ICC World Cup 2019: Match 27, ENG vs SL – Sri Lanka Player Ratings

It might sound very harsh to term this win by a World Cup winning side against three-time runners up as an upset, but Sri Lanka emerging victorious at the end of today was something no one saw coming. Inspired by two brilliant performances from senior men Angelo Mathews and Lasith Malinga, they managed to pip the hosts by 20 runs.

Batting first, Angelo Mathews remained unbeaten on 85 off 115 deliveries to steer his side to a respectable 232 runs on board. Avishka Fernando contributed with a sparkle and Kusal Mendis too chipped in with some valuable runs. Although the game was still in England‘s control, a certain Lasith Malinga turned up for the 1996 champions.

Malinga dismissed four of the top five English batsmen to remove most of the danger. Ben Stokes’ gutsy innings towards the end almost spoiled Sri Lanka’s party, but Nuwan Pradeep dismissed Mark Wood in the 48th over to bowl out England for 212 runs and earned his side a 20-run win.

Dimuth Karunaratne – 5/10

The skipper had a poor outing with the bat but was brilliant with his bowling changes. One of the game’s most important decision was giving Dhananjaya de Silva the 39th over although Malinga and Udana had some overs left. Just for the way he led the side in this pulsating encounter, he gets an extra point.

Kusal Perera – 2/10

Kusal Perera came into this tournament with so many aspirations and expectations, but apart from the game against Afghanistan, he hasn’t found his rhythm with the bat. He played a rash cut shot and got caught at third off Chris Woakes. He can do a lot better with his decision making with the willow.

Avishka Fernando – 7/10

A very promising performance from a very promising youngster. Avishka Fernando’s innings gave Sri Lanka the momentum earlier with the bat to get going and keep believing. He smashed a quickfire 39-ball 49 before Mark Wood got the better of him. The 21-year-old usually loves opening the innings, but he might have booked his spot at number three for another few games.

Kusal Mendis – 6/10

Kusal Mendis found it difficult earlier in his innings but fought his way out well. He had very little to do when Avishka Fernando was dealing in boundaries but he held the fort well when Mark Wood and Adil Rashid were bowling brilliantly. He scored 46 runs off 68 balls, which included two boundaries.

Angelo Mathews – 8/10

Angelo Mathews started off very slow with the bat but got going well after completing his fifty. The senior man was struggling for runs quite badly and he needed this knock more than any other in the team. He remained unbeaten on 85 off 115 balls, which includes five boundaries and a big six towards the end.

Jeevan Mendis – 1/10

Jeevan Mendis was dismissed for a first-ball duck and bowled just three overs with the ball. He had a dismal game and he would want to forget it as soon as possible. Mendis should play more consistently if Sri Lanka wants to bank on him going forward in the tournament.

Thisara Perera – 4/10

Didn’t do anything special with the bat did Thisara Perera, but was decent with the ball. He definitely deserved a wicket but returned with figures of 0/34 in his 8 overs. He didn’t give anything away in his spell, much to the delight of his skipper. Having said that, the all-rounder needs to start delivering with the bat which will give impetus to the innings.

Dhananjaya de Silva – 8.5/10

When one of your main spinners in Jeevan Mendis fails, no one expects the part-timer to do the job. But Dhananjaya de Silva chipped in with three huge wickets, which began the downfall of the English lower order. He dismissed Moeen Ali in the 39th over, followed by the wickets of Adil Rashid and Chris Woakes in his next one. Even with the bat, the all-rounder scored vital 29 runs and stitched a 57-run stand with Mathews.

Isuru Udana – 6/10

Isuru Udana and his variations once again did the trick to a very good extent. He picked up the important wicket of Eoin Morgan in the middle overs and came back to pick up Jofra Archer towards the end. Although Ben Stokes smashed a couple of sixes in his eventual last over, he had a pretty decent game. He returned with the figures of 2/42 in his 8 overs.

Nuwan Pradeep – 7/10

This man deserved three or four wickets on the day but ended up picking one big and decisive wicket. He bowled beautifully throughout the day and kept it very tight. He made Mark Wood chase the fifth stump delivery, which eventually got a nick and put a smile on every Sri Lankan. He ended up with 1/38 in the 10th over.

Lasith Malinga – 9.5/10

Can’t get better than this, can it? Cometh the hour, cometh the champion they say and Lasith Malinga stepped up big time for his country. The senior most cricketer for their side managed to pick four of the top five English batters, breaking their backbone and rightfully won the Man of the Match award.