Sri Lanka felt the full force of Alex Hales bat again but it was not quite enough for England to gain victory over the World Twenty20 champions at the Kia Oval because of the enduring unorthodox brilliance of Lasith Malinga.
Yet after Hales had smashed 66 off 41 balls to lift England within reach of their formidable target of 184 Malinga, still the best death bowler in the world, deceived him with a perfect slower ball to just about earn Sri Lanka the spoils.
Even then England came close to pulling off what would have been a huge win in their first Twenty20 international since defeat by Holland but an unbeaten 28 off 15 balls from Ravi Bopara came too late to avert a nine-run defeat.
It may have been the genius of Malinga, now the Sri Lankan Twenty20 captain, which gave his side the perfect start to their tour but England were left to rue a miserable error in the field which ultimately cost them dear.
