By Martin Smith, ECB Reporters Network
Essex duo Noah Thain and Luc Benkenstein's best efforts could not prevent England Men Under-19s suffering a 65-run defeat to Sri Lanka in the first Youth ODI on their home ground in Chelmsford.
Thain and Benkenstein - who is captain for the series - combined for a fourth-wicket stand of 90 at the Cloud County Ground, but departed eight balls apart to leave England facing an uphill task after Sri Lanka had posted 294 for six.
Benkenstein was the more flamboyant, hitting two sixes in his 50-ball 51, but Thain anchored the innings with six fours in his 58 from 69 balls.
Noah Cornwell was the pick of the home attack as he claimed three for 54 while Farhan Ahmed was miserly as the Nottinghamshire spinner returned one for 38 from his 10 overs.
Sri Lanka’s total was powered by three contrasting half-centuries from the middle-order - Dinura Kalupahana (52 off 37 balls), Sharujan Shanmuganathan (57 off 75 balls) and Mahith Perera (58 off 60 balls).
England's chase suffered its first set back after six overs when they lost their openers in the space of six balls to Sri Lanka’s off-spin pair of Vihas Thewmika and Thisara Ekanayake. Freddie McCann was bowled by one that kept low and Keshana Fonseka, who had driven sweetly for five fours in his 25, chipped to short third man.
Charlie Allison had been playing second fiddle to his Essex team-mate, Thain, and tried to remedy it by hitting Thisara straight out of the ground and was caught on the boundary for eight.
The second all-Essex partnership proved more productive with Benkenstein launching sixes over midwicket and long-off, followed by a classic cover drive for four. Benkenstein went for another big heave two ball after reaching his half-century and was caught on the midwicket boundary off Hivin Kenula.
Praveen Maneesha then ripped the heart out of England’s batting in the space of seven deliveries when he had Thain playing around one and Haydon Mustard late on another.
Rocky Flintoff was Hivin’s second wicket when he tried to beat mid-off and Ahmed lasted two balls before lobbing back to Vihas Thewmika. Harry Moore played defiantly for his 26 before falling to Vihas and Cornwell was bowled to end the match.
Debutant Cornwall dismissed the Sri Lankan openers in an over after England had won the toss and put the visitors in in a green-tinged wicket of variable bounce.
Pulindu Perera had hooked fellow pace bowler Harry Moore over the wicketkeeper’s head for six in the previous over, but fell edging an inswinger to first slip. Thisara followed, violently pulling Cornwell to short fine leg.
Thain claimed the third Sri Lankan scalp when Gayana Weerasinghe hooked into deep square leg’s hands and England were in the ascendency.
Dinura led the counter-offensive, however, contributing 34 of the first fifty in a fourth-wicket stand worth 73 with Sharujan including lofting McCann over midwicket for six. But he departed one short of a half-century, playing down the wrong line to be lbw to Benkenstein.
Sharujan had been more tortoise to Dinura’s hare, but scampered the single that took him to a 64-ball fifty. However, he fell seven runs later when sweeping tAhmed to short fine leg after helping Mahith add 67 for the fifth wicket.
Mahith and Diniru put on in the last 10 over with Mahith nudging Cornwell for the single that took him to his fifty from 55 balls. Diniru slapped Moore over square leg for a second maximum before reaching his own half-century from just 34 balls. He became Cornwell’s third victim when bowled off the penultimate ball of the innings.
The second Youth ODI will be played at the 1st Central County Ground in Hove on Monday.