ENG vs SL World Cup 2023 Highlights: Sri Lanka's Sadeera Samarawickrama and Pathum Nissanka celebrate after the match. (REUTERS)England vs Sri Lanka World Cup 2023 Highlights: Pathum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama scored a half century each as Sri Lanka trumped England by eight wickets in their 2023 ODI World Cup league stage clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.
Powered by the comeback of Angelo Matthews, who nabbed a couple of wickets in his first ODI since 2020, Sri Lanka dismissed England for 156. Earlier, after winning the toss, England opted to bat first in their league stage game against Sri Lanka at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday.
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Sri Lanka also have won just one game so far, and their WC campaign could end soon if their batting unit led by captain Kusal Mendis, who is a brilliant stroke-maker, and their bowling attack do not stand up to the task.
Scroll down for England vs Sri Lanka highlights
England
156 (33.2)Sri Lanka
160/2 (25.4)Sri Lanka beat England by 8 wickets
ENG v SL: Matheesha Pathirana was part of Sri Lanka’s U19 World Cup squads in 2020 and 2022. (FILE)
Kusal Mendis: NRR going up is good for the team. We bowled very well today. Everyone did really well today. Another 4 games left. If we win 3 games back to back, we'll be in the semis. Players did well last match also. Hope we can do well next couple of matches. Kumara did well today. He's the main fast bowler in Sri Lanka. Bowled 140-145 speeds. Very happy that he came back strong today. Mathews bowled really well. He offers so many things. Can bat also. Can play the pressure situation also. I'm very lucky to be playing with him. Fielding was excellent today. Want to keep doing the same in the next 4 matches.
Jos Buttler: It's incredibly tough. As a captain you feel that a lot - disappointed with myself and the boys that we've not shown our best. We're playing a long way short of our best. There's a lot of really experienced cricketers in the room. You don't become a bad team overnight. That's the frustration. We've been so far short of our best, and there's no particular reason. Can't put my finger on it. Selection is something you want to be consistent with. Selection hasn't been our problem. We've been short of our standards. Lots of the dismissals - Root's run out - you don't see that kind of mistakes from us. Haven't been building partnerships. Not doing the basic things well with both bat and ball. The biggest thing is personal pride. The standards we set for ourselves. Rest of the matches we want to get back to playing good cricket. Whatever will be will be.
Lahiru Kumara: Playing a team like England, I’m very happy to perform this way today. Didn't make a lot of changes after the previous match, the Australia game was an off day for me. I’ve worked hard on my bowling. (On Mathews) Having him back is an inspiration, he gave me a lot of support and was talking to me throughout. (On his role in the team) The plan was to attack the middle overs with disciplined bowling, and we were rewarded with wickets.
2007 - SL won by 2 runs
2011 - SL won by 10 wickets
2015 - SL won by 9 wickets
2019 - SL won by 20 runs
2023 - SL won by 8 wickets*
Pathum Nissanka dances down the track and slogs one over long on as Sri Lanka triumph by eight wickets at the Chinnaswamy. The world champions have been humbled and humiliated once again. A fourth defeat in five games and their World Cup campaign looks to be running down the track.
Samarawickrama slams Moeen Ali for back-to-back boundaries. A lofted inside-out shot followed by a reverse sweep for eight runs. 11 runs come off the over.
Samarawickrama flicks a Woakes length ball off his pads and collects a single. Brings up his half century, second in a row. Later in the over, he flicks a full toss down deep square leg for four runs.
Livingstone tosses the ball up and Nissanka clears his front leg to execute a lofted shot over extra cover for four runs. Six runs come off the over as Sri Lanka inch closer to 157.
Moeen Ali replaces Mark Wood. Not the best of spells for the England speedster, whose World Cup horror show continues. Five runs come off the 20th over.
Wood bowls length and offers just the slightest of widths and Nissanka meets it with the full face of the bat, points to the left of the fielder at short cover. Four more runs. For one second, it looked like he was going to intercept it but England have had little go their way today and this isn't it.
Fifty for Nissanka, his fourth in a row at this World Cup.
Liam Livingstone into the attack. Gets cut to the right of backward square for four straightaway. 100 comes up for Sri Lanka. This has been a good partnership between Samarawickrama and Nissanka.
The boundaries keep on coming. Mark Wood with that predictable short and quick ball, and Nissanka pulls it fearlessly through the mid wicket region for four more runs. England unable to find their way out of this one, and on the way to a fourth defeat at this World Cup.
The boundaries keep on coming. Mark Wood with that predictable short and quick ball, and Nissanka pulls it fearlessly through the mid wicket region for four more runs. England unable to find their way out of this one, and on the way to a fourth defeat at this World Cup.
Well, that sore finger ain't a big matter for Samarawickrama, who dances down the track in the next over to strike Adil Rashid over deep mid wicket for six. Quite the clean hit that. 12 runs collected off the over.
Samarawickrama hurts his fingers off a Mark Wood back of a length delivery and the physio comes on. It was quick alright but the right-hander is good to continue.
Sri Lanka quickly walking their way to 157 and Jos Buttler and Co don't have much time at their hands to stop them. Adil Rashid is unable to find much help from the surface. The shorter boundaries at the Chinnaswamy aren't helping either. Mark Wood is amping up the pace but that in itself has barely troubled the batters at this World Cup.
Mark Wood comes into the attack and is slashed over the point fielder for four straightaway. More than 146 clicks on that short and wide delivery and Samarawickrama is all in for it.
Tossed up from Rashid and Nissanka drives it to the left of Ben Stokes at short cover. Four more runs. England falling short of runs to defend even if Sri Lanka have been reduced by two wickets.
Samarawickrama with another one neat picking through the covers. Out comes the front foot, perfect flow of the bat and Willey is dispatched for another four runs. End of the batting powerplay.
Spin introduced into the fray. Adil Rashid replaces Chris Woakes.
Gets smothered for a six over mid wicket. A confident advancing down the wicket act and that'll put the nerves back onto the defending champs. Fifty up for Sri Lanka.
David Willey has made good use of the left-arm angle from over the wicket so far. Both, against the left-handed Perera and the right handers. The pitch has done a bit and England have been rewarded for having the variety in their pace attack. Five come off his Willey's fourth over.
Nissanka nabs consecutive boundaries off Woakes. Good length ball outside the off stump and he attempts to heave it but finds an inside edge, it runs down deep square leg boundary for four. Next ball, width on offer again and this time, Nissanka middles it and beats Malan at cover point. Sri Lanka hardly stepping their foot off the pedal.
Well, well. Another one gone. Willey gets his second.
Over the wicket, slower ball, pitched full outside leg and Mendis reaches out for it with a flick but miscues it and Jos Buttler behind the wickets completes the catch. Sri Lanka are two down.
Samarawickrama, the new man in, starts off with a picturesque cover drive for four runs.
Willey offers width outside the off stump off a length ball and Kusal Mendis is all for it. Goes after it with a cut shot and gets four runs for it. Six from the over.
Just a couple of runs from Woakes' second over. England have given themselves some chance with that first wicket. The Sri Lankan middle order will be put to test. They haven't had the best of tournaments so far but this is as close an opportunity they'll get to claiming two points as any.
Perera gets off the mark with a pull down backward square leg for four. But David Willey has the last smile. Length ball that does not come on and Perera finds Stokes in front of mid off.
Kusal Mendis edges his first ball but is dropped at the cordon and it runs down short third for four.
Nissanka gets the first runs off the bat. A gorgeous straight drive down the ground for four. He's scored a fifty in all of the last three games for his side and looks in good nick early on.
Right then, 157 is all Sri Lanka need to keep their World Cup record against England intact. Jos Buttler leads his troops on the ground as Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera walk in to kickstart the chase for the Lankans. Chris Woakes has the new ball, off we go.
Angelo Matthews: The boys set the tone. The bowlers were brilliant. Wicket was a bit on the slower side, and we bowled well and the fielding was brilliant. We knew that we had to back our bowlers in the field today. I challenge myself, worked very hard in the last 1-2 months, preparing myself just in case I got called up. (On how much cricket he has been playing) Not too much, it is raining a lot in Sri Lanka but I have been preparing myself mentally for this. England are a very balanced side, we knew we had to turn up strong. Job not done yet, we know we have to play some positive cricket to chase this.
Mark Wood looks to have a go and misses. The ball whiskers past the stumps. Second ball, another go and this time, he's advanced down the crease and Mendis does the rest. And with that, comes an end of that shambolic English innings.
They never really got going here, did they? The first wicket fell as early as the seventh over and there weren't any partnerships that looked like pulling them back in. What a comeback for Angelo Matthews, who finishes with a couple of wickets in his first ODI for Sri Lanka in over three years. Lahiru Kumara finishes with three wickets, including that of Ben Stokes. Even he couldn't pull England from the swamp the Chinnaswamy felt like today.
150 up for England with just the one wicket in hand.
Willey pickpockets some important runs. Two boundaries from that over. A slash over backward point and a whip over mid on for four.
Adil Rashid is run out at the non-striker's end. This is properly indicative of the state of this English team at this World Cup.
A carrom ball flicked down the leg side and Willey is unable to get the bat onto it. Umpire signals a wide ball but Mendis sees Rashid vacating the crease and has a go at the stumps on the other end. Rashid is well out.
And that is that, Ben Stokes' stay in the middle comes to an end.
Looking to dispatch a short one from Lahiru Kumara, he perfectly locates the fielder in front of square on the on side. Substitute fielder Hemantha completes the catch and the Lankans are jubilant.
Stokes not taking any chances right now, except for the odd wide outside off stump deliveries the Lankan bowlers have served him. David Willey is the new batter in. Interesting to see how he adapts with a slightly wider stance to those same kind of deliveries. That backlift of his seems too high as well.
Stokes has a go off a length ball outside off from Rajitha. A vicious slap shot through the covers for four. He's living the lone ranger role at the moment for England.
Chris Woakes falls!
The wide outside the off stump balls, with less to no movement, have found the Sri Lankan fielders consistently as it does again. Chris Woakes, attempts a drive away from the body but finds the fielder at backward point. The third umpire is brought in to deem whether the catch was a clean one and he's deemed it is.
Moeen Ali is gone, and goodness me, what a soft dismissal this is!
Goes for a backfoot punch off a back of a length delivery and carves it straight into the hands of the fielder at the backward point. Just when England looked like they had a partnership going. It's Matthews who strikes again, what a comeback this is turning out to be for him.
There's a cover drive that's come right out of the middle of Ben Stokes' willow and even though it rolls straight to the fielder stationed at the edge of the 30 yard circle, the signs can't be any more ominous for Sri Lanka. They desperately need his wicket.
Stokes continues to pocket boundaries. Madhushanka at the receiving end this time.
Seems to be digging that mid wicket region pretty well. A flick over the fielder at mid wicket and a pull wide of the same, both bring eight runs from two balls.
100 up for England as Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes go after Dhananjaya de Silva.
A lovely drive past the fielder at cover from the former followed by a charging-down-loft over mid wicket from Stokes for another.
Dilshan Madushanka back into the attack.
Ben Stokes has looked scrappy so far today but it's clear, that's the wicket Sri Lanka need now. Crucial for them to ensure that he doesn't stick around for longer periods. No stranger to batting with the lower order to bail England out, the demage he can inflict is teased with that whip through wide mid on for four.
Leading edge from Ben Stokes and Samarwickrama has a great effort at backward point but is unable to latch onto it.
Next over, coming round the wicket, Maheesh Theekshana seems to have wrapped him on his pads. LBW appeal and the umpire's finger goes up. Stokes takes the review. UltraEdge saves him.
A maiden over follows from Theekshana from the other end. Sri Lanka are tightening their grip on this one and the faces in the English camp tell a story. Despite their recent tragedies at this World Cup, the defending champions wouldn't have seen this coming.
England are five wickets down. Liam Livingstone departs!
Lahiru Kumara gets his second. A sharp nip-backer and Livingstone is deemed plumb. Goes for a review but it's flicking the top of the bails and the umpire's call comes into play.
Another one bites the dust!
Lahiru Kumara nabs Jos Buttler. A wide length ball outside the off stump and the England captain nicks it behind for his Sri Lankan counterpart to claim. This is turning out to be a disaster for the world champions.
Stokes had only just survived in the last over as the ball fell just short of the fielder at cover. Bairstow ain't so lucky as Kasun Rajitha claims him in the 14th over. Short of a length delivery and the England opener whips it straight to mid on.
Kasun Rajitha back into the attack. Sri Lanka, despite the odds against them owing to the injuries, have managed to reduce England two down in the opening 10 overs. Can they keep their foot on the pedal and produce their second win of the tournament?
Even back in 2019, the team was overlooked against the mighty England, but managed to nab two points from the league stage game. Rajitha's third over costs four runs.
An lbw shout from Angelo Matthews. Coming over the wicket to Ben Stokes, it seems to be pitching outside the leg stump and the umpire offers nothing. Sri Lanka go upstairs and the ball tracker proves it is not the best DRS shouts you'll see at this tournament. Sri Lanka lose a review.
Root is back in the hut!
This is turning out to be quite the start for Angelo Matthews at this World Cup. An early wicket, and now a good, quick throw from backward point to remove Joe Root. Horrible miscommunication between Root and Bairstow and the former is run out looking for a single that wasn't.
End of powerplay sees the defending champions two down.
After a good start, England lose their first wicket as Angelo Mathews gets rid off Dawid Malan. An instant impact from Angelo Mathews as caught behind!
Score after 7 overs
ENG 49-1
Explosive start by England in Bengaluru! Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow are displaying exceptional form with the bat. Maheesh Theekshana, right-arm off break, comes into the attack but, Bairstow, hits the short and wide outside off for a FOUR!
Score after 6 overs
ENG 44-0
Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow are dealing in boundaries after getting their eye in. Kasun Rajitha has been punished for three fours in his second over as the Three Lions get 15 from it.
Score after 4 overs
ENG 27-0
A good start to the innings for England as Malan drives a half volley with ease. England desperately needs a win in this match to get going in this tournament. Otherwise, it will be a little too late. And there cannot be a better venue than Chinnaswamy for them, especially their batters. They will be hoping to post a big total today.
Score after 3 overs
ENG 12-0
Dilshan Madushanka bowls a good first over and there was a chance of a wicket on the first ball but no review was taken. Bairstow gets an early reprieve
Score after 1 over
ENG 3-0
Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan are at the crease. Bairstow is on strike. Madushanka will open the attack and live action begins
Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis(w/c), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Dilshan Madushanka
Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(w/c), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
England win the toss and opt to bat first. "Looks a good wicket, little bit drier but we will look to put up a good score. We have been short of our best." - says Jos Buttler
"This might be a little bit drier, a little bit on the slower side but on the surface it is a good track where the ball will come on to the bat. It is a very interesting pitch, there's a lot of grass in the center of the pitch, but see where it is (while standing in batters position), it is devoid of grass. Batting against spin for left-handers will be interesting. This is the kind of pitch where you need to have a right-left combination because the pitch will play differently on both sides. There will be a bit of turn and that's because of the dry surface, it is like a honeycomb. IT is going to be a challenge for batting." - say Ravi Shastri and Dinesh Karthik.
There is a small sliver of light for Lanka in the form of their top order batters – Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kusal Mendis, the two century-makers, Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka. If they can exploit the waywardness of England bowlers then Lanka can hope of putting them under pressure. Their shock 20-run win over England four years ago might still serve Lankans a dose of confidence