Introduction:
Sri Lanka boosted their chances of reaching the semi-final of the Cricket World Cup 2023 with a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over England in Bengaluru on Thursday.
Furthermore, the Sri Lankan bowlers were in fine form, dismissing England for 156 runs in 33.2 overs. So, David Willey was the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets for 27 runs.
In reply, Sri Lanka chased down the target with ease, reaching 157 runs in just 25.4 overs. Pathum Nissanka was the star of the show, scoring an unbeaten 77 runs off 79 balls.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers dominate England.
Moreover, Sri Lanka’s bowlers were in superb form against England, dismissing them for just 156 runs. Then, the Sri Lankan bowlers bowled with great discipline and accuracy, and they were able to take wickets at regular intervals.
Indeed, David Willey was the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets for 27 runs. Also, he was ably supported by Maheesh Theekshana and Dhananjaya de Silva, who both took two wickets each.
Willey strikes early to put England on the back foot.
As a result, Willey struck early to put England on the back foot, dismissing Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama in quick succession. This left England struggling at 23/2, and they never recovered.
Willey then returned to take the wicket of Liam Livingstone, and he finished the match with figures of 3/27.
Theekshana and de Silva continue the pressure.
Theekshana and de Silva continued the pressure on the England batsmen, taking wickets at regular intervals. He dismissed Moeen Ali and Jos Buttler, while de Silva dismissed Sam Curran and Chris Woakes.
England’s batsmen were never able to get to grips with the Sri Lankan bowling, and they were eventually bowled out for just 156 runs.
Sri Lanka chase down the target with ease
Sri Lanka chased down the target of 157 runs with ease, reaching the target in just 25.4 overs. Pathum Nissanka was the star of the show, scoring an unbeaten 77 runs off 79 balls.
Nissanka was aggressive from the start, and he hit six boundaries and two sixes in his knock. He was ably supported by Kusal Perera, who scored a quick-fire 30 runs off 27 balls.
Sri Lanka never lost any wickets in their chase, and they reached the target with plenty of overs to spare.
Conclusion:
Sri Lanka’s victory over England was a comprehensive one, and it boosted their chances of reaching the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup 2023. Their bowlers were in superb form, and their batsmen chased down the target with ease.
England, on the other hand, are all-but out of the tournament. They have lost four of their first five matches, and their chances of reaching the semi-finals are now very slim.