England’s woes in the 2023 Cricket World Cup continued on Thursday, October 26, as they suffered another disappointing collapse in a must-win game against Sri Lanka. Batting first at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, England lost their first five wickets for just 40 runs, setting themselves up for a difficult total.
The defending champions started well, with openers Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan adding 45 runs for the first wicket. However, Angelo Mathews provided Sri Lanka with a breakthrough in the seventh over, dismissing Malan for 18. This triggered a collapse, with England losing five wickets in the space of 45 runs.
Mathews, playing his first game of the tournament, further stunned England by dismissing Joe Root in the 10th over. Root was run out after calling for a risky single, with Mathews’s accurate throw from midwicket at the bowler’s end finding its target.
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After Joe Root’s dismissal, England’s middle order struggled to get going against Sri Lanka’s impressive bowlers. Dhananjaya de Silva took a stunning catch at mid-on to dismiss Jonny Bairstow for 30, while speedster Lahiru Kumara removed Jos Buttler and Liam Livingstone in quick succession.
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England eventually managed to post a total of 185 for 10, but it was never going to be enough against a well-balanced Sri Lankan side. Sri Lanka chased down the target with ease, winning the match by 10 wickets.
Sri Lanka Playing XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (c & wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Dilshan Madushanka
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England Playing XI: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
