By Oliver Brett

Graeme Swann bowled with great intelligence in Dambulla

England won a tense, low-scoring match by two wickets in Dambulla to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match one-day series against Sri Lanka.

They needed just 164 in 48 overs, but were reduced to 47-4 and 107-7 under the lights on an ultra-slow wicket.

However spinner Graeme Swann, who had earlier taken 4-34, hit a brave 25, and with six wanted from nine balls Stuart Broad drove Lasith Malinga for four.

He clipped the next ball for two to secure victory with seven balls left.

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Interview: Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene

Interview: England captain Paul Collingwood

Broad finished unbeaten on 20 to go with his 2-26 and was embraced by Ryan Sidebottom after scoring the winning runs.

Earlier, Swann excelled as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 164 in 41.1 overs, despite a determined 70 from Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Swann's final figures were the best by an England spinner since Michael Vaughan took 4-22 against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford in 2002.

All nine wickets to fall to bowlers were taken by Nottinghamshire men, with a run-out completing the haul, while three early rain delays meant England only had to match Sri Lanka's 164 to win the match.

Maharoof has been a threat to England throughout the series

Paul Collingwood would not have been happy after losing the toss, given how easily each side defended their totals batting first in the previous matches.

But England never allowed Sri Lanka to get away from them, and once again Sidebottom's left-arm swing bowling was bang on target. He took 3-19 in 8.1 overs.

Sidebottom defeated Upul Tharanga's forward prod to bowl him through the gate, then watched Swann dive to take a good catch at fine leg to dismiss Sanath Jayasuriya.

Broad tasted immediate success when his opening delivery was flogged by Mahela Jayawardene straight to point.

And the youngster grabbed another fortunate wicket in his next over thanks to Kumar Sangakkara's noble gesture.

The Sri Lankan number three gave Phil Mustard a faint edge, but neither England's wicket-keeper nor Broad appealed for the catch.

However, Sangakkara was already walking back to the pavilion, sportingly giving himself out to leave the score 42-4 in the 15th over.

England's run chase made for some tense viewing

Swann, never afraid to give the ball air and turn it as much as possible, provided a cutting edge in the latter half of the innings.

Chamara Silva was caught off his own boot as a sweep shot went wrong, before two mesmerised batsmen gave Swann easy return catches.

Ravi Bopara ran out Chaminda Vaas with some excellent work and Sri Lanka were finally bowled out in the 42nd over.

Only Dilshan managed to come to terms with the wicket, with a gutsy innings featuring some confident pulls and drives. The next best Sri Lankan score was Upul Tharanga's 15.

But if England were hoping to ease to a comfortable victory, they were in for a harsh reality check.

Alastair Cook's woeful run continued when he nibbled at a ball from Vaas he could easily have left and had to depart for a duck.

Mustard hit two eye-catching boundaries but then dragged a short ball from Farveez Maharoof (3-34) onto his stumps.

And when Kevin Pietersen - who has made no impact at all on the series - fell lbw to a big Maharoof inswinger the score was 44-3.

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Ian Bell looked in good form but when he got out, playing a risky shot off Maharoof for Dilshan to take a stunning catch at point, England were really up against it at 47-4.

A painstaking stand worth 47 between Collingwood and Owais Shah got the tourists back into the mix.

But despite a required run rate of only 3.5 an over, Shah eventually lost patience and was bowled, attempting a huge drive off spinner Jayasuriya.

Jayasuriya then made the critical breakthrough to remove Collingwood, and it looked to be game over once Bopara fell lbw to a Malinga yorker.

But there were to be some further twists in store.

Swann and Broad conjured up a confident, phlegmatic partnership of 40 for the eighth wicket to put the pressure back on the Sri Lankan fielders.

With only 17 wanted, Dilhara Fernando found a perfect yorker to re-arrange Swann's stumps.

But Broad and Sidebottom had enough nous to get England past the winning-post, with the match finishing at 11.24pm local time.