First Sri Lanka v England ODI ends in washout
Having been inserted, Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy raced to 49 within eight overs. Both crashed four fours while the former also added a six. Roy kicked off proceedings, perfectly timing a leg-side clip in the first over before picking up consecutive boundaries off Lasith Malinga, slammed through midwicket and nudged to fine leg.
Not to be outdone, Bairstow nailed two drives through the off-side in one Nuwan Pradeep before slamming a cut off Malinga through point. After Roy advanced down to Pradeep and lofted him through long-on, Sri Lanka were forced to turn to mystery spin in the form of Akila Dananjaya.
To start, he received similar treatment, Bairstow smashing a full ball over long-on for six before carving the over-correction through point, but Dananjaya soon had his scalp, Roy holing out to mid-off four balls after Bairstow had edged a drive through to Niroshan Dickwella of Pradeep.
Joe Root and England captain Eoin Morgan started nervously. Morgan played and missed at his first ball, while Root edged through a vacant slip before surviving a huge caught behind appeal. They soon found their stride, each picking off the leg-side-straying Malinga to get going. A gorgeous back-foot drive from Root off Dananjaya was followed by a brutal smash by Morgan off the same bowler.
When Root clubbed Malinga through square leg to leave England 90/2 after 14 overs, they were motoring. But six balls later the rains came, and though there was some hope late in the day when the downpour ceased and the covers were removed, the outfield was judged too wet to support play.
It meant an uneventful international debut for England quick Olly Stone, handed his cap by Darren Gough before play, and also an uneventful second ODI for Liam Dawson, his first 50-over international in more than two years.
England will be encouraged by the fact that they seemed able to pick Dananjaya and to take him for runs, while that Sri Lanka curbed England’s rampant opening duo to less than 50 between them will count as success.
The second ODI, for which there is a reserve day, will take place at the same venue on Saturday, 13 October.