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It’s been a very difficult situation for the defending champions, England, in the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup. With their fourth loss, three in a row, England’s hopes of qualifying for the semifinals are more complicated than ever. Sri Lanka beat the defending champion today at Chinnaswamy Stadium by 8 wickets, which is Sri Lanka’s five straight victory against England in the World Cup events.
The defeat moves England to the 9th place in the point table, while Sri Lanka go up to the 5th place with back-to-back wins.
Match Report
England’s skipper Josh Buttler decided to bat first against Sri Lanka after winning the toss. Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan, the two openers of England, were picking the runs at six per over. The first five overs had gone very well for England as it seemed they could make a decent score in the end.
But Sri Lankan bowlers took control of the match from the 7th over when Angelo Mathews picked up Dawid Malan in the 6.3 over. After that, England had become three wickets down in just 68 runs.
However, England’s dependable all-rounder Ben Stokes tried to make a comeback for the team. He fought for his life to put England to the highest level. But all his efforts came to an end in the 30.1 over when Lahiru Kumar got the most crucial wicket.
Ben Stokes scored the highest 43 runs for England, but the remaining batters brutally failed to contribute. From 122 to 156, England lost five wickets within 34 runs.
Lahiru Kumara got three wickets of England, while Angelo Mathews and Kasun Rajitha picked up two wickets each. As a result, England became all-out in just 156 runs.
Chasing a small target, Sri Lanka also lost two early wickets, which put them under pressure. English bowler David Willey picked up Kusal Perera and Kusal Mendis within six overs.
However, opener Pathum Nissanka tackled the situation brilliantly with Samarawickrama. They made a fantastic partnership of 137 runs, which secured the game for Sri Lanka. Pathum Nissanka remained not out in 77 runs and Samarawickrama was also unbeaten in 65 runs. In the end, Sri Lanka won the game by 8 wickets and put England under tremendous pressure.
Jos Buttler on Losing Game
England’s captain Jos Buttler shared his feelings on losing game after game. He believes England are not playing with their standards. Buttler said, “It’s incredibly tough. As a captain, you feel that a lot – disappointed with myself and the boys that we’ve not shown our best. We’re playing a long way short of our best. There’s a lot of really experienced cricketers in the room. You don’t become a bad team overnight. That’s the frustration. We’ve been so far short of our best, and there’s no particular reason.”
