ODI World Cup 2023: England vs Sri Lanka, 25th ODI - Who Said What?

The defending champions England have suffered an embarrassing eight-wicket defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023. In order to keep themselves alive in the competition, the Jos Buttler-led side couldn’t afford to drop a point, but nothing went in their favour at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, as it looked too simple for the Lankan Lions.

Batting first, Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan gave a good start to England, but wickets fell on a regular basis as they were eventually bundled out for just 156 runs. The returning Angelo Matthews picked up two wickets, while Lahiru Kumara picked up three wickets. The Kusal Mendis-led side was terrific in the field as well, which helped them to bundle out England for such a low total.

When it came to the chase, Kusal Perera and Kusal Mendis lost their wicket rather early, but Pathum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama built a brilliant partnership to help Sri Lanka win the match comfortably. The win keeps Sri Lanka in the hunt for a spot in the semis, while England are almost out of the ODI World Cup 2023 race.

Impeccable bowling from Sri Lanka

The Lankan bowlers were brilliant throughout, as they hit the right line and length from the very beginning. It eventually helped Sri Lanka start well, and they capitalised on that to register their fifth straight win over England in ODI World Cups.

England’s strategy

For a long time now, England have decided to play an aggressive brand of cricket in each and every format. Now, even though it helped them in Test and T20 cricket, they have suffered in ODI cricket. Even after losing some early wickets, they didn’t change their strategy and hence, went on to lose wickets at regular intervals, which definitely didn’t help them.

Pathaum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama talk the talk

After losing two early wickets, Sri Lanka were under some pressure, but a match-winning stand between Nissanka and Samarawickrama eased things for the team. Both batters registered a half-century each, and that will give them a lot of confidence going forward.

Check Here: Most Runs in Cricket World Cup 2023

Losing skipper Jos Buttler said:

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.

Winning skipper Kusal Mendis said:

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.

POTM Lahiru Kumara said:

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.