Cricket: Last chance to find consistency as series comes down to winner-takes-all finale

ENGLAND'S demolition of Sri Lanka in Wednesday's fourth one-day international has set up the tantalising prospect of a winner takes all decider today at Old Trafford.

The watching neutral will also be hoping for a competitive and close game after the first four matches have all ended in one-sided victories. The series has been dominated by talk of the balance of the England side and by the patchy brilliance of the Sri Lankan batting. Alistair Cook has been a man under pressure in his first series as full time captain but he has responded to the press criticism of his role in the side by scoring a hundred and an undefeated 95 in his four innings.

The series has shown that the teams are evenly matched when both perform but to date they have been woefully inconsistent. All the talk has been of England moulding a new one day side and building for the future. In this respect, it is interesting to note that nine of England's team on Wednesday are regulars in the Test side, with only Craig Kieswetter deemed a specialist one day player. Your best cricketers are your best cricketers and the English selectors have certainly decided, at least in home conditions, that this is the mantra they will stick to. Their seam bowling unit are vastly superior to the opposition, who are over-reliant on Lasith Malinga and if conditions favour England's four-pronged seam attack they must be favourites to win.

The English team management will therefore be hoping that the groundsman at Old Trafford will prepare a similar pitch to the one at Trent Bridge. For the first time in the series, the surface in Nottingham had some pace and aided lateral movement, and after the benefit of inserting the Sri Lankans they reduced the hapless visitors to 20 for 4 which effectively decided the outcome of the match. Quite how the pitch will play could be a mystery as the square at Old Trafford has been turned around to assist in a major ground redevelopment. Reports suggest it may have lost some of its venom due to this.

The Sri Lankans were indebted to Kumar Sangakkara in the last game for rescuing them from adversity and enabling them to post a score. Sangakkara and captain Dilshan, both ranked in the world's top five will be keen to support the superb Mahela Jayawardene in posting a competitive score and putting the Englishmen under pressure.

After a rain-interrupted Test series, lost only by their capitulation in the first test in Cardiff, the tourists will be very keen to leave England with the ranking points to move into second place in the world rankings, a feat they will achieve with victory.

The Sri Lankans travel north from Manchester to Edinburgh on Sunday, ahead of their one-day internationals against Ireland and Scotland at the Citylets Grange.

The Celtic nations will undoubtedly be hoping that England inflict another demoralising defeat on the tourists so their thoughts will turn to heading home as opposed to the threat the two Associate countries will pose. Both Ireland and Scotland will head into these games full of confidence after recent good performances, but will know that the tourists are full of quality. However, the recent inconsistencies of the tourists will offer real hope that an upset could happen.