BBC SPORT | Special Events | 2000 | England on Tour

Third one-day international:

England 165-9 (50 overs)
Sri Lanka 166-0 (33.5 overs)

Sri Lanka win by 10 wickets.

Sri Lanka cruised to a facile 10-wicket victory in the final one-day match in Colombo as England's winter tour ended in disappointment.

Set 166 to win, Sri Lanka reached the total without the loss of a wicket and with over 16 overs to spare to complete a whitewash in the three-match series.

Even without their injured captain Sanath Jayasuriya, they always looked like easily attaining their target.

Romesh Kaluwitharana and Marvan Atapattu were unbeaten in an excellent partnership and England a lesson in how to bat in the humid conditions.

Trescothick is bowled for 16
Marcus Trescothick managed just 16 runs
Man of the match Kaluwitharana played a masterful innings. His 102 off 117 balls included 20 fours.

Stand-in captain Atapattu offered more than able support with 53 off 92 deliveries including the winning runs with his eighth boundary.

England's attack wilted in the sweltering heat of the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground.

Darren Gough had two strong lbw appeals turned down late on, but that was as good as it got.

In truth, the England bowlers faced mission impossible after an abject batting performance.

Graeme Hick was the only England batsman to offer real resistance with a disciplined 46 off 166 balls.

The Sri Lankan seamers did the damage early on.

Graeme Hick hit 46 but struggled in the heat
After the first three wickets had fallen in similar fashion, Graham Thorpe was brilliantly caught by Kumar Sangakkara for 0 off Nuwan Zoysa to leave England 39-4.

Earlier, Chaminda Vaas claimed the wickets of Alec Stewart for 14 and Marcus Trescothick for 16 in the first 11 overs

Both dragged the ball onto their off-stump and Nick Knight went in similar fashion off Zoysa for seven.

Zoysa and Vaas had set the tone as they both bowled maidens in their first overs, and it took England 19 balls to get off the mark.

The spinners continued their good work.

England's best stand of 49 between Hick and Andrew Flintoff was ended when Flintoff was caught by Kumar Dharmasena for 24 off Thilan Samaraweera in the 30th over.

Resistance crumbles

Craig White's dismal one-day series continued as he was dismissed for four by Russel Arnold five overs later.

Hick led the England resistance but he struggled in the heat and brought in Knight as a runner in the final overs.

He fell to Dharmasena in the 47th over and Mark Ealham, who offered solid support with 28, followed two overs later.

Then Robert Croft was caught by Mahela Jayawardene off Vaas for four in the final over.

Vaas posted impressive figures of three for 13, with five maidens in eight overs.

Alan Mullally hit two fours in the final over, but that was already too little, too late.