England crush Sri Lanka to win series
LONDON - England seamers Sam Curran and David Willey shared nine wickets to set up a crushing eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka on Thursday as the hosts chased down 241 with seven overs to spare to go 2-0 up in the three-match oneday international series.
Curran took five for 48 from his 10 overs, with fellow left-armer Willey grabbing four for 64 as Sri Lanka made 241-9, something of a recovery after they were 21-4 in the seventh over.
It never looked remotely enough, though, as Jason Roy (60) started the chase strongly and Joe Root, unbeaten on 68, and captain Eoin Morgan (75 not out) gave the halfcapacity 12,500 Oval crowd plenty to cheer, if not the exciting finish they might have hoped for.
England got off to a flier as Curran took the first three wickets two lbw and one bowled - in his first two overs, leaving Sri Lanka 12-3, which soon became 21-4 when Willey had Charith Asalanka caught.
Dhananjaya de Silva, ably assisted by Wanindu Hasaranga (26) and Dasun Shanaka, steadied the ship, initially digging in and then playing their shots with growing confidence.
De Silva, who missed the first game of the series on Tuesday, eventually departed for an entertaining 13-boundary 91.
Shanaka then took up the reins before he was caught off Willey for 47 in the 45th over, just when it had appeared that the tourists might be able to scramble a total that would have given them something to defend.
England’s bowlers smelled blood, however, and Curran completed his first five-wicket haul for his country when he had Karunaratne caught behind to spark a great celebration for the Surrey man on his home ground.