England v Sri Lanka World T20 - 5 Talking Points

England became the third team to advance to the semi-final of the World T20 after they beat Sri Lanka in a closely fought contest at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. England batted first and posted a commanding 171/4 with the help of Jos Buttler’s fine 37 ball 66 run knock. Coming in to chase a difficult target, Sri Lanka lost their top order in no time. But, captain Angelo Mathews then produced a outstanding knock and fought back valiantly with the help of Chamara Kapugedara and Thisara Perera. However, eventually, the Brits managed to strangle the Lankans and getaway with a hard earned 10 runs victory.

1. The pillar of the batting order:

Jos Buttler was the best batsman for the English team today. The wicket-keeper batsman came in at No.4 after Joe Root fell in the 11th over. Buttler then carried on wonderfully and remained not for a 37 ball 66 run blitz. The England team did not have an extraordinary start and it was expected that the team was heading towards a functional total. However, his arrival at the crease changed everything. The 25 year old struck 8 fours and 2 sixes in his knock which saw England going from 65/1 after 10 overs to 171/4 at the end of 21 overs. The Brits managed a staggering 106 run in the final ten overs, courtesy to the Jos Buttler’s brilliant striking.

2. Jeffrey Vandersay sizzles:

Leg spinner Jeffrey Vandersay, who was called in as the replacement for Lasith Malinga, was even more impactful than the last game he played against West Indies. He was used for short two over spell and was introduced immediately after Herath struck in the 2nd over, giving away 14 runs in the first spell. His 2nd spell was the one which had an impact on the Englishmen. He came in the 11th over and got the wicket of Joe Root off the first ball. In the following over, he trapped Jason Roy and made him depart. Vandersay, with his leg breaks and disguised googlies was tough attack and the numbers speak about it. He finished with 2/26 in 4 overs to his name.

3. Angelo Matthews v England:

Sri Lanka got off to a bad start as they lost top four batsmen inside three overs. Veteran Dilshan was the 1st to depart. Dinesh Chandimal followed him in the next over. Both Milinda Siriwardana and Lahiru Thirimanne lost their wickets in the 3rd over. All these quick fall wickets saw Sri Lanka reeling at 15/4 after 3 overs. But, Angelo Matthews seemed to determined and fought it out brilliantly. At first, it looked that his presence won’t make any difference but slowly as the game progressed things began to come under Sri Lanka’s reach. Chamara Kapugedara (30 from 27 balls) and Thisara Perera (20 from 11 balls) gave him great support. He kept the hopes of a win alive. The skipper batted out till the end but eventually could not take his team past the finish line as Sri Lanka lost closely by 10 runs. Matthews carried his bat to the pavilion after making 73 runs from just 53 balls.

4. Chris Jordan shines:

Chris Jordan was the hero for the English team today. The seamer took and an impactful figure of 4/28 in his four over spell and was one of the main reason why Sri Lanka felt choked during the chase. Jordan, in his first spell took the important wicket of Dinesh Chandimal without giving many runs. His second spell was the most important one where he bowled at the death with success and got the dangerman Thisara Perera and Dasun Shanaka in back to back overs. Both the Lankan batsmen were batting furiously and looked to be taking away the game from England but Jordan intervened at the right time and saved England.

5. Off day for England spinners:

Irrespective of the type, the spinners have enjoyed great success in the spinners friendly condition of India. However, today was a rare case where the spinner got mercilessly hammered. Both Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali found bowling to the Lankan batsmen really difficult. Angelo Matthews along with his lower middle order unleashed an attack on both the bowlers, making them a target to keep up with the run rate and stay in the contention to chase down the target. Leg spinner Adil Rashid, in his 2 overs spell, got pummeled for 31 runs while off-spinner Moeen Ali gave away 32 runs in his two overs. Both were smacked for 4 sixes each during their time at the opposite end of the batsman.

Check out how the Twittter reacted to England’s win: Twitter Reactions: England win in a nail biting thriller after Mathews’ blitz