England make sure of series success

Seam bowler Anderson had finished wicketless in the previous three matches in the series, the longest spell without success in his 80-match England career, while Cook entered the match with only 51 runs from his previous six one-day internationals.

But both players emerged from their slumps in style to help England complete a five-wicket victory which sealed their first one-day series win in Sri Lanka and their first major series win on the sub-continent for 20 years.

Pietersen also played a key role with an unbeaten 63 off 75 balls enabling him to claim his highest score of the series and register his most significant win since he became an England player three years ago.

Anderson claimed three for 33 to help limit Sri Lanka - who won the toss and chose to bat first - to 211 for nine.

It enabled the Lancashire seamer to leapfrog Phil DeFreitas into fourth place in the list of England's leading one-day international wicket-takers.

He now has just Sir Ian Botham, Andrew Flintoff and Darren Gough ahead of his 116 victims and at just 25, he also has time on his side to eclipse them all.

Essex left-hander Cook will have been similarly relieved to hit a superb 80 off 123 balls having quietly shepherded England towards the finishing line despite growing calls for him to be replaced at the top of the order.

But their individual achievements were overshadowed by the remarkable victory, which was completed with 19 balls to spare, by an England side quickly developing under the captaincy of Paul Collingwood.