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Both captains give their response after England beat Sri Lanka by ten wickets at Old Trafford
Captain Alastair Cook acknowledged England were happy to put Sunday’s defeat behind them as they crushed Sri Lanka by ten wickets at Old Trafford to take a 2-1 lead in the one-day series.
England needed just 12.1 overs to chase down the 68 runs they needed with Ian Bell lofting the winning runs with a straight six in an unbeaten partnership with Cook.
Chris Jordan recorded figures of 5-29 and James Anderson conceded just ten runs off his seven overs while also taking two wickets as Sri Lanka were dismissed in just 24 overs.
Chris Jordan named man of the match after taking five wickets at Old Trafford
The convincing victory was the perfect way to exorcise the ghost of Chester-le-Street where Cook’s men were dismissed for 99 to lose by 157 runs in the second ODI.
“We did discuss it, of course, but it was a really strange game,” Cook told Sky Sports. “The way we performed at The Oval to then perform like we did there was really strange.
“But the lads came out firing, desperate to prove a point today, and we did that. We didn’t quite get set straight away so the way we held our nerve and kept building pressure, and then when we got the chance Jords really hit the mark.”
The emergence of Jordan is one of the high points of England’s summer so far and Cook is certain he can keep getting better.
Seriously talented
“You only have to look at the guys who are slightly more established senior players, how long they took,” he said.
“The first few years of our careers it took us a while to find our feet at international level, 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.”
Alastair Cook
“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.
“You see how much it means to him (Jordan) every time he gets a wicket and every time he bowls a bad ball, how much it hurts him.
“It’s a great attribute to have and obviously he’s taken to international cricket really well.”
Cook had been an injury doubt coming into the game but confirmed he had not aggravated any problem, saying: “The body is good. It was a tough outfield and I had a little muscle strain coming back. It was a bit wet and I was a little bit cautious but it’s fine.”
Indeed, England have confirmed that they will retain an unchanged squad for the remaining two matches of the series at Lord’s and Edgbaston.
