COLOMBO, (Sri Lanka): Moeen Ali hit a dominant 119 off just 87 deliveries in a lost cause on Wednesday, as England went down to Sri Lanka by 25 runs in their first one-day international.
Sent in to bat first, Sri Lanka posted a challenging target of 317-6, helped by an aggressive 88 from opener Tillakaratne Dilshan and half centuries from Kusal Perera (59) and Mahela Jayawardene (55).
England was bowled out for 292 in the 48th over with Ali at the heart of the reply with his maiden century in ODIs. However, he lacked support from the other batsmen, with the exception of Ravi Bopara who was out last for 65.
Thisara Perera took three wickets while Rangana Herath and Ajantha Mendis picked up two wickets each for the hosts.