WC 2023: England’s Struggles Continue as Sri Lanka Claims Victory

Varad Bhatkhande

Bengaluru, 26th October 2023: In the 25th ODI of the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023, England faced off against Sri Lanka at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. This match marked the return of veteran Angelo Mathews to the Sri Lankan side.

England, the defending champions, have been facing a challenging course in this tournament, having now lost 4 out of their 5 games. Their struggles continued as Sri Lanka secured an emphatic victory, defeating England by 8 wickets with 24 overs left.

England won the toss and elected to bat first. Their opening batsmen provided a solid start, with Jonny Bairstow scoring 30 off 21 deliveries before being caught by Dhananjaya de Silva on a delivery by Kasun Rajitha. Dawid Malan contributed 28 runs from 25 balls before being caught by Kusal Mendis off a delivery by Angelo Mathews, who replaced Patheerana. Ben Stokes was another notable performer for England, scoring 43 runs in 73 balls before being caught by substitute fielder Dushan Hemantha on a delivery by Lahiru Kamara.

However, the rest of England’s batting lineup struggled, and they were eventually bowled out for 156 runs in the 34th over. In Sri Lanka’s bowling department, Lahiru Kamara stood out with 3 wickets in his 7 overs, conceding 35 runs. Angelo Mathews and Kasun Rajitha each took 2 wickets, while Maheesh Theekshana claimed 1 wicket.

Sri Lanka’s batting was comfortable in pursuit of the 157-run target. Opener Pathum Nisanka remained unbeaten with a solid 77 off 83 balls. Kusal Perera and captain Kusal Mendis, however, didn’t contribute significantly. Sadeera Samarawickrama played a crucial role, scoring 65 runs from 54 balls. Sri Lanka won the match by 8 wickets with 24 overs to spare.

In the bowling department for England, David Willey managed to take 2 wickets. With this defeat, England has lost 4 out of their first 5 games, placing them second to last in the points table. They are currently tied on points with the Netherlands and Bangladesh, but their superior net run rate gives them an edge over the Netherlands.

In the next fixture, which will be the 26th ODI of the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023, Pakistan is set to face South Africa at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.