Empire struck down by ruthless Sri Lanka

A returning Angelo Mathews made a world of difference to the Sri Lanka side as a rejuvenated team put on a complete performance to blow off England’s hopes at the World Cup with a comfortable 8-wicket win at the Chinnaswamy Stadium last night.

Chasing 157 to win, after seamers led by man-of-the-match Lahiru Kumara (3-35) Angelo Mathews (2-14) and Kasun Rajitha (2-36) ripped through England's famed batting order, Sri Lanka sailed home comfortably for the loss of two wickets.

Kusal Perera (0) and Kusal Mendis (11) departed early once more with left-arm seamer David Willey getting the better of the two aggressive batters. Pathum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrema then stitched on a match-winning 137-run stand as Sri Lanka reached the target in just 25.4 overs.

Pathum, while he has not converted his starts to a big score yet, hit his fourth consecutive half-century and Samarawckrema continued from where he had left off in the previous game to stroke his second successive half-ton as Sri Lanka dispelled with early English threats to clinch the victory.

The diminutive opener hit a beautiful cover drive off expressman Mark Wood to reach his fourth straight fifty off just 54 balls and had seven boundaries and two monster sixes off Adil Rashid; one above the mid-on boundary and other over-long in his final score of 77 off 83 balls. He becomes only the second Sri Lankan batter behind the great Kumar Sangakkara to hit four consecutive fifties in a World Cup.

England tried everything under sun to break the partnership but the calm and composure of Nissanka and Samarawickrema withstood the challenge. Samarawickrema reached 50 off just 44 balls with four boundaries and a six. He had made 65 runs (He made an unbeaten 91 against Netherlands) with seven boundaries and a six when Sri Lanka crossed the line to live for another day.

The victory lifted Sri Lanka to fifth place in the points table with two wins and three loses and must now win their remaining matches against Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh and New Zealand to get into the knock-out stage.

This was Sri Lanka’s fifth straight World Cup win against the Englishmen who are now on the brink of an early exit from the tournament with four defeats in five attempts. It was a night of horror for the Englishmen in Bengaluru.

After electing to bat first under perfect conditions of a flat wicket and short boundaries, England would have hoped to balance their resilience and aggression in a bid to resurrect their World Cup campaign. They were perfectly placed at 44 for no wickets at the end of the 6th over. But they showed neither quality as their batting lineup fell like ninepins against a much disciplined and effective Sri Lankan seam attack to fold for a ground record low of 156.

Sri Lanka made two vital changes by bringing in Mathews, the veteran all-rounder, for Chamika Karunaratne and Kumara for Dunith Wellalage. This proved to be a master ploy with both Mathews and Kumara accounting for five wickets between them. This was Mathews first match since June this year, only the fourth match since 2021 when selectors snubbed him and several other seniors in the white-ball format.

An opportunity to put England under early pressure went a-begging when Sri Lanka decided not to review a first ball leg-before-appeal which had been turned down by the on-field umpire off Jonny Bairstow. An inswinging yorker from Dilshan Madushanka had crashed into the pad first, before hitting the bat, but no review was taken on the assumption that was bat first. However, TV replays showed that it was, in fact, pad first and would have gone on to hit the middle stump.

Despite the missed chance, Sri Lanka bowled two good overs, tightening the screws on Bairstow and Dawid Malan. They conceded only 12 runs off the first three overs before the England openers took charge with a flurry of boundaries to reach 44 by the sixth over.

However, Mathews struck in his first over since March 2020 to remove Malan for 28 off 25 balls. Malan had been threatening to take the bowlers to the cleaners, having hit six boundaries during his short vigil in the middle when he nicked one to the wicket-keeper. While the on-field umpire ruled not out, Sri Lanka were confident that the ball took a nick on the way to the wicket-keeper and had it reviewed successfully. Mathews then inflicted a brilliant run-out to remove Joe Root as England slumped to 57 for 2 in the 10th over of the match.

Root cut one straight to point and was off block almost immediately but Mathews was quick to pick up and throw it to Mendis who removed the stumps in a flash to find the diving Root well short of the crease. 

The aggression of the English batters saw their downfall. Bairstow, trying to hack a back off a length delivery from Kasun Rajitha over mid-on, found the safe hands of Dhananjaya de Silva. Wickets kept tumbling as pumped-up Sri Lanka removed English skipper Jos Buttler and Liam Livingstone in quick succession, leaving the defending champions reeling at 58 for 5.

Kumara brought into the attack after missing the previous game, bowled a sensational spell of seam bowling and, with the help of some excellent ground fielding, removed Buttler and Livingstone. A back of a length delivery found a thick inside edge of Buttler as the Sri Lanka skipper took a spectacular catch behind the stumps before Livingstone was trapped LBW off a delivery that nipped from outside off to hit him above the knee pad on the back. Livingstone reviewed but the ball was found just flicking the top of the bails and it was the umpire's call.

Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali were involved in a brief counterattack partnership of 37 for the sixth wicket, but the reintroduction of Mathews in the 25th over made the breakthrough Sri Lanka was desperately looking for. Ali punched a short of a length delivery straight to Kusal Perera at backward point to take the long walk back to the dressing room. Soon after, Sadeera Samarawickrema at point clung onto a blinder to remove Chris Woakes for a duck off Rajitha’s bowling. Woakes dashed hard at a delivery wide of off stump and diving Samarawickrema grabbed a very low catch. After it was referred to the third umpire, he decided that Samarawickrema had got his fingers underneath.

Stokes was England’s only hope to resurrect the innings. He was on 43 when he gave out a good catch to Dushan Hemantha fielding at the deep off Kumara. It was Kumara’s third wicket.

Then came a crazy run-out at the non-striker’s end, where Adil Rashid was found short of the crease when Mendis fired in a gun throw at the wicket after noticing Rashid was slow walking to the wicket. This left England nine down in the 32nd over. Theekshana and Mendis then combined to finish off England's innings, Wood skipped down the track to take Theekshana on but the ball ripped passed the edge and Mendis effected an easy stumping to bowl out England. (Champika Fernando in Bengaluru)