ICC World Cup 2023: Lankan lions roar in B’lore

Sri Lanka players celebrate the wicket of England’s Chris Woakes yesterday. Pic/PTI

England's already tenuous hold over the World Cup was loosened further on Thursday night by a Sri Lankan side energised by the return of former skipper Angelo Mathews.

Having sleepwalked through the tournament following defeats to South Africa, Pakistan and Australia, Sri Lanka roused themselves with a spectacular all-round display, Mathews playing the lead role in the early exchanges and then putting his feet up and watching Pathum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama launch a fabulous chase of a modest 157 for victory. Sri Lanka coasted to an eight-wicket victory with 146 deliveries in the bag, defeating England in a World Cup fixture for the fifth consecutive time.

Also Read: ICC World Cup 2023, SL vs ENG: Nissanka, Samarawickrama fifties propel Sri Lanka to 8-wicket win

England start well

Batting by choice, England got off to a cracker, but once Mathews nicked off Dawid Malan with his third delivery of the tournament, the wheels came off. Drafted in as replacement for the injured Matheesha Pathirana, Mathews then produced an excellent pick-up-and-throw from point to run out a dozy Joe Root and packed off Mooen Ali to celebrate an unexpected call-up that might yet rejuvenate the Sri Lankan campaign.

Lahiru Kumara

Ben Stokes's patchy 43 was England's highest score, but their total was the lowest in an ODI at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Already smarting from defeats to New Zealand, Afghanistan and South Africa, England needed a miracle to stay afloat, but their flat body language and a visible lack of intensity suggested they had half a mind on the flight back home.

Perera, Mendis go early

David Willey briefly ignited their slender hopes with the scalps of Kusal Perera and Kusal Mendis, who had captained with creativity and imagination in the afternoon, but that was as good as it got for the defending champions. Calmly, the phlegmatic Nissanka and the gifted Samarawickrama slammed the door shut, scoring rapidly without hitting a shot in anger.

The tireless Mark Wood tested them during a searing four-over first spell where he worked up the express pace, but the two right-handers had an answer to every searching question. As their partnership gradually grew in proportion, England's heads dropped and the runs flowed unchecked; when victory was attained, Nissanka and Samarawickrama had effortlessly added 137.

Earlier, Malan and Jonny Bairstow justified Jos Buttler's move to set a target with a flurry of fours in the first five overs, but when the golden arm of Mathews arrived, England went into an inexorable tailspin. It didn't help England's cause that after their roaring start - the openers added 45 in 39 deliveries - they were shackled by the spin of Maheesh Theekshana.

Much of the damage in the middle overs was done by Lahiru Kumara, the big fast bowler with a heavy ball. Kumara struck three telling blows - Buttler, Livingstone and Stokes, whose luck finally ran out - and Samarawickrama held a screamer to account for Chris Woakes, Sri Lanka's greater desperation pushing England to the edge of the precipice.

Brief scores
England 156 all out in 33.2 overs (B Stokes 43, J Bairstow 30; L Kumara 3-35, A Mathews 2-14, K Rajitha 2-36) lost to Sri Lanka 160-2 in 25.4 overs (P Nissanka 77', S Samarawickrama 65'; D Willey 2-30) by 8 wickets