Sri Lanka (Commonwealth Union) _ ENG vs SL World Cup 2023 Match 25: England captain Jos Buttler won the toss and elect to Bat first against Kusal Mendis led Sri Lanka in ICC World Cup 2023 Match 25 at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru today (October 26).
England vs Sri Lanka World Cup 2023 Live Score: England and Sri Lanka clash in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru in what could be expected to be a thrilling encounter. Since Chinnaswamy Stadium is a batting-friendly wicket, both teams will be looking to score big runs. The pitch could however, also be slow and low, so the spinners will play a key role.
It has been a largely forgettable, topsy-turvy World Cup for England thus far to say the least. Having won just one of their first four matches, England now need to win all of the rest of their five matches while hoping that the net run rate equation goes in their favour. Their big-hitting tactic seems to have fallen flat and their bowlers have not really succeeded in keeping oppositions down. The team they will be facing today have faced similar predicament. Kusal Mendis’s excellent form had been one of the highlights of Sri Lanka’s campaign but he has tailed off in the last two matches as well for the 1996 champions.
England, the defending champions come into the match as the favorites. The recent results have however not been in favour of the Three Lions and they are languishing at the bottom half of the points tables after playing 4 matches in the ICC World Cup 2023. Their only win in this tournament so far, came against Bangladesh (by 137 runs).
Sri Lanka have also won only one game so far, and their WC campaign could end soon if their batting unit led by brilliant stroke-maker and, captain Kusal Mendis, who is a and their bowling attack do not stand up to the task.
Former Sri Lankan captain, Angelo Mathews said they would “fight fire with fire” against England as the veteran all-rounder plots his second successive World Cup upset over the defending champions.
Veteran all-rounder Mathews who initially missed out on selection for the tournament, was summoned to India to replace the injured Matheesha Pathirana.
He is expected to go straight into the team today, to face England who have an identical record of one win and three defeats so far.
Sri Lanka are being coached by former England coach Chris Silverwood who left the role in 2022 after a 4-0 Ashes drubbing.
Meanwhile, Moeen Ali said that everything is a must-win now as England face a day of reckoning.
England know that a defeat on Thursday in Bengaluru will shatter any realistic hopes of sneaking into the semi-finals.
Moeen said, that they knew they had been in this position before although probably not to this degree, but they know that everything is a must-win.
“We have to get our confidence and perform well and bat and bowl and field better than we have done so far in this tournament.”
England’s lone win came against an equally hapless Bangladesh.
They had lost to New Zealand, suffered a shock defeat to Afghanistan and then slumped to a 229-run thrashing at the hands of South Africa, conceding their highest total in an ODI of 399.
The 36-year-old veteran Moeen is England vice-captain but was dropped after the opening defeat to New Zealand and has been sidelined.
He made a mere 11 runs in that game and failed to take a wicket.
