July 03, 2006	Monday	Jumadi-ul-Sani 6, 1427

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LEEDS (England), July 2: Upul Tharanga and Sanath Jayasuriya's world record opening stand of 286 sent Sri Lanka on their way to a crushing eight-wicket victory in the fifth and final One-day International against England at Headingley on Saturday.

Sri Lanka's 5-0 series victory was the first time England had lost a head-to-head limited overs campaign by such a margin and their 10th defeat in their last 12 One-day Internationals.

Set a seemingly imposing 322 for victory, Sri Lanka finished on 324 for two with more than 12 overs to spare.

Jayasuriya, playing a world record-equalling 362nd One-day International, scored 152, off just 99 balls, and fellow left-hander Tharanga 109, both men scoring their second centuries of the series.

Their stand, in what was the 2,389th One-day International, surpassed the 258 shared by India's Saurav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar against Kenya at Paarl in 2001-02 as the best opening partnership in this form of the game.

Meanwhile England spearhead fast bowler Stephen Harmison – whose first five overs cost just 33 runs – saw his 10 wicketless overs go for 97 runs.

That was the most expensive 10-over spell by an England bowler in a One-day International surpassing the 83 runs conceded by Derek Pringle against West Indies at Gujranwala during the 1987 World Cup.

“To finish the series on such a high note has been brilliant,” said Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene, whose team battled back to draw the preceding Test series 1-1.

“Sanath is very difficult to stop when he's in that mood.”

England were without several injured players, including bowlers Simon Jones, Andrew Flintoff, Ashley Giles and Paul Collingwood, but Jayawardene added: “I don't know about the casualties, the way Sanath played today any decent attack would have gotten the same from him.

“I've seen him going against Australia, with Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie and he has done the same thing.”

Jayawardene finished on 12 not out and Kumar Sangakkara 23 not out.

Sri Lanka made a blistering start with 46 runs coming off the first three overs — at the same stage England had scored just one after two maidens from Chaminda Vaas.

Jayasuriya’s hundred, his 21st ODI century, came in 72 balls with two sixes and 13 fours and Tharanga's up in 82 balls with a six and 14 fours.

“If you get 300 on any wicket you fancy your chances, but we just didn't get the ball in the right areas,” Trescothick said. “But coming up against someone like Sanath Jayasuriya in that sort of form is pretty difficult.

“It's always nice to get a hundred,” he added of his own innings. “But it's irrelevant. We lost the game.”

Even allowing for their injury problems, England’s inability to bowl straight was a worrying sign in the lead-up to next year’s World Cup in the West Indies.

Tharanga fell when he was caught and bowled by off-spinner James Dalrymple, having faced 102 balls in all and then 286 for one became 289 for two when the 37-year-old Jayasuriya, man-of-the-match and the series, was caught by stand-in captain Andrew Strauss off the part-time spin of Vikram Solanki.

Scoreboard

ENGLAND:

M.E. Trescothick b Jayasuriya 121

A.N. Cook c Jayawardene b Maharoof 41

I.R. Bell c Sangakkara b Fernando 18

A.J. Strauss c Sangakkara b Malinga 26

V.S. Solanki not out 44

J.W.M. Dalrymple lbw b Malinga 30

G.O. Jones lbw b Malinga 2

T.T. Bresnan b Malinga 4

L.E. Plunkett not out 9

EXTRAS (LB-9, W-11, NB-6) 26

TOTAL (for seven wkts, 50 overs) 321

FALL OF WKTS: 1-82, 2-157, 3-225, 4-233, 5-295, 6-304, 7-308.

DID NOT BAT: Kabir Ali, S.J. Harmison.

BOWLING: Vaas 8-2-41-0 (2nb); Malinga 10-0-44-4 (1nb, 3w); Fernando 8-0-61-1 (3nb); Maharoof 9-0-52-1 (1w); Dilshan 3-0-29-0 (5w); Bandara 7-0-50-0 (2w); Jayasuriya 5-0-35-1.

SRI LANKA:

W.U. Tharanga c and b Dalrymple 109

S.T. Jayasuriya c Strauss b Solanki 152

D.P.M.D. Jayawardene not out 12

K.C. Sangakkara not out 23

EXTRAS (LB-10, W-9, NB-9) 28

TOTAL (for two wkts, 37.3 overs) 324

FALL OF WKTS: 1-286, 2-289.

DID NOT BAT: T.M. Dilshan, C.K. Kapugedera, M.F. Maharoof, W.P.U.J.C. Vaas, C.M. Bandara, S.L. Malinga, C.R.D. Fernando.

BOWLING: Kabir Ali 6-0-72-0 (5nb); Bresnan 2-0-29-0 (1w); Plunkett 5-0-46-0 (2w); Harmison 10-0-97-0 (3nb, 5w); Dalrymple 10-0-48-1 (1w); Bell 1-0-5-0 (1nb); Solanki 3.3-0-17-1.

RESULT: Sri Lanka won by eight wickets to claim series 5-0..

UMPIRES: M.R. Benson (England) and B.R. Doctrove (West Indies).

TV UMPIRE: I.J. Gould (England).

MATCH REFEREE: C.H. Lloyd (West Indies).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Sanath Jayasuriya.

MAN-OF-THE-SERIES: Sanath Jayasuriya.

FIRST MATCH: Lord’s, Sri Lanka won by 20 runs.

SECOND MATCH: The Oval, Sri Lanka won by 46 runs.

THIRD MATCH: Chester-le-Street, Sri Lanka won by eight wickets.

FOURTH MATCH: Old Trafford, Sri Lanka won by 33 runs.—AFP