Nottinghamshire batsman James Taylor starred for England in their fourth ODI against Sri Lanka, but couldn’t stop his side eventually succiumbing to a six-wicket defeat in Colombo.
Taylor, playing in only his third ODI, scored a composed 90 in similar fashion to the scintillating innings that defined his Royal London One-Day Cup season with Nottinghamshire but struggled with cramp late on.
Eoin Morgan, England’s captain in the absence of suspended Alastair Cook, also registered 62, the only other player to pass 40 in the innings, and he reserved special praise for Taylor, batting at three.
"I thought he was brilliant," said Morgan.
"He plays it his own way and he didn't lack any confidence today. Even when the ball was slow and stoppy, he took the spinners on and he persevered. It was great to see.
“A lot of guys come in and don't take on as much of a senior role and batting at three is quite a big thing, setting up an innings and he did it magnificently well."
After pushing his case loudly for selection with a number of fine Nottinghamshire innings this summer, Taylor was rewarded for selection and has finally been handed an opportunity to impress, and he capitalised on it in some style.
The England innings was scuppered by a flurry of wickets through their middle order, and after Kumar Sangakkara made a composed 81 to push Sri Lanka forward, captain Angelo Matthews scored an unbeaten 51, seeing his side home. Rather than the Sri Lankan exploits with the bat, it was his side’s inability to post a meaningful total which Morgan took exception to.
"We were probably about 20-25 short," he said.
"We assessed the conditions in the first 25 and the guys who batted, James Taylor in particular said it was getting harder and harder as the ball got older. But we still aimed to get 280-290.
“We were good in patches but the latter half of our innings wasn't good enough. We didn't manage to keep the momentum going into the last 10-15 overs. So it's disappointing."
Trent Bridge hosts the fourth Royal London One-Day International between England and New Zealand on Wednesday 17 June. Don't miss the chance to take in what promises to be an absorbing contest and secure your seat now.