Chris Jordan snarls with bat and ball to give England victory over Sri Lanka

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/may/22/england-sri-lanka-one-day-international-match-report

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This may have been a messy victory by 81 runs for England with the rain and Duckworth/Lewis intruding but it was a very welcome one for the new regime. For the first time in a long time England bullied top-class opposition and they revealed a fresh “enforcer”.

Chris Jordan, a familiar and often confused figure at The Oval when he was an employee here, imposed himself on Sri Lanka with bat and ball. He was the proud and appropriate man of a match that tested the patience of ticket-holders. The afternoon storm was so fierce that many were drenched and decided to head for a dry home.

They would have missed a sparkling performance from Jordan. With the bat he struck 38 from 13 balls at the end of the England innings and even Jos Buttler, no slouch at the non-striker’s end, must have been impressed. Of greater long-term significance was the hostility of Jordan’s bowling.

Adhering to Michael Holding’s old theorem that driving should be restricted to those with motor cars, Jordan extracted steep bounce as he banged the ball down short of a length at a succession of Sri Lanka batsmen, many of whom were disconcerted by such well-directed pace. Jordan has never played a Test match for England but the odds on him making a debut at Lord’s in June must be shortening fast.

Jordan looks strong, confident and he is patently enjoying life as an England player. He took three wickets from catches behind the wicket, one of which was taken at third man, and was the pick of a potent pace attack on a surface more lively than many of those produced at The Oval recently. Jimmy Anderson and Harry Gurney also looked sharp as Sri Lanka faltered as night fell.

Usually it is reckoned to be a disadvantage to be in the field when Duckworth/Lewis intervenes but, as their pacemen imposed themselves, England’s out-cricket grew ever sharper. There were beaming smiles as Alastair Cook back-pedalled rapidly to take a fine catch to remove Angelo Mathews. At the end the captain could allow himself the broadest of smiles: at last after all the agonising here was a win to cheer everyone, albeit on a day not designed for playing cricket.

The England innings was interrupted by a spectacular storm, which in the pre-drainage era might have finished the game. Before the flood their progress was mostly serene. Cook fell early cover driving away from his body, which you are allowed to do in this form of the game, but then Ian Bell and Gary Ballance calmly accumulated.

Bell did so exquisitely with gentle timing and placement interspersed by the odd majestic lofted drive over the bowler’s head. Without seeming to hurry he pottered along at a run-a-ball. Ballance was reassuringly pragmatic; there is meat in his drives even if they do not mesmerise. If he becomes a great player it will be more in the style of Allan Border rather than David Gower. But it is runs that count and Ballance has been scoring a lot this season.

Just before the storm Bell, having posted his half-century, swept a Mathews slower ball into the hands of Lasith Malinga at short fine-leg. After the rain, which reduced the length of the innings to 39 overs, England’s progress was more staccato. There was a problem finding the required acceleration. Even though Joe Root had set out to replace Bell it was Eoin Morgan who reappeared with Ballance after the break. He did not stay long.

Ballance was caught on the leg-side boundary, whereupon England’s attempts to play the sweep shot continued to yield very little. Ravi Bopara and Root were lbw attempting it. Root, at least, had played some eye-catching shots before his departure for 45.

The innings finished with a flourish thanks to an inspired Jordan. Not for the first time he startled with the ease and power of his hitting. He patted one delivery from Nuwan Kulasekara which ended up 10 rows beyond the long-off boundary. Buttler looked on with raised eyebrows. Surrey members in the pavilion, as well as Chris Adams in the Sri Lanka dressing room, must still be mildly bewildered how it is that Jordan now plays for Sussex (although if he maintains this form he will not be doing that very often either). Unusually Lasith Malinga suffered more than any of the Sri Lanka bowlers.