Cricket acrimony as England point finger at Sri Lanka
Bowler Senanayake under fire over controversial run-out and 'suspect' bowling action

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
English cricket is once again mired in acrimony after the first one-day series under new coach Peter Moores ended with the controversial run out of Jos Buttler, a row over the bowling action of Sri Lankan spinner Sachithra Senanayake and the prospect of a bad-tempered Test series to come.
Sri Lanka were set a target of 220 to win the match and the series, and did so with six wickets and ten balls to spare.
Controversy erupted during England's innings when batsman Jos Buttler was run out by Senanayake as he backed up at the non-striker's end. England's batsmen had twice been warned in Senanayake's previous over and when Buttler moved out of his ground in the 44th over the bowler stopped his run up and took the bails off.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The divisive method of dismissal is known as 'Mankading' after the Indian bowler who used it against Australia in 1947 and, says The Guardian, "always provokes debate about the spirit of cricket".
England captain Alistair Cook was angry not just at Senanayake but also his opposite number, touring skipper Angelo Mathews, for not calling Buttler back. He called it "a pretty poor act" and said it was "not the way to do things". Coach Moores added he was "disappointed".
Sri Lanka, though, were unrepentant. Mathews said that Buttler had been "taking starts" in the previous match at Lords and had been warned twice by the bowler.
The Senanayake run out came after the bowler had his action reported in the previous ODI, and veteran Sri Lankan batsmen Mahela Jayawardene pointedly noted afterwards that one of the umpires involved was English. "When teams are struggling to play certain bowlers it comes our way," he said.
Mathews made his thoughts clear when he "celebrated the six-wicket victory by miming a bowling action with a deliberately straight arm in the direction of the Sri Lanka dressing room", reports the Guardian.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan spotted a link between the two events. "What I saw is a bowler, Senanayake, who feels aggrieved about having his action reported," he writes in the Daily Telegraph, but believes "the incident reflects poorly on the Sri Lanka team and Sachithra Senanayake".
Not so, says Michael Atherton in The Times. The bowler is "possibly disgruntled" by having the finger of suspicion pointed at him, but "Sri Lanka were well within their rights to send Buttler on his way. You could even argue that they had been extra courteous by affording the batsman a warning".
It all adds to the tension ahead of the Test series, which starts next week. Cook said he would not hold "clear the air" talks with Mathews and when asked if there would be ill-feeling at Lord's replied: "Probably".
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Iran deposit
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published
-
How will the writers' deal shape the future of Hollywood screenwriting?
Today's Big Question The post-strike entertainment industry could look very different for screenwriters
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Cozy box home
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Ashes: can England mount a glorious comeback?
feature ‘Herculean’ task follows ugly scenes at controversial second test
By The Week Staff Published
-
English cricket is ‘racist, sexist and elitist’, says independent report
Speed Read Chair of governing body apologises after crushing indictment of the sport ‘at all levels’
By Rebekah Evans Published
-
England are the ‘undisputed kings’ of white-ball cricket
feature Ben Stokes scored the winning run as England beat Pakistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final
By Mike Starling Published
-
Ben Stokes and England set up a ‘grand finale’ against South Africa
feature In an old-school Test victory at Old Trafford, England’s captain scored a century and took four crucial wickets
By The Week Staff Published
-
‘Alarm bells’ for authorities: is there too much cricket being played?
Talking Point Ben Stokes quitting one-day internationals has sparked a debate over the packed schedule
By Mike Starling Published
-
‘Bazball’: England cricket’s glorious new look
Why Everyone’s Talking About A staggering turnaround has taken place under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes
By The Week Staff Published
-
England’s epic win: Test cricket that was ‘quite simply, out of this world’
Why Everyone’s Talking About Victory over New Zealand was one of the most ‘glorious and scintillating’ in England’s history
By The Week Staff Published
-
Ben Stokes: from the ‘Bristol incident’ to England’s Test captaincy
Why Everyone’s Talking About Durham all-rounder has been confirmed as Joe Root’s replacement
By Mike Starling Published