Play will now resume at 2.30 pm local time on Thursday with England's full allocation of 50 overs available to them. In July 2002, the Champions trophy final between India & Sri Lanka was also postponed to the next day. And that too right after Sri Lanka completed its innings. The story was repeated next day as rains came thick & fast. Sri Lanka posted a highly chaseable total but the trophy had to be shared.
England will need to overcome a trial by spin if they are to sustain their hopes of winning the ODI series against Sri Lanka after Kumar Sangakkara led the hosts to 239 with a measured innings of 91. But most of all Sangakkara adapted to the turning ball and showed an ability to milk Moeen, in particular. Seeming to enjoy Moeen's extra pace, he picked up the singles with apparent ease, and ensured that even while Sri Lanka consolidated, the scoreboard was rarely still.
Currently 3-1 down in the seven-match series, England will have a modest-looking target to chase when the match resumes on the reserve day i.e. on Thursday. But on a Pallekele surface that is expected to remain dry and continue to offer substantial assistance to spin bowlers, and against a Sri Lanka attack boasting four spin options, England will have to defy their reputation as poor players of the turning ball if they are to prevail.
Sri Lanka has included Sachitra Senanayake in their line-up. The off spinner was reported for a suspect action during Sri Lanka's tour of England and was suspended from bowling in July. But after remodeling his action and undergoing tests at the ICC-accredited facility in Chennai last month, the off spinner was cleared for a return by the ICC on Tuesday. Barely 24 hours later, Senanayake came back into the Sri Lanka side in place of Rangana Herath, who is suffering from a hamstring injury.
England made two changes in their side. Alastair Cook returned to captain the side and spin bowler James Tredwell was called back in place of the out-of-sorts all-rounder Ben Stokes.
And it was Tredwell who proved to be the pick of England's slow bowlers. After starting with a maiden in the 15th over - Tredwell followed with another maiden during the batting Powerplay. He generally delivered a teasing spell varying his pace cleverly and gaining enough turn to keep the batsmen guessing.
You may also like:
India-Australia Test Series 2014-15: Adelaide Test Weather Forecast
IPTL Bandwagon Moves From Cooler Climes Of Delhi To The Desert Of Dubai