england put an target of 265 against sl

James Taylor has waited a long time to play an ODI against anyone other than Ireland. If he had not been given his chance in the enforced absence of Alastair Cook he would have been well within his rights to want to get on the next flight home.

Still, it is one thing getting the chance and another to take it. Taylor's 90 anchored two-thirds of England's innings and it was the effects of cramp, on a hot Colombo day, as much as any specific threat from the Sri Lanka bowlers that denied him a maiden international hundred when he looped a catch into the covers at the start of the batting Powerplay.

England's eventual total of 265 was below what they should have achieved from 170 for 3 in the 35th over but, with an eye on the future as well as the present, it will have heartened the dressing room to see Eoin Morgan, the stand-in captain for the day, finding form with a 42-ball fifty, brought up with a six over deep midwicket at the start of the final over. He ensured the innings did not completely fizzle out and it was his highest ODI score since making 106 against Australia, in Brisbane, in January.

Taylor was at the crease early, which could well have played to his advantage as he did not have much time to let the nerves build, after Alex Hales edged Dhammika Prasad's first legitimate delivery to slip.

There were some uncertain moments early in his innings and the initial stages were hard work as he reached 11 off 29 deliveries before cashing in on Thisara Perera's first over. A bottom-handed flick from outside off over deep midwicket for six was the sort of stroke that peppered county boundaries during last season.

By the time Taylor found the boundary, he had lost Moeen Ali, charging down the pitch at Tillakaratne Dilshan, meaning the innings went into a rebuilding pattern as he was joined by Joe Root. Boundaries were few and far between, and Taylor saved himself by using a review when he was given lbw to Jeevan Mendis on 35, only for there to be a clear bottom edge.

The scoring rate was given a jolt by consecutive sixes, Taylor driving Ajantha Mendis over long-off and Root following by clearing deep midwicket off Jeevan. The partnership ended on 93, England's best of the series, when Root's penchant for late-cutting the spinners off his stumps brought his downfall against Rangana Herath.

Taylor continued to punctuate his sprinting between the wickets with the occasional boundary, but the conditions were starting to take their toll and he twice needed lengthy treatment from the physio who was focussing on his left forearm. Later the cramp appeared to be spreading to his legs, and four balls after the second visit from the physio Taylor tried to clear the off side against Ajantha Mendis but could not clear the infield.

As so often, the batting Powerplay - taken one over before it had to be - was not England's friend. Five deliveries after Taylor departed to the relative cool of the dressing room, Ravi Bopara missed a quicker ball from Dilshan, leaving another rebuilding job in the hands of Morgan and Jos Buttler.

Buttler ensured he played himself in, managing one effortless six over long-off, but could not help set a target in the same way he had chased one down a few days ago as he picked out long-on with seven overs remaining. Ben Stokes' international batting woes continued when he found deep square-leg, and with Morgan starting to find his stride the shot selection of Chris Woakes and Chris Jordan left something to be desired.

Angelo Mathews entrusted his spinners with the final 21 overs of the innings: for 20 of those overs there was barely any reason to question that decision as Herath returned a miserly 3 for 36 and Ajantha Mendis claimed 3 for 56. However, the first two balls of the last over - bowled by Dilshan - were slotted for six by Morgan and the over ended up costing 18 to boost England to a decent total.