Sri Lanka put England on the brink of World Cup elimination with a resounding eight-wicket victory in the 25th match of ICC World Cup at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday.
This win marked the second in five games for Sri Lanka, the 1996 champions. Meanwhile, England, the defending champions, have now suffered four defeats with just one win. To keep their slim hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive, they need to win all four of their remaining matches.
Chasing a target of 157, Sri Lanka comfortably reached 160-2 with a whopping 146 balls to spare, largely due to the stellar performances of Pathum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama. Nissanka remained unbeaten at 77, securing his fourth consecutive fifty in the tournament.
He hit seven fours and two sixes, with the final blow being a towering six off Adil Rashid. Samarawickrama contributed 65 not out from 54 balls, adding to his previous scores of 108 against Pakistan and 91 against the Netherlands.
England's Jos Buttler expressed his disappointment, saying, "It's incredibly tough, an incredibly disappointing tournament." Despite a promising start, England's batting collapsed, and they were bowled out in just 33.2 overs. Ben Stokes top-scored with 43, but even his efforts weren't enough to rescue the inning.
Angelo Mathews, making a surprise appearance as a replacement for an injured player, played a pivotal role for Sri Lanka. Matthews, with his experience, removed key English batsmen and affected crucial run-outs. Lahiru Kumara and Maheesh Theekshana were among the standout performers for Sri Lanka in the comprehensive victory.
England's hopes dwindled as they lost wickets rapidly, and their chances were further diminished when Adil Rashid was run out in a comical manner. This defeat puts England's World Cup aspirations in jeopardy, while Sri Lanka's resurgence keeps their own hopes alive.
