T20 World Cup: England record comfortable win over Sri Lanka, become first team to qualify for semis

The England bowlers were exceptional on a track that seemingly had a significant amount of dew in the latter half of the match.

England players celebrate a wicket against Sri Lanka. (Image: Twitter/ T20 World Cup)
By Nilavro Ghosh | Nov 1, 2021 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

England cruised to victory against Sri Lanka on Monday in the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to become the first team to qualify to the semi-finals of the competition. The Three Lions were put in to bat first and they scored 163-4 thanks to an outstanding century by Jos Buttler. They bowled Sri Lanka out for 137 in 19 overs to remain unbeaten in the competition. The England bowlers were exceptional on a track that seemingly had a significant amount of dew in the latter half of the match. It was a fine example showing that a team can lose the toss and still win a match, something that has been extremely rare in the current edition of the competition so far.

CLINICAL BOWLING BY ENGLAND

Chris Jordan and Adil Rashid were the pick of the bowlers on the day as they dried up the runs and picked crucial wickets to derail the run chase of the Lankan Lions. Rashid was exceptional with his spin bowling, picking up two wickets for just 19 runs in four overs. Jordan kept his good run of form going as he also bagged a couple of wickets in four overalls. The pacer conceded only 24 runs.

Credit also has to be given to all-rounder Moeen Ali. He was not expecting to bowl the 19th over but an untimely injury to Tymal Mills left skipper Eoin Morgan with no choice. Moeen did a fine job in what would be the final over of the match as he picked up two wickets to finish off the match. The all-rounder finished with figures of 2-15 in three overs.

The middle-order of the Sri Lankan batting unit did fight back and there was a point in the match when the Lankan Lions were genuinely looking capable of taking the match away from England. Charith Asalanka played a decent cameo as he scored 21 runs off 16 deliveries. Bhanuka Rajapaksa also played well to score 26 runs off 18 deliveries.

However, England’s main concern was the partnership between Wanindu Hasaranga and skipper Dasun Shanaka. The skipper made 26 runs off 25 balls while Hasranga played an explosive knock to score 34 runs off just 21 deliveries.

TWO BRILLIANT FIELDING EFFORTS

It took some exceptional fielding efforts to get those two out. First, Hasranga smashed a ball and it seemed like it would go all the way, but Jason Roy caught the ball and threw it back in on the ropes. The ball was then caught by substitute fielder Sam Billings before hitting the ground.

The second dismissal was even more impressive perhaps. Shanaka had just tapped the ball and was looking for a single but was sent back by Chamika Karunaratne. However, by the time he had turned around, Buttler had already thrown the ball at the stumps. A direct hit threw the bales off and the Sri Lanka skipper was on his way back to the dressing room.

The England batters were in a lot of trouble at the start of the innings. There was a point when they were 35-3. However, a world-class 112-run partnership between Jos Buttler and skipper Eoin Morgan was enough to see England to a fantastic score. The England skipper played a steady knock that started off quite slow. Morgan made 40 runs off 36 deliveries, hitting one boundary and three maximums in the process.

BUTTLER’S INCREDIBLE CENTURY

The star of the show, however, was Buttler. The England batter opened the innings and displayed immense class to stay unbeaten until the end, spring 101 runs off just 67 deliveries. It was Buttler’s first ever international T20 century and the first of the T20 World Cup. His innings included six boundaries and six maximums. Buttler was on 95 with just one ball of the innings left to play. He timed the ball on his leg side and it flew for a massive six, ensuring that he reached the three-figure mark.

Sri Lanka’s bowling on the day was quite good until Buttler found his rhythm. They kept things extremely tight in the first half of the innings and picked three wickets for under 40 runs. The pick of the bowlers was Wanindu Hasaranga who picked his 50th T20 wicket in the day. Hasaranga picked three wickets and conceded only 21 runs in four overs. Pacer Dushmantha Chameera bagged a wicket and conceded 43 runs in four overs.





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