Sri Lanka U19 294 for 6 (Perera 58, Shanmuganathan 57, Abeywickramasingha 52) won England U19 229 (Thain 58, Benkenstein 51) by 65 runs
Benkenstein was the most flamboyant, hitting two sixes in his 50-ball 51, but Thain anchored the innings with six fours in his 58 off 69 balls.
However, when Thain and his captain left eight balls between them after a 16-over stand, it left England with an uphill task to chase down 295 to win in 50 overs. They fell very close with 27 balls not used.
Having scored in just six overs, England went up after six overs when they lost their openers in the space of six balls to Sri Lanka’s off-spinner pair of Vihas Thewmika and Thisara Ekanayake. Freddie McCann was bowled which he kept low and Keshana Fonseka, who had driven sweetly for five fours in his 25, became short third man.
Charlie Allison was playing second fiddle to his Essex team-mate Noah Thynne and tried to counter it by hitting Thisara straight out of the ground and was caught on the boundary for eight off 20 balls.
The second all-Essex partnership proved more productive with Benkenstein blasting sixes over midwicket and long-off, followed by a classic cover drive for four. Benkenstein went for another big two-ball rise after reaching his half-century and was caught on the mid-wicket boundary off Hivin Kenula.
Praveen Maneesha then took the heart out of England’s batting in the space of seven deliveries when he got Thain playing around one and Haydon Mustard late on the other.
Middlesex’s Cornwall took 3 for 54 on his ODI debut, including dismissing Sri Lanka’s openers in an over after England won the toss and put the visitors on a green wicket of variable bounce.
Pulindu Perera had stuck fellow bowler Harry Moore over the keeper’s head for six in the previous over but fell hitting a fielder to slip first. Thisara followed, violently pulling Cornwell to short fine leg.
Thain claimed Sri Lanka’s third scalp when Gayana Weerasinghe hooked at deep square leg and England were in the ascendancy.
Dinura led the counter-attack, however, contributing 34 from the first fifty in a fourth stand worth 73 with Sarujan including McCann over midwicket for six. But he was gone less than half a century, down the wrong line to be pound with Benkenstein.
Sharujan was more tortoise to Dinura’s hare, but scattered the single that took him to a 64-ball fifty. However, he fell seven runs later when he swept frugal off-spinner Farhan Ahmed at short fine leg after helping Mahith add 67 for the fifth wicket.
Mahith and Diniru entered the last 10 overs with Mahith pushing Cornwell for the single that took him to his fifty off 55 balls. Diniru slapped Moore over square leg for a second maximum before reaching his own half-century off just 34 balls. He became Cornwell’s third victim when he fell off the penultimate ball of the innings.