ENGLAND 'A' were set a daunting victory target after a magnificent batting display by Sri Lanka 'A' in the opening unofficial one-day international in Moratuwa today.

Put into bat, Sri Lanka reached 326-6 in their 50 overs thanks to flamboyant stroke play which the England attack struggled to combat, despite claiming four wickets in the final 10 overs.

Sri Lanka, who included eight players who have played at full international level, were given a flying start with a 101-run opening partnership off 104 balls between Chandika Hathurusinghe and Avishka Gunawardene.

The pair raced to 50 off the opening 10 overs and progressed to 90 from 15 with a series of boundaries until Leicestershire paceman James Ormond, the fifth bowler England had used in the first 18 overs in a desperate attempt to break the stand, finally made the breakthrough.

Gunawardene raced to 43 off 52 deliveries before edging behind to wicketkeeper David Nash, attempting to pull his second boundary of the over to give England a welcome respite.

Hathurusinghe also fell seven overs later when he was bowled round his legs by left-arm spinner Ashley Giles, after making 56 from 76 balls including nine boundaries.

But, having broken one partnership, England then struggled to restrict another, with Russel Arnold and Mahela Jayawardene adding 109 in a dramatic 86 balls to put Sri Lanka on course for their formidable total.

Jayawardene finally holed out to Dean Cosker at long-on off Giles, having made 52 from 45 balls, but by then Sri Lanka had amassed a daunting 244 with 10 overs still remaining.

The blitz continued as Upal Chandana and Ruwan Kalpage added 53 in the final 53 overs to post a massive 326.Arnold, who captained Sri Lanka in the second unofficial Test at Matara, was also caught in the deep four overs later, with Darren Maddy snapping him up at backward square-leg to give Giles his third wicket of the innings.

The former Sri Lankan Test player added a superb 87 from 75 balls including a six and eight other boundaries, and his dismissal enabled England to temporarily stem the run flow.

Hemanthu Wickramaratne fell in the next over, but captain Ruwan Kalpage contributed a quickfire 19 alongside Upal Chandana to enable Sri Lanka to add 53 runs in the final five overs.

Kalpage fell in the penultimate over, but Chandana remained unbeaten on 34 from just 14 deliveries including three sixes and two fours.

To complete England's misery, they failed to bowl their 50 overs in the required time span and must now chase their daunting victory target in just 49 overs.

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