Updated at: 1736 PST, Saturday, March 26, 2011
COLOMBO: A superb 86 by Jonathon Trott helped England set a target of 230 runs for Sri Lanka in the final World Cup quarter-final here at the R. Premadasa stadium on Saturday.After captain Andrew Strauss won the toss and decided to bat, England made a poor start losing both openers for 31 but Trott rescued them with Ravi Bopara (31) and Eoin Morgan (50) as his team made 229 for six in their 50 overs.Trott’s 86 was his 11th fifty in one-day internationals and the fifth half-century in this tournament. He added 64 runs for the third wicket with Bopara and 91 for the fourth with Morgan to
anchor England to a fighting total on a slow wicket.Sri Lanka went into the match with three frontline spinners -- Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath -- who made it tough for the batsmen to score with their tight line and length.Morgan was dropped three times -- on 16, 33 and 34 – while television replays showed he was also lbw to Lasith Malinga, a decision Sri Lanka did not appeal.Strauss struggled against some accurate bowling by part-time off-spinner Tillakaratne Dilshan, who bowled the second over of the innings.Ian Bell (25) became the third batsman to be promoted to open the England innings in the tournament and got off to a confident start but chipped one straight to Thilan Samaraweera off Angelo Mathews England kept the same side which beat the West Indies in their last Group B match, still keeping paceman James Anderson on the bench and playing with two off-spinners in Graeme Swann and James Tredwell.Sri Lanka included left-arm spinner Rangana Herath for paceman Nuwan Kulasekara as the only change in the squad which beat New Zealand by 112 runs to give them three frontline spinners.The winners of the match will play against New Zealand at the same venue on Tuesday in the first semi-final.
anchor England to a fighting total on a slow wicket.Sri Lanka went into the match with three frontline spinners -- Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath -- who made it tough for the batsmen to score with their tight line and length.Morgan was dropped three times -- on 16, 33 and 34 – while television replays showed he was also lbw to Lasith Malinga, a decision Sri Lanka did not appeal.Strauss struggled against some accurate bowling by part-time off-spinner Tillakaratne Dilshan, who bowled the second over of the innings.Ian Bell (25) became the third batsman to be promoted to open the England innings in the tournament and got off to a confident start but chipped one straight to Thilan Samaraweera off Angelo Mathews England kept the same side which beat the West Indies in their last Group B match, still keeping paceman James Anderson on the bench and playing with two off-spinners in Graeme Swann and James Tredwell.Sri Lanka included left-arm spinner Rangana Herath for paceman Nuwan Kulasekara as the only change in the squad which beat New Zealand by 112 runs to give them three frontline spinners.The winners of the match will play against New Zealand at the same venue on Tuesday in the first semi-final.
