Sri Lanka 284 for 7 (Jayasuriya 106, de Silva 51, Caddick 2-29) beat England 253 (Trescothick 85, de Silva 4-30) by 31 runs
Scorecard

Who says lightning strike doesn't strike twice? Two days ago England blew a winning position against Australia when their middle order imploded, and today they did it again in almost identical circumstances against Sri Lanka. Needing 139 off the last 25 overs with nine wickets in hand, England managed only 107. Their participation in the VB Series finals is in the balance now.

Sri Lanka reached 284 for 7 thanks to an excellent 106 from Sanath Jayasuriya and a precise 51 from Aravinda de Silva. In reply England wasted another flying start given them by Marcus Trescothick's meaty 85 and were bowled out for 253 in the final over, with de Silva picking up 4 for 30; they lost their last nine wickets for 107 in 24.2 overs. It was desperate stuff.

Jayasuriya's matchwinning innings was controlled and efficient rather than excitably brutal, with all the trademark shots present and correct. A hint of width outside off stump and the ball was scythed over or through the off side, including an uppercut six off the first ball he'd ever faced from Steve Harmison. When England compensated by bowling short and at the body, Jayasuriya punished them with some withering pulls and short-arm jabs.

He and Sri Lanka benefited from some shoddy work in the field by England. There were a series of misfields and dropped catches, as well as another 16 runs in wides, nine of them from Harmison. He went for 59 off nine overs – and grassed two sitters - while Ronnie Irani's average for this series clicked up to 244. Chuck in a batting average of 2 in the same period – not to mention some geriatric fielding - and it's hard to see what Irani has that Adam Hollioake does not.

All this after England made a bright start, when Andy Caddick, who was the pick of the attack by a mile with 2 for 29, had Marvan Atapattu taken at second slip in the first over (0 for 1). But Jayasuriya and Hashan Tillekeratne (44) turned it round with a partnership of 144, a record for Sri Lanka's second wicket against England before Tillekeratne wafted Paul Collingwood's sixth ball to short midwicket.

Jayasuriya went on to reach an excellent 94-ball century – giving him back-to-back hundreds for the first time in his illustrious one-day international career – before top-edging a sweep off Ian Blackwell. Irani should have had a wicket when a thick snick from Kumar Sangakkara ended up in the hands of Alec Stewart, but he didn't bank on Russell Tiffin, who shook his head solemnly. It didn't cost England, though: Sangakkara had added only seven to his score when he was caught and bowled slogging at James Anderson (224 for 4).

With de Silva ticking along gently, Mahela Jayawardene sauntered to the crease and added some sparkle in a cameo innings of 33 for 30 balls before a flurry of wickets fell a the death, including the freakish run out of Russel Arnold for his second duck in a row.

England's reply got off to a cracking start, with Trescothick and Nick Knight careering to their third century partnership of the series. Trescothick once again reached his half-century at quicker than a run a ball.

Sri Lanka needed a wicket badly, and a bowling change brought it – but it was Dilhara Fernando, not Muttiah Muralitharan, who struck, hurrying a short ball onto Knight, whose top-edged pull was well caught by Sangakkara running back. Alas for the hapless Tiffin, replays showed he missed a clear no-ball.

Fernando had another when Hussain scraped a slower ball through to Sangakkara on 13, but the turning point of the match came when Trescothick turned ponderously for a second and was beaten by a fabulous throw from Fernando (161 for 3).

With the pressure mounting and the required rate rising, Collingwood hoicked across the line and was bowled by Jayasuriya for 2 (167 for 4), and with Owais Shah struggling to get it off the square early in his innings, England began to frazzle. Stewart was run out after a mix-up with Shah – even though the batsman appeared to have crossed, Tiffin sent Stewart on his way rather than Shah – and it was seemingly all over at 179 for 5.

Blackwell (16) and Shah (39) both went to de Silva after a lively partnership, and that was effectively that. The icing came from the inevitable Murali, who bowled Anderson with a doosra to become only the fourth person to take 300 ODI wickets.

At the end, Sri Lanka moved to within two points of England and have a game in hand, albeit against Australia. The clash between these two sides at Adelaide in four days is now a semi-final in all but name.

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