At R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, March 25 (day/night). Sri Lanka won by 66 runs. Toss: Sri Lanka.
England's away form in floodlit matches was atrocious – they had won just three of their last 18 – and few believed a jaded side would improve that record in sauna-like conditions. Yet they began brightly, Gough inducing Jayasuriya to drag the second ball on to his stumps, and Mullally deceiving Kaluwitharana with a slower delivery. By the time the third wicket fell, however, Atapattu and Jayawardene had added 86. Although Jayawardene needed a runner after injuring his leg five overs from the end – those five overs yielded 46 – he reached a chanceless hundred off the final ball. England's batting never found any rhythm: Trescothick's poor run continued and, when four wickets – including the in-form Thorpe – had gone for 88, everything rested on Stewart. He compiled a steady fifty, but could not reduce the asking-rate.
Man of the Match: D. P. M. D. Jayawardene.

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