Poor England save worst for last

Generally, their bowling is adequate, though even that normally reliable department wilted here while trying to defend a hopelessly small target in oven-like temperatures.

But far too many of the batsmen either panic under pressure in the shorter game or lack sufficient imagination to claw their way out of a hole.

"It's crystal clear where we stand in oneday cricket - not very high," said Thorpe. "We've been outskilled by Sri Lanka in these three games and there are obvious areas to work on.

"We have to form a strategy for the World Cup. But it's not all doom and gloom because you can catch up.

"Overall, though, this winter has been a success without a shadow of a doubt and I'm proud to have been a part of it."

Today, only Graeme Hick hinted at masterminding a meaningful recovery from the early woes of 39 for four. But even his 46 was a laboured affair, spanning 114 deliveries with just two boundaries.

It did nudge England to their highest total during these three matches, yet that merely underlined Sri Lanka's dominance with the ball.

Some variable bounce and plenty of assistance for spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and company suggested the pitch was not easy to bat on. But Kalu and Atapattu even made a nonsense of that theory - encouraged all the way by the noisy support of two brass bands in the stands.

Earlier, Alec Stewart, Marcus Trescothick and the recalled Nick Knight had taken it in turns to play on against seamers Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Zoysa.

Then, worst of all, acting captain Thorpe fell for a duck - cutting his first delivery from Zoysa toward backward point where Kumar Sangakkara took a wonderful, onehanded catch while diving right.

The loss of four wickets in seven overs went a long way towards crushing England's spirit, and they never really covered.

In fairness to them, the heat and humidity was stifling. Not as stifling, though, as Sri Lanka's spinners once they entered the attack and not one of the visiting batsmen looked capable of significantly increasing the tempo.

Andrew Flintoff's attempt to fight free of the shackles ended with a miscued pull to mid-wicket against Tilan Samaraweera. Then Craig White's troubles continued.

In six previous one-day internationals this winter, he had scored three runs with four ducks and a nought not out. Here, he reached four but then followed previous examples by playing on when cutting against Russel Arnold's off-spin.

Hick, by now, looked close to exhaustion and his request for a runner was approved. But he had to go for some big shots and merely picked out deep mid-wicket when swinging against Samaraweera.

"You could almost see the energy draining out of him," said Thorpe. "We've fought the tough conditions well this winter but they caught up with a bit in these three games."

Mark Ealham, replacing Andy Caddick today, managed a couple of solid contacts before hoisting Kumar Dharmasena straight to mid-off. Vaas returned to dismiss Robert Croft, via a slice to gully, and the two fours Alan Mullally hit during his final over mattered not a jot.

All too soon, Mullally, especially, was being hammered to the boundary on a regular basis as Sri Lanka completed their oneday mission with a fabulous flourish.