Current champion England is not doing well in the current World Cup. With three losses in four matches, the English are in eighth place in the points table. Desperate to turn around, the English are not doing very well in their fifth match. In the fifth match against Sri Lanka, they lost 5 wickets for only 85 runs after winning the toss.
Jonny Bairstow and David Malan, the two openers who came to the opening for England, started to watch from the beginning. He took 39 runs in the first 5 overs. But in the seventh over, the rhythm fell.
Angelo Mathews bowled David Malan with a catch to Kushal Perera. Sri Lanka took a review when the field umpire didn’t respond to Mathews’ appeal at first. And in this Malan’s forehead burned. He had to return after scoring 28 runs off 25 balls. England’s opening pair broke for 45 runs on his departure.
Jonny Bairstow formed a pair with Joe Root after Malan’s departure. But this pair could not go far.
The pair broke when Joe Root returned for the team’s 59 runs. Root, who scored 3 runs from 10 balls, was run out and returned to Sajghar. On his departure, England lost 2 wickets for 59 runs.
Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler went back to suit Joe Root. Jonny Bairstow scored 30 runs off 31 balls off Kasun Rajitha, caught at mid-on by Dhananjaya de Silva and went back to home.
Jos Buttler also returns to the dressing room following Jonny Bairstow’s path. He fell victim to LBW by Lahiru Kumara. Scored 8 runs off 6 balls before getting out. On his departure, the English lost 4 wickets for 77 runs.
After Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone could not stay long at the crease. He returned to be Lahiru Kumara’s second victim with just 1 run off 6 balls. On his departure, the English lost 5 wickets for 85 runs and fell into a batting disaster.
England have lost all three of their four matches in the World Cup so far. Same situation in Sri Lanka. So both teams are desperate to win today’s match. Both teams entered the field with several changes in the fateful match. Sri Lanka make two and England three changes to their team. Woakes, Moeen Ali and Livingstone return to the England squad. And the Lankans have taken Mathews and Kumara in the team.
England XI: Jonny Bairstow, David Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper/captain), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
Sri Lanka XI: Pathum Nisanka, Kushal Perera, Kushal Mendis (wicketkeeper/captain), Sadira Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews, Mahesh Thekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Dilshan Madushanka.
(October 26/NBW)