass'.

Chameera was key to the moments of light for Sri Lanka.

Having excelled in the powerplay – a couple of overs costing just 11 – he returned to rip through England’s middle order. Recognising the ball was sticking in the pitch, a slower delivery proved the undoing of Billings, with Eoin Morgan also falling in the 17th over.

The 19th saw Malan out misjudging the pace, while Chameera completed a second two-wicket set of six. Claiming Moeen Ali was another variation. Career-best figures of 4 for 17 were well deserved. If anything, a five-for would have been apt. Still, can’t be too greedy. 

Chris Woakes does it on the cheap

Having been “rested” on Thursday, Woakes returned to the lineup today. The absurdity of that decision is another argument for another day. One just hopes it was not a player-driven decision given the sparsity of Woakes’ England outings in the past 12 months.

Today he up a timely reminder of just how much quality he possesses. A superb four-over spell went for just nine runs and included the wicket of Sri Lanka skipper Perera with a slower ball. The annals of time will not record it as England’s best T20I figures, but is now their most economical. Michael Yardy’s decade-long record – set conceding just 10 against Pakistan in 2010 – has now been banished.

It was a cracking afternoon for England’s seamers, who bowled the first 17 overs between them. Chris Jordan finished with 1 for 13 off his four, with 20 dot balls. Curran took 2 for 14 off four while Willey claimed 3 for 27.  

^{Dushmantha Chameera was excellent for Sri Lanka}

Dead rubber but plenty to mull over

The sands of time are quickly running out for Eoin Morgan’s World Cup selection. Three T20Is are inked in against Pakistan for July and then comes decision time. Yes, there are a pair of games penciled in for October in Karachi, but such is their proximity to their tournament (October 14 and 15, with the tournament set to get underway only a few days later) choices are will need firming up before then.  

If the music stopped now, Liam Livingstone would probably have a seat. After an unbeaten 29 on Thursday, he was bumped up to three and made a bright and breezy 14 off 10 balls. There was an outstanding catch in the deep and his box-of-tricks bowling earned a wicket late on.

Equally bright was Sam Billings’ footwear. Promoted to No.4, Billings was unable to make his batting mark it. It was that man Chameera that proved his undoing, Dasun Shanaka taking the catch in the deep. Billings and his hot wheels – albeit a different pair for fielding - had their revenge later, Shanaka run out by a direct hit from the boundary.  

Good things come to those that wait and, following a 10-match absence, Moeen Ali returned. An inconspicuous comeback involved batting at No.6 and being chucked the game’s final over. Still, had he not played here, then it would have been difficult to see when would get the nod.

Fourteen men have appeared across these three games, Ben Stokes will waltz straight back in. There are plenty of others lurking, Reece Topley amongst them. Quite how many can be named in the World Cup squad, no one knows. Given the current state of the world, clarity might not come until October, but for the players the only aim will be to named amongst the initial cohort. No one wants to be a reserve.

^{England win the series 3-0}

Opening gains

Malan wasn’t the only England opener in good touch.  What threatened to be a quiet series for Jonny Bairstow was capped with an imperious half-century.  The stroke to bring up his landmark – his seventh in 54 T20Is - was the pick, an exquisite drive through extra-cover off Isuru Udana.

It was a surprise when he missed a straight a full-toss from the same bowler, but that was not before he and Malan had put on three figures. It was the first century opening partnership for England in T20Is since 2013, and only the second ever not involving Alex Hales.

Not bad for an accidental first-wicket duo, thrust together by injuries to first Jos Buttler and then Jason Roy.

Jason Roy’s hamstrings

Speaking of Roy’s hamstrings: time for concern? The series being done, no risks would be taken. Still, Roy’s gammy hammy has to be a concern.

Cast your mind back to England’s glorious World Cup 2019 campaign. Earlier that summer, Roy had missed Surrey’s opening County Championship games having pulled up lame warming up ahead of an ODI in Grenada back in February.

Then on this ground in England’s game against the West Indies he hobbled off having felt a ping in his left leg. He would return to complete the tournament but the feat must be it happens again at a key time. Once it’s popped, it can’t stop – just ask Michael Owen. 

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