Raf Nicholson's report
England’s second ODI against Sri Lanka at Northampton on Tuesday was frustratingly washed out, after the hosts reduced Sri Lanka to 106 for nine having asked them to bat first.
The sweltering September heatwave finally broke just in time to delay the start of play by 30 minutes, while the match was eventually abandoned after just 30.5 overs.
It was especially disappointing for Alice Davidson-Richards, who had enjoyed a recall to the side in place of the ill Lauren Bell – her first outing for England since scoring a Test century against South Africa in June 2022. The all-rounder finished the day with two for 16, as part of a Sri Lankan middle-order collapse from 76 for three to 79 for six in the space of three overs.
“It’s nice remembering how well I can play sometimes,” Davidson-Richards said. “I went to some club cricket on Saturday and remembered how fun cricket is. I’ve tried to bring that [fun] into today. If I put pressure on myself that’s when it goes a bit tits up.”
She added that she had been out on a bike ride when she got the recall from coach Jon Lewis, alongside teammate Freya Davies. The pair are training for a London to Paris Charity Bike Ride in aid of the Professional Cricketers’ Trust.
“I saw it [the phone call] coming and said, ‘I’ll deal with this later’,” she joked. She added that she was taking nothing for granted in terms of selection for the final ODI at Leicester on Thursday, when England will have the chance to wrap up the series victory: “I am looking no further ahead than some ice cream tomorrow!’”
The day had started promisingly for Sri Lanka, with 26 runs coming off the opening 17 balls as Chamari Athapaththu and Vishmi Gunaratne enjoyed easy pickings off Kate Cross and Lauren Filer. But Amy Jones followed up her record-breaking wicketkeeping performance in the first ODI by snaffling three more chances behind the stumps, while Charlie Dean – into the side after England chose to rest the 17-year-old Mahika Gaur – wrapped up the powerplay with the crucial wicket of Athapaththu.
It was a wily piece of bowling from the off-spinner, who turned the first three balls past the bat before finally sending down a fuller arm ball, to trap the Sri Lankan captain plumb in front for a run-a-ball 34. A direct hit from Kate Cross at cover then saw Achini Kulasuriya run out for a duck after dozily failing to ground her bat backing up, before rain called a halt to proceedings.
Right, that’s it from here. Tanya Aldred and Taha Hashim will be here on Thursday to take you through the game from Leicester but for now, cheerio!
That’s a shame. England likely denied a 2-0 lead in the series. They will hope for better luck in the third and final ODI in Leicester on Thursday.
Match abandoned
Well, forget about that race against time. The rain has won.
The radar suggests the rain may stop in the next half hour or so – and there’s nothing more forecast for a few hours once it has moved on. It’ll be a race against time at that point to dry things up and then see what we’re left with in terms of a reduced overs game.
That heavy rain has now arrived – seems like it’ll be a while before we get any play.
The latest from Northampton is: drizzle. And the forecast suggests it’ll get worse before it gets better, I’m afraid.
A bit of news from elsewhere in the England cricket universe: Jofra Archer joined England men’s practice session at the Oval today.
It’s still raining in Northampton though perhaps a little lighter than it was. There is still some cricket in play on this rather damp day in the UK – Tanya Aldred has the latest from around the grounds on the county cricket live blog:
Hello all. No good news as yet on the weather front I’m afraid. The Met Office Rainfall Radar suggests it’ll ease very shortly but also that there’s another heavy band of the wet stuff in the post …
The big covers are on. So this is going to take a while. Remarkable how similar the Sri Lanka innings on Saturday was compared with today. In the series opener, they were all out for 106 in 30.2 overs; right now they are 106-9 with one ball left in the 31st. Alright, with that accounted for, over to John Ashdown. Bye!
Rain is set in enough that Sky have switched over to South Africa v Australia men’s ODI. Fair enough – live cricket is live cricket. South Africa are 288-5 after 45 in that third ODI after the tourists won the first couple of matches.
Rain stops play
And with one wicket to get, rain has taken them off the field. Urrrrgggh.
Updated
WICKET! Kulasuriya run out (Cross - direct) 0 (1) Sri Lanka 106-9
Oh dear. Kate Cross, at midwicket, pinged a return in after a dot ball. Kulasuriya wasn’t paying attention and is run out – bat in the air. Reflects the day they’ve had.
30.5 overs: Sri Lanka 106-9 (Perera 31)
Updated
30th over: Sri Lanka 102-8 (Perera 27, Kulasuriya 0) One ball for Kulasuriya to get through and it is an inside edge she doesn’t know an awful lot about. England rolled Sri Lanka inside 31 overs on Saturday for 106 - a chance to repeat that here.
WICKET! Prabodhani c Jones b Filer 0 (15) Sri Lanka 102-8
It was always the risk when Perera gave the strike to Prabodhani early in the over, eventually finding the edge as she backed away from the contest. Nice catch too.
Updated
29th over: Sri Lanka 101-7 (Perera 26, Prabodhani 0) So close to a brilliant Sciver-Brunt snaffle! Perera clobbered it to her at deep midwicket, the England superstar caught it but momentum took her over the rope, unable to complete the alley-oop.
28th over: Sri Lanka 100-7 (Perera 25, Prabodhani 0) This is Filer’s 7th over; she might bowl this and one more, saving a couple just in case. Perera, after hitting that powerful square drive off her previous set, isn’t quite so interested here but the 100 does come up with a single. The 2nd 50 has taken 114 balls after the first took 53. That’s the story of England’s middle-overs squeeze in a nutshell.
Updated
27th over: Sri Lanka 99-7 (Perera 24, Prabodhani 0) Prabodhani has seen a lot over a long career and knows her job is to hang around. So, a maiden it is from Glenn.
26th over: Sri Lanka 99-7 (Perera 24, Prabodhani 0) Shot! Against the flow of play, Perera plays the shot of the day, a square drive off Filer that reaches the rope in a fraction of a second. She’ll need to bat the whole way through now.
WICKET! Ranasinghe lbw b Glenn 12 (24) Sri Lanka 95-7
Yep, very out, hitting leg stump. Fitting reward for a lovely over, which started with a delightful wrong’un and ends with Glenn’s first wicket of the afternoon.
25th over: Sri Lanka 95-7 (Perera 20)
Updated
Has Glenn got Ranasinghe lbw? Missed the sweep, given out on the field. To DRS!
24th over: Sri Lanka 91-6 (Perera 20, Ranasinghe 8) Good captaincy from Knight, getting Filer back on to bowl fast. And it’s nearly worked! Cut and dropped by Beaumont at point, Perera hitting it straight to the opener… she should’ve taken it. Much better fielding to finish, Glenn diving full stretch at fine leg to save a four.
23rd over: Sri Lanka 89-6 (Perera 19, Ranasinghe 7) A boundary! It’s Ranasinghe who is given enough width to cut Glenn and does so with style. That’ll do nicely.
22nd over: Sri Lanka 84-6 (Perera 18, Ranasinghe 3) A maiden from Dean to Ranasinghe, who just can’t turn the strike over. Now 11 overs since the last four. Dean has the superb figures of 7-2-12-2 – a strong case to bowl her through.
21st over: Sri Lanka 84-6 (Perera 18, Ranasinghe 3) Spin with both ends, Sarah Glenn replacing Davidson-Richards after five effective and efficient overs. And past the outside edge first ball. After a flurry of boundaries to begin, been a long time, which might inform why Perera has loaded up for a full-blooded cover drive but she’s beaten again. Two runs from the over. Sri Lanka have stalled.
20th over: Sri Lanka 82-6 (Perera 17, Ranasinghe 2) Ever so close to another for Dean, finding Perera’s glove when sweeping but doesn’t go to hand. She’s alllll over them. A quicker offering to finish, which nearly sneaks through the gate too.
19th over: Sri Lanka 80-6 (Perera 16, Ranasinghe 1) Sri Lanka has lost 3/6 in the last five overs, just when they were building a little bit in the middle overs. Not to be.
WICKET! Sanjeewani b Davidson-Richards 0 (4) Sri Lanka 79-6
The collapse is on now. ADR bangs it in with a bit of cross-seam and the right-hander deflects it onto her stumps via an inside edge. Not a pretty dismissal.
18th over: Sri Lanka 78-5 (Perera 15, Sanjeewani 0) Appreciate selection is never easy for spinners but Charlie Dean should be in pretty much every England XI.
WICKET! Dilhari c&b Dean 0 (6) Sri Lanka 78-5
Classy from Dean. She had Dilhari dropped by Knight at slip two balls before but did it herself with plenty of dip and a miscue to the spinner in her follow-through.
Updated
17th over: Sri Lanka 77-4 (Perera 15, Dilhari 0) ADR completes her successful over after drinks. Excellent in her return to the England side so far, 1/14 from four.
Here’s the marriage proposal, by the way.
Updated
And with that wicket, drinks are on the field
WICKET! Karunaratne c Glenn b Davidson-Richards 8 (22) Sri Lanka 76-4
The squeeze has been on and England get their reward! It’s another quick bumper from ADR, taken on by Karunaratne, but off the top edge to Glenn at fine leg.
16th over: Sri Lanka 75-3 (Perera 14, Karunaratne 8) Maiden from Dean to Karunaratne but forget about that, there’s a marriage proposal between overs! Steve Finn is on hand to broadcast the event in the crowd – wholesome telly, tears all around. Why didn’t I think of popping the question at Wantage Rd?
15th over: Sri Lanka 75-3 (Perera 14, Karunaratne 8) Oooh, coat of varnish stuff from Davidson-Richards to Perera, playing the wrong line. Followed by a sharp bumper – she’s quicker than people give her credit for, ADR. Top over; one off.
14th over: Sri Lanka 74-3 (Perera 14, Karunaratne 7) This pair have got to start hitting those sweepers when Dean is bowling. They do a couple of times here
13th over: Sri Lanka 71-3 (Perera 12, Karunaratne 6) The question for Sri Lanka is whether they can use these middle overs to consolidate and accumulate. If they can, the 240 that Atapattu spoke about at the toss is possible. Four risk-free runs of ADR here helps. Ohh, looks like the rain is back but they’re staying on the field.
12th over: Sri Lanka 67-3 (Perera 9, Karunaratne 5) After a wicket maiden to begin, Dean finds the lunging outside edge of Karunaratne, running away for four to get her off the mark. She’s often found herself out of England’s best XI but there’s no doubt Dean is their best off-breaker, needed even more with Ecclestone injured.
11th over: Sri Lanka 61-3 (Perera 8, Karunaratne 0) A double change at the bowling crease, Davidson-Richards turned to her for handy medium pacers. She’s of added value in this series with Sciver not bowling due to a knee complaint. More strokeplay to welcome a new bowler though, Perera smoking two boundaries in the over, either side of point, to get into the game herself. They need a partnership.
10th over: Sri Lanka 53-3 (Perera 0, Karunaratne 0) Handy run rate throughout the first ten overs with the field up but losing Atapattu they’re in a bit of a hole now.
WICKET! Atapattu lbw b Dean 34 (34) Sri Lanka 53-3
Yep, that’s hitting leg stump two things up, carrying on with the arm. Beautifully bowled throughout Dean’s first over, earning the biggest wicket out there.
Updated
IS ATAPATTU LBW? The finger goes up; Dean gets it going on with the arm to Sri Lanka’s superstar in her first over. But Atapattu has sent it upstairs…
9th over: Sri Lanka 53-2 (Atapattu 34, Perera 0) Cross has sent down a couple of really good overs to Atapattu from round the wicket, so the left-hander responds with a lofted drive over long-on for four. Ohh, and goes even better to finish, with a flicked SIX over midwicket. Atapattu is in and she believes. 11 off the over.
8th over: Sri Lanka 42-2 (Atapattu 23, Perera 0) Filer starts her stoush with Perera, once again working her over following a short ball with a tempter – excellent over.
WICKET! Samarawickrama c Jones b Filer 6 (13) Sri Lanka 41-2
Great set up from Filer, following the bouncer with something pitched up to tempt Samarawickrama and it works a treat, edging on the angle through to Jones.
Updated
7th over: Sri Lanka 40-1 (Atapattu 23, Samarawickrama 6) Lovely from Cross to start, beating Samarawickrama from round the wicket with one that hoops away a treat. Ooooh, and she finishes with an even better delivery to Atapattu but the result the same with the beat beaten rather than the edge kissed. One off the over.
6th over: Sri Lanka 39-1 (Atapattu 23, Samarawickrama 5) Good questions from Filer to Atapattu early in the over, beating the bat with extra bounce when trying to cut. A short ball comes later in the over but isn’t on target down the legside. A correction is made, into that channel back of a length, and the Sri Lankan captain is nearly playing a missing but withdraws the bat at the last moment. Much better from England’s quickest. Class from Samarawickrama to finish, off the mark with a lavish punch from the balls of her feet, skipping away behind point for four.
5th over: Sri Lanka 32-1 (Atapattu 23, Samarawickrama 0) A boundary and a single for Atapattu, the four another ball slammed through cover. Beautiful batting.
Kate Cross with the breakthrough for England!
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) September 12, 2023
Great delivery 👌 pic.twitter.com/dQKF1wBK4R
4th over: Sri Lanka 27-1 (Atapattu 18, Samarawickrama 0) Just the single from Filer’s second over, the wicket slowing Sri Lanka. Samarawickrama gets a couple of balls to end the over and leaves both with flare. Steve Finn compares it to Lara.
WICKET! Gunaratne c Jones b Cross 8 (6) Sri Lanka 26-1
How frustrating for Sri Lanka. Two more booming boundaries through cover for Atapattu in the over, but given one chance to bowl at the right-handed Gunaratne before the over is complete, Cross finds her edge in the channel outside off stump
3rd over: Sri Lanka 26-1 (Atapattu 17)
Updated
2nd over: Sri Lanka 17-0 (Atapattu 8, Gunaratne 8) Before the review, the first ball from Filer to Gunaratne was carved away for four… lovely shot. By the end of the over, Filer is banging it in shorter at 74mph, the length where she found plenty of pace and two wickets in two balls on Saturday. But Gunaratne picks the right ball to go away, the final of the over, driven away through covers for four. Top start!
NOT OUT! Not one of Heather’s finest call to use DRS there. More to the point, it takes some guts to challenge a decision made by Anna Harris – the best going.
England review for a catch down the legside. Filer’s second ball to Gunaratne.
1st over: Sri Lanka 9-0 (Atapattu 8, Gunaratne 0) Ooh, Cross nearly slips one between bat and pad to begin but a thick inside edge runs away for four instead. Far more convincing from Atapattu later in the over, crunching a cover drive right out the middle of the bat to the rope again. Sri Lanka’s superstar captain is away. Nice finish from Cross though, beating her outside the off stump, angling away.
Updated
The players are on the field! 30 minutes after the scheduled start but better late than never with rain about at Northampton. Kate Cross to bowl the first over.
Updated
The teams as named…
England: Tammy Beaumont, Maia Bouchier, Heather Knight (c), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Alice Capsey, Alice Davidson-Richards, Amy Jones (wk), Charlie Dean, Sarah Glenn, Kate Cross, Lauren Filer
Maia Bouchier, the third player who made her England ODI on Saturday, is given a promotion in Emma Lamb’s absence, opening as she did in the T20s last week.
Sri Lanka Chamari Athapaththu (c), Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, Hansima Karunaratne, Kavisha Dilhari, Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), Oshadi Ranasinghe, Inoka Ranaweera, Achini Kulasuriya, Hasini Perera, Kawya Kavindi
Really happy for Alice Davidson-Richards. One of the really good people in cricket, brought into the squad and team on the back of a ton in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy a few days ago. I interviewed ADR on The Final Word pod in July about the advocacy work she’s been doing for the Alzheimer’s Society.
The Oval Test will feature a day that raises awareness for Alzheimer's.
— The Final Word (@Final_Word_Pod) July 26, 2023
We spoke to Alice Davidson-Richards about her family's experience with the disease and her dad's memories of Shane Warne.@alicedr24 | @alzheimerssoc
🟢 https://t.co/0Pv33nlAty
🍎 https://t.co/06i1p2UvPd pic.twitter.com/inzBFHJRHr
Charlie Dagnall isn’t thrilled that they’ve rested Mahika Gaur. As he points out, she only bowled 6.2 overs and that was three days ago. Anyway, it opens the door for classy off-spinner Charlie Dean, who returns to the England XI.
Atapattu says Sri Lanka would’ve bowled first. Says 240 would be a good score.
Heather Knight has won the toss, England are bowling
Mahika Gaur has been rested, Alice Davidson-Richards into the XI.
Updated
Emma Lamb is missing with a back spasm. And Danni Gibson will miss the rest of the series with what the ECB are describing as a ‘minor’ side strain.
Full teams in a sec.
Sky reporting it’ll be a 1pm start. So, that’ll be a toss at 12:30pm.
A nice clip from Saturday. Generation Next has arrived.
Delayed toss confirmed. Nick Knight says on Sky that there hasn’t been loads of rain but the covers are still on. Oh, and there’s more rain scheduled for later. Urgh.
Welcome to the 2nd ODI between England and Sri Lanka
Hello. England were clinical in the series opener in Durham on Saturday, bowling out the visitors inside 31 overs and knocking off the 107 they were set in 18 overs. After losing two T20s in a row to cough up the earlier series – one of the biggest upsets in women’s cricket history - this felt like something of a return to normal.
But if there’s something in the Wantage Road surface for spinners, Sri Lanka have demonstrated what a handful they can be. That’ll surely be the Plan A for Chamari Atapattu’s side: bowl first, get into them. But I’m afraid to report that it is currently raining in Northampton, so in all probability it will be a delayed toss.
The real stars for Heather Knight’s side in their big weekend win were the two bowlers on ODI debut – Mahika Gaur and Lauren Filer. From the moment I saw the former bowl in a T20 tournament in Hong Kong earlier this year, it was clear she has all the tools to be a worldbeater: swing, accuracy and height. Her delivery to knock over Atapattu on Saturday combined the lot, finishing with three wickets.
As for Filer, it’s genuine pace that she brings, the three scalps of her own all a function of having a extra gear, one wicket-taking ball clocked at 76mph. Speed, of course, isn’t everything. But on the available evidence of what we’ve seen from the right-armer this summer, England have their new spearhead.
