The touring Sri Lankan side proved too strong for an inexperienced Kent Spitfires team in the One Day game at Canterbury on Friday.

Having won the toss and elected to field, skippered by Sam Northeast, Kent were set 302 to win inside 50 overs by a powerful looking Sri Lanka side and in the end they were never really in the game, losing by 128 runs.

With his first ball, Robbie Joseph picked up the first Sri Lankan wicket; finding Kusal Perera’s edge with Alex Blake taking the catch. Six overs later, he also removed Tillakaratne Dilshan; the 37-year-old opener miscuing a pull and David Griffiths taking an excellent catch at third man, leaving the tourists 53-2.

That brought the vastly experienced pair of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene to the crease, who added 38 together before Sangakkara (33) was bowled by Adam Ball.

By this stage, Charlie Hartley was already into the attack in his maiden List A appearance for Kent, and in his fifth over he dismissed Mahela Jayawardene for 30; not a bad first wicket to have in his first full appearance for the side!

Lahiru Thirimanne and Angelo Mathews then put on 84 for the fifth wicket – the highest partnership of the Sri Lankan innings, with captain Mathews the more aggressive of the the two,  but both keeping the scoreboard ticking along at a decent rate.

Mathews would be the only visiting batsman to reach his 50, bringing the landmark up off Robbie Joseph in the 40th over,  before getting out the very next ball as Ball came round to take a catch from mid-off, his knock including 5 fours and a six.

At the fall of Mathews’ wicket, Sri Lanka were 211-5, but would add a further 90 runs in the last 10 overs of their innings, despite the fact that James Tredwell removed Thirimanne for 49, with Sam Billings completing the stumping, and Joseph picked up his fourth wicket by bowling Thisara Perera in the final over.

Dinesh Chandimal in particular caused problems for the Kent bowlers late on in the innings, smashing an unbeaten 47 from just 31 balls with six boundaries, as he and Perera added 71 in just eight overs for the seventh wicket.

Joseph finished with figures of 4-59 from his 10 overs; only the second time he has got four wickets or more in a List A game, as Sri Lanka closed their innings on 301-7, meaning the Spitfires would require 302 to win.

Kent’s reply didn’t get off to the best start, as Daniel Bell-Drummond (4) edged Lakmal to wicket-keeper Sangakkara attempting  a big swish outside off-stump. In the seamer’s next over, he bowled Fabian Cowdrey without scoring to leave Kent 17-2.

Sam Northeast and Alex Blake looked to begin to rebuild the innings, before Kent’s captain-for-the-night Northeast chipped Thisara Perera straight to mid-on while on 26. Ben Harmison came in at five but would make just a single before he lobbed Perera to mid-off, at which stage Kent were 59-4 in the sixteenth over.

A period of rebuilding from Kent saw Alex Blake pass fifty in the 22nd over as he and Sam Billings looked to take the attack to the Sri Lankan bowlers.

Just as it looked as though the pair had wrestled some control back from the tourists, Billings nicked Thisara Perera behind when on 29 for a run a ball innings leaving the home side 127 for 5 in the 25th over.

Having passed fifty, Alex Blake was joined by Adam Ball and again the pair looked comfortable, but the former lofted Kulasekara to Matthews at mid off when on 60 leaving Kent deep in trouble at 148 for 6.

Restored to the Kent side in between his duties for England, James Tredwell was to add just eight before he departed, bowled by Mendis.

Adam Ball was to be on his way back to the pavilion not long later as he danced past one thrown out wide by Dilshan and Chadimal, now behind the stumps after Sangakarra decided he’d had enough keeping for the day, obliged by whipping off the bails leaving Kent looking down the barrel at 166 for 8.

Just a few balls later and Robbie Joseph was on his way too as he was bowled by Lakmal for 2, leaving David Griffiths and Charlie Hartley with the task of knocking off the remaining 136 runs.

With the pressure on their shoulders, Hartley holed out on the boundary for 5 with Perera taking the catch off Mendis, leaving Kent 128 runs short.

 

 

Kent Spitfires vs. Sri Lanka, 50-over Tour Match, The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, Canterbury, 16 May 2014:

Sri Lanka 301-7 (Mathews 51, Thirimanne 49, Chandimal 47 not out; Joseph 4-59) beat Kent Spitfires 173 all out (Blake 60, Lakmal 3-16) by 128 runs

 

Kent Spitfires: Northeast*, Bell-Drummond, Cowdrey, Harmison, Blake, Billings†, Ball, Tredwell, Joseph, Griffiths, Hartley

Sri Lanka: K Perera, Dilshan, Sangakkara†, Jayawardene, Thirimanne, Chandimal, Mathews*, T Perera, Kulasekara, Mendis, Lakmal

Kent won the toss and elected to bowl

 

Full scorecard available here

Pictures supplied by www.sarahansellphotography.com