England beat Sri Lanka by 55 runs as Duckett hits 167
Sri Lanka, already through to Saturday's final against Pakistan, were bowled out for 331 chasing 387 in Lahore.
LAHORE: England beat Sri Lanka by 55 runs in the final league fixture of the One-day International tri-series at Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday, Ben Duckett making 167 and Liam Dawson taking four wickets in a win that came too late to keep England in the tournament.
Set 387, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 331. Pavan Rathnayake made 118 off 77 balls, according to Dawn, but the chase fell short. The result gave England their first victory of the campaign after three straight defeats and did not affect Saturday's final, in which Sri Lanka meet hosts Pakistan.
England's tournament had effectively ended before Thursday. The Express Tribune reported that Harry Brook's side lost their opener against Pakistan in Rawalpindi by 87 runs, then lost to Sri Lanka at the same venue on October 22 when Sri Lanka chased 430 to win by two wickets with one ball remaining, despite Brook's 202. They lost again in Lahore on Sunday, beaten by one wicket after Shadab Khan's maiden ODI century carried Pakistan home in an unbroken 89-run tenth-wicket stand with 15 balls to spare.
Sri Lanka's route to the final began with a 37-run defeat by Pakistan before two wins. On Tuesday in Lahore they bowled Pakistan out for 110 and chased the target in the 19th over, left-arm seamer Dilshan Madushanka finishing with 5-34, the Express Tribune reported.
Sri Lanka's bowling coach, Van Niekerk, said before Thursday's match that the Lahore surface had played reasonably well, appearing slightly slower and offering more tennis-ball bounce than the Rawalpindi pitch, where dew made the ball skid on. The Express Tribune reported that Sri Lanka may rest some key players for the final.
The Guardian reported that Liam Dawson said the England dressing room was "gutted" at the outcome of the series.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka now play Saturday's final, with the hosts having beaten Sri Lanka once and England twice in the league phase, and having lost to Sri Lanka by eight wickets on Tuesday.
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