Three runs separated England from a victory that had looked almost unreachable. Ravi Bopara had helped rebuild a collapsing chase, survived the pressure and taken the contest to its last delivery. Dilhara Fernando still had one chance to undo everything.
He bowled him.
England finished on 233/8, two runs behind Sri Lanka, after an 87-run partnership between Bopara and Paul Nixon had transformed a desperate afternoon into a possible World Cup breakthrough.
This April 4, 2007 encounter earns its place in A Celebration of 5000 ODIs because neither side could keep control. Patient batting, incisive bowling, a damaging collapse and an unlikely recovery all mattered before one delivery finally settled the argument.
TL;DR
- Sri Lanka defended 235 to beat England by two runs in the Super Eight stage.
- Upul Tharanga scored 62 and Mahela Jayawardene contributed 56.
- Sajid Mahmood took 4/50; Andrew Flintoff returned 3/35.
- Bopara and Nixon added 87 after England slipped to 133/6.
- Fernando bowled Bopara with three required from the final ball.
- Bopara earned Player of the Match despite England’s defeat.
Match Information
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Match | Sri Lanka vs England, 33rd match, 2007 Cricket World Cup |
| Stage | Super Eight |
| Date | April 4, 2007 |
| Venue | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua |
| Toss | England chose to field |
| Sri Lanka | 235 all out, 50 overs |
| England | 233/8, 50 overs |
| Result | Sri Lanka won by two runs |
| Player of the Match | Ravi Bopara, 52 from 53 balls |
| Leading bowlers | Sajid Mahmood 4/50; Dilhara Fernando 3/41 |
| Tournament position | Sri Lanka moved to six Super Eight points; England remained on two |
| Decisive moment | Fernando dismissed Bopara with the final delivery |
Upul Tharanga and Mahela Jayawardene Build the Platform
Sri Lanka’s batting offered security without ever establishing overwhelming momentum.
Tharanga’s 62 from 103 balls anchored the innings, but only two boundaries highlighted how hard he found sustained acceleration. His occupation of the crease protected Sri Lanka against a deeper early collapse, while also increasing the pressure on those around him to lift the scoring rate.
Jayawardene supplied that urgency. His 56 from 61 deliveries helped their third-wicket partnership reach 91, carrying Sri Lanka from 69/2 to 160/3.
The contrast mattered tactically: Tharanga absorbed deliveries; Jayawardene made the partnership productive. England needed to separate them before that platform became a commanding total.
Andrew Flintoff and Sajid Mahmood Give England an Opening
Flintoff removed Tharanga, then dismissed Chamara Silva and Chaminda Vaas during the closing overs. His 3/35 combined wicket-taking with exceptional control.
Mahmood finished with 4/50, removing Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara before returning to dismiss Lasith Malinga and Russel Arnold.
England also contributed sharp fielding. Ian Bell ran out Tillakaratne Dilshan, preventing a dangerous finisher from settling. Sri Lanka lost its final seven wickets for 75 runs and never converted its foundation into a sustained late assault. England’s bowling and fielding had created a realistic chase. Rediff’s contemporary report documents those decisive interventions.
Kevin Pietersen’s Dismissal Exposes England
England immediately surrendered part of that advantage, losing Michael Vaughan and Ed Joyce with just 11 on the board.
Bell and Kevin Pietersen repaired the damage through a 90-run partnership. Bell’s 47 and Pietersen’s 58 demonstrated that the target remained manageable when England protected its wickets.
Bell’s run-out interrupted the recovery. Muttiah Muralitharan then caught Pietersen off his own bowling, removing the batter best positioned to control the remaining chase.
Fernando followed by dismissing Flintoff and Paul Collingwood in the same over. England had fallen from 101/2 to 133/6. The problem was now batting resources as much as scoring rate.
Ravi Bopara: Player of the Match in Defeat
Bopara refused to let the score dictate his decision-making.
His 52 from 53 balls contained four boundaries, but his greater contribution was keeping the chase functioning. With wickets scarce, he had to accumulate without allowing the required rate to become unmanageable.
The Player of the Match award recognized that intervention. England’s most composed response to the crisis came from a batter still establishing himself internationally. ESPN’s match record confirms the award.
Paul Nixon Makes Sri Lanka Defend Every Run
Nixon’s 42 from 44 deliveries gave Bopara a partner prepared to challenge Sri Lanka’s experienced attack.
His reverse-swept six against Muralitharan captured that confidence. Their partnership added 87, taking England to 220 before Nixon offered a catch to Jayawardene off Malinga.
The recovery invited comparison with Bichel and Bevan rescuing Australia against England in 2003. This time, England supplied the unlikely resistance.
Dilhara Fernando Wins the Final Argument
England needed 12 from the last over. Fernando conceded nine from the first five deliveries, leaving Bopara three short of victory.
The final ball hit the stumps. Fernando finished with 3/41, having broken England’s middle order and then stopped its recovery. The ICC’s archival footage preserves the finish.
Sri Lanka’s attack had conceded ground, but its ability to keep taking wickets proved decisive. England’s lower order nearly compensated for the earlier collapse; the missing contribution from one more established batter remained painfully visible.
Complete Match Scorecard
Sri Lanka Batting
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upul Tharanga | c Pietersen b Flintoff | 62 | 103 | 2 | 0 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | b Mahmood | 25 | 26 | 4 | 1 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | c Collingwood b Mahmood | 17 | 33 | 2 | 0 |
| Mahela Jayawardene (c) | c Joyce b Collingwood | 56 | 61 | 4 | 0 |
| Chamara Silva | b Flintoff | 23 | 37 | 2 | 0 |
| Tillakaratne Dilshan | run out (Bell) | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Russel Arnold | c Joyce b Mahmood | 20 | 22 | 1 | 0 |
| Chaminda Vaas | c Collingwood b Flintoff | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Lasith Malinga | c Nixon b Mahmood | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | not out | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Dilhara Fernando | run out (Nixon/Pietersen) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Extras | b 3, lb 6, w 4, nb 4 | 17 | |||
| Total | All out, 50 overs | 235 |
Fall of wickets: 37/1 (Jayasuriya), 69/2 (Sangakkara), 160/3 (Tharanga), 175/4 (Jayawardene), 193/5 (Dilshan), 215/6 (Silva), 219/7 (Vaas), 226/8 (Malinga), 231/9 (Arnold), 235/10 (Fernando).
England Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Anderson | 10 | 1 | 38 | 0 |
| Sajid Mahmood | 9 | 0 | 50 | 4 |
| Andrew Flintoff | 10 | 0 | 35 | 3 |
| Paul Collingwood | 10 | 0 | 44 | 1 |
| Monty Panesar | 8 | 0 | 45 | 0 |
| Michael Vaughan | 3 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
England Batting
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ed Joyce | lbw b Malinga | 10 | 21 | 1 | 0 |
| Michael Vaughan (c) | c Sangakkara b Vaas | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Ian Bell | run out (Jayasuriya) | 47 | 71 | 4 | 0 |
| Kevin Pietersen | c & b Muralitharan | 58 | 80 | 5 | 1 |
| Paul Collingwood | lbw b Fernando | 14 | 20 | 2 | 0 |
| Andrew Flintoff | c Malinga b Fernando | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Ravi Bopara | b Fernando | 52 | 53 | 4 | 0 |
| Paul Nixon (wk) | c Jayawardene b Malinga | 42 | 44 | 2 | 1 |
| Sajid Mahmood | not out | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| James Anderson | did not bat | ||||
| Monty Panesar | did not bat | ||||
| Extras | b 1, lb 1, w 2, nb 2 | 6 | |||
| Total | Eight wickets, 50 overs | 233 |
Fall of wickets: 1/1 (Vaughan), 11/2 (Joyce), 101/3 (Bell), 126/4 (Pietersen), 133/5 (Flintoff), 133/6 (Collingwood), 220/7 (Nixon), 233/8 (Bopara).
Sri Lanka Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chaminda Vaas | 8 | 1 | 45 | 1 |
| Lasith Malinga | 10 | 1 | 50 | 2 |
| Dilhara Fernando | 9 | 0 | 41 | 3 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | 8 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| Tillakaratne Dilshan | 5 | 1 | 16 | 0 |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | 10 | 1 | 48 | 1 |
Scorecard: Cricbuzz’s complete match record.
Why Match 22 Belongs in the Celebration
Sri Lanka strengthened its semifinal position; England’s route narrowed. Neither outcome became certain until the final delivery.
The match complements Lara’s three-run victory over South Africa and South Africa’s costly 2003 rain-rule miscalculation in our 5000 ODIs collection. Each shows how small margins can reshape a World Cup campaign, a recurring theme across our cricket coverage.
Bopara made England believe the escape was possible. Fernando ensured belief would be all they took away.
