Defending champions England endured yet another abject loss at the Cricket World Cup as an eight-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka on 26th October (Thursday) left their hopes of advancing hanging by a slim thread.
After winning the toss, England opted to bat first in their league stage game against Sri Lanka at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday. Sri Lanka trumped England by eight wickets while Nissanka and Samarawickrama score fifties in their 2023 ODI World Cup league stage clash.
Whilst Sri Lanka claimed their second win on a trot, England have now lost four of their five games at this World Cup adding to their defeats against New Zealand, Afghanistan and South Africa.
England crashed to 156 all out after opting to bat, this being their lowest World Cup total since 2003, and the lowest ODI score ever recorded at the batting-friendly M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Sri Lanka pacer Lahiru Kumara led the rout taking 3-35 in seven overs. Ben Stokes was England’s top scorer for with 43 runs.
Sri Lanka then coasted towards victory with 24.2 overs to spare, finishing with 160-2. Attacking half-centuries were scored by Pathum Nissanka (77 not out) and Sadeera Samarawickrama (65 not out).
It was the fifth consecutive victory for Sri Lanka’s over England in World Cups.
England have only one win – against Bangladesh – from its opening five games at the tournament following heavy losses to New Zealand and South Africa and an upset defeat to Afghanistan.
Their third successive loss means that England have made the worst start of any defending champions since the 1999 World Cup. Back then, Sri Lanka, losing three out of five games failed to qualify for the super six stage and the eventual knockouts.
England’s chances of making the semifinals also took a big blow as on account of net run-rate they are ninth with two points, only above the Netherlands.
Sri Lanka ascended to sixth with four points.
England got off to a decent start with Jonny Bairstow (30) and Dawid Malan (28) adding 45 runs off 39 balls for the first wicket. Powered by the comeback of Angelo Matthews, who was playing his first game of the tournament, who nabbed a couple of wickets in his first ODI since 2020 had Malan caught behind in the seventh over. Joe Root was run out for three two overs later.
Bairstow being caught at mid-on in the 14th over, off Kasun Rajitha (2-36) was the beginning of the collapse. Skipper Jos Buttler’s torrid run with the bat continued as in the next over he was caught behind off Kumara.
Liam Livingstone who tried to hit his way out of trouble, was out lbw for one as England sunk to 85-5 in 17 overs.
Before Mathews got a second wicket, Stokes put on 37 runs off 46 balls with Moeen Ali (15) as Ali was caught behind after England managed to cross the 100-mark, and the veteran all-rounder finished with 2-14 in five overs.
It ushered in a fresh collapse when the defending champions lost the last five wickets for 34 runs across 70 deliveries.
None of the English tail-enders contributed a decent score and Stokes was the eighth man out, holing to the deep off Kumara.
Sri Lanka in reply, faltered at the start as David Willey struck twice to remove Kusal Perera (4) and Kusal Mendis (11) early on, but Nissanka and Samarawickrama then went in for their unbeaten partnership.
Nissanka hit seven fours and two sixes, bringing up 50 off 54 balls. His more aggressive partner reached 50 off 44 balls with four fours and a six.
They overall, added 137 runs off 122 balls for the third wicket, as England suffered a third consecutive loss in a World Cup for the first time since 1996.
