England take lead again in see-saw series after crushing win

After England were bowled all out in the second ODI against Sri Lanka for just 99, it really couldn’t get any worse for them. It didn’t, but it did for visitors, after being resoundingly skittled out for a lowly 67, and thus suffering a 10-wicket defeat.

Peter Moores’ men now lead the five-match series 2-1, and can win overall if they get a victory in the next game at Lord’s. They are odds-on favourites this time at 4/5 to do so.

England can thank Barbadian-born bowler Chris Jordan for the crushing win, as he took career-best figures of 5-29 off his eight overs. The 25-year-old, who is also decent with the bat (he smashed 38 off 17 balls in the first ODI), is 3/1 to be best deliverer again, or 33/1 to be top batsman for the hosts.

“I try to let the ball and the bat do the bulk of talking for me,” Jordan said. While his captain Alastair Cook sounded very excited about the new national stars.

“You only have to look at the guys who are slightly more established senior players, how long they took,” the England skipper said.

“The first few years of our careers it took us a while to find our feet at international level, to be that real solid performer, so you’re going to have to give those young guys a little bit of time. But they’re a seriously talented bunch of lads.”

Captain Cook then turned his attention onto Jordan. “You see how much it means to [Jordan] every time he gets a wicket and every time he bowls a bad ball, how much it hurts him,” he continued.

“It’s a great attribute to have and obviously he’s taken to international cricket really well.”

Cook, who returned from a groin injury to hit 30 not out in then last match, is joint-favourite, along with fellow opener Ian Bell, to top score for England.

Nothing went well for Sri Lanka (evens for victory) at all in the third ODI, with just three players getting into double figures. Legendary batsman/wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara got their highest score with a measly 13, and is favourite for the tourists at 3/1 to be top batsman again for his side.