Twitter Reactions: Sri Lanka overhaul the ICC No 1 ODI side

After losing the last three ODIs to England, the Sri Lankan cricket team has finally come up with a performance that would make the fans proud. All the players played to their potential to help the home side bag a massive win in the 5th ODI. The Sri Lanka team seemed to be very positive with the way they progressed about things.

To overhaul the ICC No 1 ODI side isn’t easy by any means. That too with the brand of cricket they last played over the last few months, it was deemed to be impossible. However, a terrific show from the batsmen to start things off and then a spirited fightback from the bowlers helped them make this win possible. Even though Sri Lanka won this match, it is England who will clinch the series by a margin of 3-1.

Dickwella, Chandimal miss out on well-deserved centuries

After winning the toss, the home team opted to bat first. The openers, Niroshan Dickwella and Samarawickrama took the team off to a brilliant start. They two piled on 137 runs in just 19.1 overs. While the former got 95 off 97 deliveries, his partner added 54 on the board. It was Moeen Ali who applied brakes to the assault from both these batsmen. But, it wasn’t done yet with the openers.

Skipper Dinesh Chandimal who walked in at number three was just as brutal. He continued just from where Samarawickrama left off. After Dickwella fell, he found a reliable partner in Kusal Mendis. However, Chandimal, just like the wicket-keeper batsman missed out on a century. After having got to 80, he tried to pull a slower ball off Tom Curran and ended up being caught. A quick-fire 56 off 33 from Mendis and contributions from the lower order helped the hosts get to 366/6 in 50 overs.

Sri Lanka bowlers unsettle the Britts in the chase

In this huge chase, England lost their top four batsmen cheaply and quite early in the innings. Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Joe Root and Jos Buttler were dismissed for 4, 0, 10, 0 runs respectively. Although Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali tried to forge a comeback, it was just too much of an asking after being down to 4/3 and 28/4 soon after that.

After this pair added 79 runs, Moeen Ali perished after scoring run-a-ball 37. With wickets falling at the other end and with the pressure building up, Ben Stokes was to follow him soon. The all-rounder scored 67 which came off 60 deliveries. There was a rain interruption when the score was 132/9 and Sri Lanka was declared the winners by 219 runs (DLS Method).

The joy of the Sri Lankan fans knew no bounds after pulling this one off. Dinesh Chandimal and Niroshan Dickwella received special praise from the fans. Akila Dhananjaya and Dushmantha Chameera, who picked 4 and 3 wickets respectively also got some great appreciation from the fans.

Here is how Twitterati reacted:

Well… Sri Lanka have beaten England by 219 runs (DLS). Well played. Although England were quite terrible, Sri Lanka were fantastic. Outplayed in all areas today and the result shows that.
The series ends 3-1 in favour of England #SLvENG

— Beth Smith (@Beth_Smith05) October 23, 2018

Most 300+ totals in #ODI #Cricket:

102 – India
99 – Australia
80 – South Africa
72 – Pakistan
68 – #SriLanka*#SLvENG #ENGvSL

— Sam (@TheCricApp) October 23, 2018

Is it the same Sri Lankan side that lost the previous matches? They have won the dead rubbers against South Africa as well. So it's not the lack of talent, it's the inability to handle the pressure#SLvENG

— Cricket News Updates (@Cricket_Score18) October 23, 2018

All of a Sudden This Srilankan side is looking like a Champion side 👌 #SLvENG

— Mani Tendo (@mani_tendo) October 23, 2018

Most ODI runs in a series for England v Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka:
367 (7 inns) – JE Root – 2014
236 (7 inns) – MM Ali – 2014
195 (4 inns) – EJG Morgan – 2018#SLvEng

— Arthur_S (@allanholloway) October 23, 2018

Well that was a poor ODI series. Clearly the weather didn’t help, feel sorry for the fans who travelled over there #SLvENG

— Nikki 👸🏽 (@nikki___xx) October 23, 2018

Excellent performance by @OfficialSLC 😍 Enjoyed watching the Lions scoring 366! Keep up the good work 🔥 @KusalMendis1 @chandi_17 @NiroshanDikka #SLvENG

— Savindu Chamika (@savindu_chamika) October 23, 2018

There is no better ground staff in the world than the Sri Lankans.
They are just amazing. They can cover any ground in a matter of minutes, without you even realising it. 🙏#Clockwork#SLvEng

— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) October 23, 2018

Top order batsmen's scores today

SL : 94, 54, 80 & 56
ENG : 4, 0, 10 & 0#SLvENG

— Hisham Awm (@hishamawm91) October 23, 2018

England😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂#SLvENG

— Samagra Adhikari (@samagra_1) October 23, 2018

That's a great win. But still we should win opening matches. Can't always be content with consolation wins 😪 That's what reduce the value of this win #SLvENG

— Guess Who (@Hiroshana_) October 23, 2018

Sri Lankan to register big win against England after 3 defeats & they scored highest total in RPIS. But there is no big crowd cheer to Sri Lanka team. Many empty seats around the ground. #SLvENG pic.twitter.com/PSfkt3nptR

— Rudran (@rudranrk98) October 23, 2018

Disappointing performance from @englandcricket and not up to the high standards they set. Looked completely disinterested with the series done and SL won deservedly. We bowled wildly, fielded erratically and batted poorly. A wake up call for a team in search of excellence #SLvENG

— Andy Rush (@AndyRush5) October 23, 2018