Sri Lanka delivered a significant setback to England’s World Cup aspirations by securing an eight-wicket victory at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium. They comfortably chased down a modest target of 157, reaching 160-2 with a staggering 146 balls to spare, courtesy of exceptional performances from Pathum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama.
Nissanka remained undefeated with 77 not out, marking his fourth consecutive fifty in the tournament, while Samarawickrama added 65 not out to his impressive scores of 108 against Pakistan and 91 in the win against the Netherlands.
In the early phases of the match, Sri Lanka effectively limited England to a subpar total of 156 all out in 33.2 overs. Ben Stokes was the lone fighter in England’s lackluster batting display, contributing 43 runs. As England’s middle-order faltered against Sri Lanka’s sharp bowling, Stokes assumed the role of the aggressor but was eventually caught by Dushan Hemantha in the deep off Lahiru Kumara’s bowling in the 31st over.
England received a stroke of luck early in the game when Jos Buttler won the toss and chose to bat. Jonny Bairstow survived a potential leg-before-wicket dismissal as Sri Lanka opted not to review, but he failed to capitalize on his promising start and was dismissed by Kasun Rajitha (2-36).
Sri Lanka effectively contained England’s scoring after the powerplay, with Angelo Mathews (2-14) dismissing opener Dawid Malan (28) and being involved in Joe Root’s run-out before Kumara struck twice, leaving the defending champions reeling at 85-5.
South Africa's Proteas beat Bangladesh by 149 runs at the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
— Africa Facts Zone (@AfricaFactsZone) October 24, 2023
South Africa have now won 4 of 5 games at the ongoing tournament. They beat England, Australia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
They are ranked no. 3 in the world in the ICC Men's ODI Rankings. pic.twitter.com/AZZrlv5xiU
Mathews, brought in as an injury replacement for Matheesha Pathirana in his fourth World Cup appearance, also dismissed Moeen Ali in his second spell, while Chris Woakes fell to Rajitha after a low diving catch by Samarawickrama.
Sri Lanka, entering the match with a similar win-loss record as England – three losses in four matches – then proceeded to dismantle England’s lower-order batsmen, resulting in the lowest all-out total in Bengaluru and paving the way for their comprehensive victory.
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