With their eight-wicket victory in Bangalore, Sri Lanka effectively eliminated the defending champions, England, from the Cricket World Cup. After winning the toss and opting to bat, England’s Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan put together a 45-run opening stand, but a quick collapse saw Jos Buttler’s team bowled for 156 in 33.2 overs in Bangalore.
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Quick Recap: England vs Sri Lanka
England were bowled out for their lowest total of an already poor tournament, with Ben Stokes scoring 43 as the top scorer. Lahiru Kumara, the returning Angelo Mathews, and Kasun Rajitha all contributed to the dismissal.
Early wickets by David Willey gave England hope, but then Pathum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama put up 137 runs for the third wicket, helping Sri Lanka cruise to a decisive win in the 26th over.
Sri Lanka Stomping England Hard
After losing to South Africa by a record margin, England made three changes to their starting lineup, and they were lucky not to be denied a wicket on the first delivery when Sri Lanka elected not to review a Madushanka yorker that hit Bairstow’s pad and then ought to have gone on to knock leg stump.
Opening batsmen Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan scored quickly on a fast outfield, putting up 45 runs before Angelo Mathews took the first wicket in his first ODI bowling performance since March 2020.
Following a successful review, Mathews needed only three balls to have Malan caught behind. Joe Root, chasing a hazardous single, was run out by Bairstow as he dove back into his crease, causing England to lose another wicket in the tenth over.
Woakes was caught by Samarawickrama at point off Rajitha to conclude his innings scoreless, while Stokes’ solo assault and boundary burst came to an end when he hit the sub-fielder at deep mid-wicket.
What of England Now?
Although they are currently tied for last place in the standings with just two points after five games, England have not yet been eliminated from the competition. However, they will need to win their remaining four games and hope for a number of different outcomes to go in favor of them if they are to advance to the semi-finals.
A leading line-up from Perera (four) looped up to Stokes at mid-off to give England an early advantage, and Mendis was nearly caught off the following ball as his nick almost eluded Root at slip and sprinted for a boundary.
After Mendis was caught behind the stumps off Willey’s top edge for 2, Sri Lanka’s batting collapsed to 23-2 before Nissanka and Samarawickrama scored risk-free 50s to propel the team closer to its goal.
The best four teams at the end of the round-robin campaign advance to the semi-finals, therefore Sri Lanka’s win pushes them up to fifth place and gives them four points. England, meanwhile, falls from eighth to ninth place and sees their net run rate (which could influence qualification) decline to -1.63.
Player of the Match: Lahiru Kumara
Player of the Match goes to Lahiru Kumara for his 3 for 35. Lahiru Kumara was pleased with his three-wicket haul and said that the aim all along had been to bowl with discipline in the middle overs, which is when the game was won.
England is now winless in four of its previous five games and in last place in the standings. Sri Lanka is now in fifth place, with four points, after its second win in five matches. With India, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia all in better form and with more games in hand than England, the English are all but eliminated from the competition.
Score: England v Sri Lanka
| England | 156 | 33.2 overs |
| Sri Lanka | 160/2 | 25.4 overs |
| Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets | ||
Next up in the Cricket World Cup is Pakistan versus South Africa on Friday, followed by Australia versus New Zealand and the Netherlands versus Bangladesh on Saturday. On Sunday, England will play host India, a game that might determine whether or not they qualify. On Monday, Sri Lanka will play Afghanistan, and a win would greatly improve their chances of advancing to the semifinals. Don’t forget that you’ll find the best online cricket betting sites India here at TopCricketBetting, enabling you to support your favorite teams with the best odds and cricket offers!