 Strauss was at a loss as Sri Lanka cut loose |
England captain Andrew Strauss was full of admiration for Sri Lanka's batsmen after a final one-day defeat. Sanath Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga eclipsed Marcus Trescothick's century with a stand of 286 at Headingley.
And Strauss admitted: "Sometimes you've just got to hold your hands up and say, 'Well played'. It was incredible.
"It didn't seem like any ball was missing the middle of the bat. We've seen Jayasuriya do it for a decade but generally on TV - not on the field."
England suffered their first one-day series whitewash at home since 1993 but there were at least positive signs as they posted 321-7 after winning the toss.
"We've been harping on all series about someone standing up and getting a hundred," said Strauss.
"Tres did that and as you see if you get a hundred you can get a decent score on the board. As it was we didn't get enough."
The injury-ravaged England side have less than a fortnight to rebuild before the first Test against Pakistan starts at Lord's on 13 July.
"We're going to be down for a couple of days after this - it's been a tough series," Strauss added.
"But we've got to drag ourselves back together and get back to doing things we've done well in the past."
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Interview: Marcus Trescothick