• Sri Lanka wins Emirates Cup in England
• Sri Lanka complain over cracked bats, white balls

Sri Lanka wins Emirates Cup in England
Ranjan Paranavithana reporting from England

A magnificent career-best one day knock by Marvan Atapattu steered Sri Lanka to a thrilling five wicket victory over England in the final of the Three Nation Emirates Cup cricket tournament at Lord's here yesterday.

The stylish right hander made an unbeaten 132 in a technically perfect batting exhibition at the Mecca of cricket and reamined till the end in the 48th over to ensure victory after the first Sri Lankan wicket fell in the first over while chasing a target of 256. Sri Lankans made 260 for 5 in 47.1 overs to romp home with 17 balls to spare.

After opener Sanath Jayasuriya departed in the first over without scoring, Atapattu put on a dominating 138-run second partnership with opner Romesh Kaluwitharana.

Wicket keeper batsman Kaluwitharana shed his usual hasty approach and played a highly responsible innings of 68. Aravinda de Silva scored 34 and shared 70 runs for the fourth wicket with Atapttu to steady the middle order but despite the quick dismissals of de Silva, Ranatunga and Chandana, Atapttu stayed solid to guide the tourists to victory. England Skipper Alec Stewart who won the toss and elected to bat would have had in the back of his mind the fact that all teams who batted first in the tournament won. Sri Lanka had planned long before the match to replace Russell Arnold with Hashan Tillekaratne but the decision to name Upul Chandana in place of Chandika Hathurusinghe came at the last moment. England replaced their former captain Adam Holloake with another former captain Michael Atherton. Disproving the theory that he is a specialist test player, Atherton scored a superb half century in exactly 50 balls. Taking the maximum advantage of the average Sri Lankan bowling, Atherton and in-form Nick Night set up a record opening stand of 132 in just 26 overs. This is highest ever opening stand by English batsmen against Sri Lanka in a one day international. Muttiah Muralitharan changed ends and in the first ball had Atherton caught by skipper Arjuna Ranatunga at mid wicket for 64. HIs 73-ball knock included seven boundaries.

LONDON, 20 AUG 98 - Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan pauses for thought as England's Nick Knight hits him for four runs during the final of the one day triangular series against Sri Lanka at Lord's August 20. South Africa were the third side who failed to make the final. rus/Photo by Russell Boyce REUTERS LONDON, 20 AUG 98 - England's Mike Atherton drives for four runs off Sri Lanka's Suresh Perera during the final of a one day triangular series at Lord's August 20. South Africa were the third side who failed to make the final. rus/Photo by Russell Boyce REUTERS

England skipper Alec Stewart was on just nine when He edged a ball into his boot and was caught by wicket keeper Romesh Kaluwitharana off spinner Upul Chandana but umpire David Shepherd signalled him not out marking the third occasion Stewart was rescued by umpires in the tournament.

He finally made his exit on 18 when he gloved a ball from Muralitharan to Kaluwitharana.

The run rate of England which was over five then dipped to 4.8 by the 40th over as the Sri Lankans tightened the grip.

Nick Night's considerable slowing down when he neared the century and Sri Lankan spinners' excellence caused this downfall of the run rate.

Graeme Hick failed for the first time in the tournament when he was bowled by Upul Chandana for 14.

Alistair Brown's hammering in making 10 runs in one over once again helped them to increase the run rate to over five.

Night who wasted a lot of balls due to his nerves in the nineties made his first fifty in 65 balls but required 71 balls for his next 44 runs before being brilliantly caught and bowled by Muralitharan.

Muralitharan who claimed his second best one day figures finished with 5 for 34. The off spinner who claimed first three England wickets also claimed the scalps of Brown(18) and Hussain(0).

Medium pacer Suresh Perera captured the wickets of Croft and Gough in the first two balls of the final over and set himself up for a hatrick, but bowled pathetically the rest of the balls to give away ten runs for the over.

England who were aiming something in excess of 280 when the openers put on 132, were finally bowled out for 256.

Muralitharan's bowling is the best in a one dayer recorded by a bowler at Lord's. Gary Gilmore, Joel Garner and Darren Gough are the other bowlers to have claimed five wickets at Lord's.

SCOREBOARD

England

N. Knight c and b Muralitheran 94
M. Atherton c Ranatunga b Muralitheran 64
A. Stewart c Kuluwitherana b Muralitheran 18
G. Hick b Chandana 14
A. Brown b Muralitheran 18
N. Hussain lbw b Muralitheran 0
R. Croft c Kaluwitherana b Perera 17
I. Austin not out 11
D. Gough b Perera 0
P. Martin not out 1

Extras (b-4 lb-5 w-10) 19
Total (for eight wickets) 256

Fall of wickets: 1-132, 2-170, 3-191, 4-218, 5-218, 6-223, 7-246, 8-246.

Did not bat - Alan Mullally.

Bowling: Wickramasinghe 5-0-29-0, Perera 9-0-44-2 (w-7), Dharmasena 9-0-47-0 (w-1), Muralitharan 10-0-34-5,
de Silva 2-0-10-0, Jayasuriya 8-0-45-0, Chandana 7-0-38-1 (w-2).

Sri Lanka

S. Jayasuriya b Gough 0
R. Kaluwitharana c Hick b Croft 68
M. Atapattu not out 132
A. de Silva c Brown b Gough 34
A. Ranatunga c Knight b Martin 1
U. Chandana c Knight b Croft 2
H. Tillekeratne not out 10

Extras (lb-7 w-6) 13
Total (for five wickets, 47.1 overs) 260

Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-140, 3-210, 4-224, 5-233.

Did not bat: K. Dharmasena, S. Perera, P. Wickremasinghe,
M. Muralitheran

Bowling: Gough 10-0-50-2 (w-2), Martin 10-1-60-1 (w-2),
Mullally 10-0-37-0 (w-1), Austin 10-1-48-0, Croft 7-0-54-2 (w-1), Hick 0.1-0-4-0

Result: Sri Lanka won by five wickets.

Sri Lanka complain over cracked bats, white balls
From Sujeeva Nivunhella, Our London Corr.

Sri Lanka Cricket Manager Ranjith Fernando has informed the England Cricket Board that the white ball used during the Emirates Triangular Tournament is so hard and several bats of their players' were cracked.

England Cricket Board had welcomed the comments made by the Sri Lankan Manager and a spokesman for the ECB said that it was not a complaint from the Sri Lankan management but an observation.

This white ball is earmarked for use in the next year's World Cup to be played in England and currently used in the AXA League matches.