The Sri Lanka captain, dropped twice, made 100 after scoring an unbeaten 126 at the Riverside on Saturday where the 1996 world champions took an unbeatable 3-0 lead.

Together with opener Upul Tharanga (60) he shared a second-wicket stand of 137.

England fought back before an unbroken eighth-wicket partnership of 68 in 38 balls between Farveez Maharoof (58 not out) and Malinga Bandara (28 not out) led the visitors past the 300-mark.

Defeat, with eight balls to spare, was injury-hit England's ninth in 11 one-day internationals, their hopes of salvaging something from this series now resting with Saturday's finale at Headingley.

But the problems that threaten to derail their chances at next year's World Cup in the Caribbean were evident here with England bowling 21 wides and none of their batsmen scoring a fifty let alone a hundred.

"It's certainly frustrating," England captain Andrew Strauss told reporters after another dispiriting display. "We've identified the areas we need to improve and we haven't improved them so far.

"We've got to bowl straighter and we need our batsmen to get hundreds like theirs have done -- they (Sri Lanka) have got four in four games.

"There are a lot of guys in our squad who've got one game left to show what they can do."

By contrast Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody was elated by the way his side, even with the series won, maintained their grip.

It is very easy to take your foot off the pedal," the former Australia international said.

"The players played with everything they had today (Wednesday) and finished the job nicely."

England saw openers Marcus Trescothick and fellow left-hander Alastair Cook, on his one-day international debut, putting on a run-a-ball fifty stand as the hosts chased 319.

But on 44 Trescothick, dropped on 18, chipped Lasith Malinga straight to Bandara at mid-off and, six balls later, 77 for one became 85 for two when Cook played on to Dilhara Fernando for 39.

Strauss and Ian Bell rebuilt the innings before both exited with the score on 161.

First Strauss edged off-spinner Tillakaratne Dilshan through to wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara for a run-a-ball 45. And two balls later leg-spinner Bandara had the unlucky Ian Bell, on 30, stumped by a fumbling Sangakkara.

Sangakkara was far tidier when stumping recalled batsman Vikram Solanki (10), a dismissal which left England 178 for five in the 35th over and out of the game.

Fittingly Jayawardene took the catch that ended the match when Liam Plunkett holed out off Malinga, England 285 all out.