England with 144 runs for the loss of 6 wickets defeated Sri Lanka, who made 141 runs for the loss of 8 wickets.
England reached the semi-finals of this T20 world cup after knocking out Australia due to this win over Sri Lanka.
This was a chase so full of anxiety though the target was only 142 runs that looked well within the opener’s reach. Alex Hales and Jos Buttler managed to make 75 runs for the first wicket within 8 over’s. But due to some unfortunate errors the wickets fell in just 65 deliveries. The dismissals were split evenly between Dhananjaya de Silva, Lahiru Kumara and Wanindu Hasaranga.
It was Ben Stokes who could manage to push England over the line with 42 runs off a mere 36 balls. This contained only 2 fours.
England fought well and managed to limit Sri Lanka to a decent total after the opener, Pathum Nissanka, who made 67 runs off 45 balls managed to get them off a flyer.
It was the blitz of Nissanka that got Sri Lanka 65 runs for the loss of 1 wicket after 7 over’s. The collective attack of England served slow deliveries along with cutters. These seem to be responding to a ‘worn’ surface of the SCG. Adil Rashid took 1 wicket and gave only 16 runs in 4 over’s. This led to a retort.
Mark Wood managed to catch figures considered ‘eye-catching’.
Stokes once more
There is always space for Stokes. He managed 1 wicket for 24 from 3 over’s. The best spot for him is as an ‘opener’. He analyzed the conditions regarding the pitch and also the stress he had of managing England. Most of his runs were picked up running as he hit only 2 fours.
Rashid and class
This tournament has been a bit peculiar for Rashid, with 16 over’s bowled in 4 games played and only a wicket. This tournament has seen Rashid as a ‘dampener’ and not a ‘disruptor’. His shoulder injury has been the cause.
He managed to wed both the sides and got Sri Lanka to stop in their race. In his 4 over’s he did not concede any boundaries. He also dismissed Nissanka.
Change of Pace
This tournament showed a fixture rewarding with shifting down a few gears in a match where those who had topped the speed gun stole the headlines. It was obvious that the spinners would shine on this pitch that was ‘used’. The quick’s managed to get their variations.
The attack of England managed to suss this halfway. The ‘pace-off’ deliveries were at 4.87 runs per ‘over’. The ‘pace-on’ checked at 8.46. A relevant element of this was seen in the 18th over of the 2nd innings. Lahiru Kumaru, the speedster of Sri Lanka bowled 6 balls – all reserved and ‘into’ the pitch. This yielded only 2 runs and also the wicket of Sam Curran. This left England requiring more than a run off every ball for the final 2 overs.