England beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets in third ODI and take 2-0 series lead

It was 11.33pm local time when Ben Stokes crashed the left-arm spin of Amila Aponso down the ground for an almighty six, the shot sealing a seven-wicket victory for England against Sri Lanka in which the tourists had scarcely looked troubled.

Even a near six-hour rain delay that cut this third one-day international into a 21-overs-per-side match – and thus nearer to a Twenty20 – could not reduce the gulf between the two teams at present; Eoin Morgan’s No 1-ranked side, who had knocked off a target of 151 with 15 balls to spare, now sit 2-0 up in this monsoon-afflicted series with two matches to play.