(Image Source: AFP)
[Saba Sports News] In another surprising turn of events at the World Cup, Sri Lanka convincingly defeated England by eight wickets in Bangalore on October 26. While it wasn’t entirely unexpected, the result was a role reversal of sorts, as the defending champions suffered their fourth defeat in the tournament, putting their title defense in jeopardy.
Sri Lanka has been winning this duel since the previous four editions, so technically, it wasn’t an upset. England’s downfall began when they collapsed to a meager total of 156 after choosing to bat.
Sri Lanka then calmly held their nerves, and David Willey did provide a glimmer of hope for England with two quick wickets in the first Powerplay, dismissing Kusal Perera and Kusal Mendis. However, Pathum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama’s unbeaten fifty-plus partnership saw Sri Lanka through without further hiccups.
With such a low target to defend, England’s bowlers faced an uphill battle on a pitch that gradually favored batsmen. The Nissanka-Samarawickrama partnership displayed exceptional strokeplay as they dominated the bowling.
The fact that Sri Lanka achieved the target with almost half of the allotted overs remaining speaks volumes. Nevertheless, it’s challenging to criticize England’s bowlers given their meager run total to defend. The real turning point in England’s fortunes occurred earlier in the afternoon, as their batting collapsed. The Chinnaswamy pitch behaved differently than expected, with a slower surface and occasional uneven bounce.
England had hoped to capitalize on their explosive style of play and post a substantial score, as Australia and South Africa had done in the tournament. However, they misjudged the conditions, and by the time they realized the pitch’s nature, they had only the tailenders left to bat.
The first five overs of England’s innings showed some promise, with Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow stroking boundaries. But when Angelo Mathews and Maheesh Theekshana came into the attack, England’s fortunes changed. Mathews played a pivotal role by dismissing Malan and being involved in Joe Root’s run-out.
Theekshana maintained pressure, while Lahiru Kumara and Kasun Rajitha dismantled the rest of England’s batting lineup. Ben Stokes offered some resistance, but even he struggled to maintain his usual tempo. It was a batting collapse that left England with no way to recover.