England Claim Historic Victory

Failure has long become a state of mind for England one-day sides in Asia. It has crept insidiously into limbs exhausted by the heat. It has preyed upon minds mangled by the clamor of the streets and the torpor of the pitches. It has drained a procession of England teams of optimism and vitality.

Finally, at around five to 11 this evening, England forcibly put the disappointments and debacles of the past 20 years behind them. A third successive ODI win against Sri Lanka gave them an unassailable 3-1 lead in a five-match series and secured a first series win in Asia - the novices of Bangladesh apart - since Mike Gatting's side beat Pakistan 3-0 in 1987.

There were no tales of derring-do, just a thoroughly professional performance on another slow surface, enough to bring England a five-wicket win with 19 balls to spare. When they restricted Sri Lanka to 211-9, the match felt too close to call, but they fashioned victory with utter certainty. Sri Lanka's pace bowlers were comfortably dealt with; Loku's leg-spin, seen for the first time this series, held no alarms.

Alastair Cook played with equilibrium in making 80 from 123 balls, his poise briefly giving way to irritation when he fell 18 runs short of victory, chopping on a short ball from Dilhara Fernando. Paul Collingwood, the captain, then fell first ball, but Kevin Pietersen, who cannot consider England's ranking of seventh in the world without feeling personally slighted, strolled home with 63 not out from 75 balls.

This has been an unexpected triumph. England had beaten India 4-3 at home this summer but after a misconceived campaign in World Twenty20, few gave much for their chances, especially as Collingwood and his coach, Peter Moore's, were about to undertake their first overseas tour in charge. Heavily beaten in the opening match in Dambulla, an experimental side hit back, first defiantly, then astutely. Sri Lanka's new Australian coach, Trevor Bayliss, may find life a little lonely for a while.

Ryan Side bottom's part in England's three successive wins has been immense. His combined bowling figures in the last two games in Dambulla and one at the Premadasa Stadium has amounted to eight for 69 in 28.1 overs - a redoubtable show of disciplined, committed bowling from an experienced bowler relishing an opportunity.

Side bottom has not found the swing that gave his brisk left-armers such Test success in England last summer, but his accuracy has been unwavering, he has mixed up his pace wisely without attempting anything too extravagant, and he bowls a mean block hole ball at the death. He is also an incurable scruff and when he spiritedly chased a ball to the boundary in the penultimate over and flung it in with his trousers tumbling down his thighs, it rather summed him up.

That disheveled air also reminds us that fast bowling is a sweaty, sometimes unforgiving job and that he is a laborer committed to a fair day's work. He is a bowler with few adornments, just someone who has learned a lot during a long apprenticeship and who, with a ball in his hands, tells it as it is.

He had a part in Sri Lanka's abysmal start: 20-3 in the 11th over. Upul Tharanga, his new-ball victim, edged a routine ball to slip, but he had earned it by conceding only a single from his first 11 deliveries. Two more wickets came at the death. At the start of his last over, Jehan Mubarak moved across his stumps to try to whip him through the leg side; Side bottom rattled one under his legs at yorker length. It was a ball that said: "Stop mucking about."

Jimmy Anderson's first two wickets of the series took a long time coming but they were invaluable: Sanath Jayasuriya, duped by a slower ball and uncomfortably caught by Kevin Pietersen at mid-off, and Mahela Jayawardene out for nought, slashing to third man. He has totted up 80 ODIs almost inconspicuously but has now moved above Phil DeFreitas as England's fourth-highest one-day wicket-taker. Only Darren Gough, Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff lie ahead of him.

A vigilant stand of 126 in 29 overs between Kumar Sangakkara and Chamara Silva tried to remedy matters but, just as England's hold was weakening, they fell to Stuart Broad in the space of two overs, Silva uppercutting to third man and then Sangakkara pulling to deep square. They were helped by England's ground fielding, more labored than at any time this series, although only one catch went sown, Owais Shah slow onto Mubarak's pull to deep square leg in the penultimate over.