By Rob Barnett
England broke through either side of a long rain delay in Hambantota, which reduced the game to 35 overs a side, but Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews responded with a smooth fifty partnership.
Chris Woakes ousted Kusal Perera in the two overs possible before an impasse of more than three-and-a-half hours.
Steven Finn then had the dangerous Tillakaratne Dilshan caught behind with a slower ball and Thilina Kandamby edged Woakes to slip, leaving Sri Lanka 31 for three in the sixth over.
Sangakkara, who early in his innings became the fourth player to score 13,000 one-day international runs, and Mathews expertly rebuilt with little risk.
Match scorecard / Live ball-ball commentary
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Sri Lanka innings
1.46pm – Sangakkara and Mathews share a steady fifty partnership at the end of an over from Ravi Bopara, who has replaced Jordan.
1.41pm – Mathews cheekily opens the face to guide Jordan through a vacant slip region and to the boundary. After a tidier Moeen set of six, Sri Lanka are 75 for three from 15 overs.
1.33pm – Sangakkara and his captain Angelo Mathews rebuild with five runs from three straight overs, latterly aided by two consecutive wides from Moeen.
1.21pm – Chris Jordan replaces Woakes to make it a double bowing change. Jordan could profit from the pace and bounce in this pitch.
1.15pm – Sangakkara runs Woakes to third man for a single that makes him the fourth player to score 13,000 one-day international runs. Spinner Moeen Ali then takes over from seamer Finn.
1.09pm – Sangakkara unfurls a classic square-drive off Finn as Sri Lanka reach 35 for three from the seven-over powerplay.
1.02pm – WICKET! Kandamby c Jordan b Woakes 0; SL 31/3 - Thilina Kandamby, playing in place of Mahela Jayawardene who is missing the game due to his daughter’s birthday, opens the face only to edge Woakes to slip for a two-ball duck.
12.56pm – WICKET! Dilshan c Buttler b Finn 23; SL 30/2 - Kumar Sangakkara cuts Finn for four but a slower ball later in the over does for Dilshan, who edges behind off the back foot. That’s an important breakthrough as Dilshan’s runs came from just 19 balls.
12.52pm – Dilshan, batting aggressively with the overs reduced, smacks a four either side if the wicket in the next set of six, bowled by Chris Woakes.
12.48pm – Tillakaratne Dilshan takes two fours off Steven Finn in the first over since the break, the first an upper-cut to the third-man boundary and the second a cover drive.
12.42pm – The players and umpires are on their way to the middle. We’ll be back under way in a few minutes.
Red sky at night, England delight?! #SLvENGpic.twitter.com/JBEXaARa2S
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) December 3, 2014
12.30pm – This isn’t the only Sri Lanka-England game today. There is another at the Blind World Cup in South Africa, where both teams are chasing semi-final spots. Read our update here.
England are back out and warming up ahead of the game resuming #SLvENGpic.twitter.com/hscCJQsp2Z
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) December 3, 2014
12.22pm – Great news! Play is set to restart at 12.45pm with a 35-over-a-side game. Well done to the Hambantota groundstaff.
12.10pm – The umpires are back out on the pitch for another inspection. Fingers crossed…
Quite optimistic we will get a overs-reduced match finished today. Local journalist says: "No more rain."#SLvEng
— John Etheridge (@JohnSunCricket) December 3, 2014
Another inspection at 1215 UK time with reports play could start around 1245. Coverage continues @bbctms#SLvENGpic.twitter.com/1rnqgMgBiN
— BBC TMS (@bbctms) December 3, 2014
The umpires are currently doing an inspection. They clearly have concerns about a number of damp patches near the boundary rope #SLvEng
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) December 3, 2014
11.06am – Hampshire have announced that extra seats have been available for England’s one-day international with Australia at the Ageas Bowl on September 3 next year. Details are here.
10.50am – The square has been uncovered and the umpires, Simon Fry and Ruchira Palliyaguruge, are inspecting. The square looks fine but there are some damp patches where some of the covers on the outfield, which are also being removed, overlap. Overs are now being lost and the latest we can start is 2.30pm GMT.
Ground staff carefully removing the covers at Hambantota. #SLvENGpic.twitter.com/2Xh6gW7fOm
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) December 3, 2014
10.35am – While England tour Sri Lanka, the England Performance Prorgamme is taking place with the batsmen and spinners also on the island and the seamers in Potchefstroom, South Africa. James Anderson and Stuart Broad yesterday linked up with the latter as they step up recoveries from knee problems.
10.16am – Here’s some news and good news it is. The rain has stopped. Although there is plenty of water on the covers, which will take an hour or two to clear, we could have some play later today after all.
10.01am – No news from Hambantota but here’s our picture gallery, including an excellent image of the wicket against the building black cloud.
Might be struggling to get a game on today... #SLvENGpic.twitter.com/OmL1loPTe1
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) December 3, 2014
9.25am – It’s now hosing down in Hambantota, with thunder and lightning to boot. This looks to be a lengthy delay.
Ground staff are covering the square. Floodlights are coming on too as pretty gloomy #SLvENGpic.twitter.com/NQMGqw9WUI
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) December 3, 2014
9.11am – BAD LIGHT STOPS PLAY! Sri Lanka 6/1; Dilshan 6, Sangakkara 0 - Those dark clouds are getting nearer and, before rain almost certainly starts to fall, the umpires sensibly take the players off with Sri Lanka six for one from two overs. The groundstaff immediately start work on covering the entire square and outfield with the vast covers they have at Hambantota.
9.07am – WICKET! Kusal c Morgan b Woakes 0; SL 6/1 - After Tillakaratne Dilshan survives from Chris Woakes’ first ball when he loops a leading edge high to a vacant midwicket, Kusal Perera is held at point when he doesn’t keep a cut down. That’s an ideal start for England. Kumar Sangakkara is the new man.
9.03am – Steven Finn, England’s senior bowler in this game, opens with a tight over. The outfield is parched in places and dry throughout despite the downpour that prevented England from training yesterday. Unfortunately there is some imposing, dark cloud near the ground. Fingers crossed it stays away so we can get a match in today.
Pre-play news
59 - Thisara Perera needs 59 runs to become the 8th Sri Lankan to score 1,000+ runs & take 100+ wickets in ODIs. 3 Englishmen have. Rounded.
— OptaJim (@OptaJim) December 3, 2014
8.50am – Alastair Cook said at the toss he would have batted first. This is a ground where big scores are normally needed to win games, so England’s first task is to limit Sri Lanka with the ball despite the relatively short boundaries. The action is 10 minutes away!
Good luck to @AlexHales1 who is back in for today's game #SLvEngpic.twitter.com/t5A0k3bNcc
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) December 3, 2014
8.34am – SRI LANKA WIN TOSS AND BAT! England make three changes. Alex Hales, who will bat at number three, Ben Stokes and Chris Jordan come in for Ian Bell, Harry Gurney and James Tredwell. As expected, Sri Lanka are missing Mahela Jayawardene for personal reasons. He is replaced by Thilina Kandamby in the hosts’ sole change.
England: Cook, Ali, Hales, Root, Bopara, Morgan, Buttler, Stokes, Woakes, Jordan, Finn #SLvEng
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) December 3, 2014
England team huddle ahead of warming up. #SLvEngpic.twitter.com/QVX83x91Wu
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) December 3, 2014
8.20am – Hello and welcome to ecb.co.uk’s coverage of the third one-day international between Sri Lanka and England. The tourists trail 2-0 after defeats in Colombo so will be hoping for better in Hambantota, where the good news is the weather is dry. The toss is scheduled to be in 10 minutes.
Hambantota bathed in sunshine, let's hope it stays that way! Sri Lanka v England, 3RD ODI Live 08.30 Sky Sports 2. pic.twitter.com/1XQCqmfdof
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) December 3, 2014