In what is practically a must-win game for both sides, England were bowled out for a lowly 156 against Sri Lanka at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Thursday (October 26). Jos Buttler & Co. seemed keen to follow the template of the tournament in scoring big first to put scoreboard pressure on the opponents but the plan backfired for the defending champions.
The start was decent enough with Dawid Malan finding the fence regularly in the first few overs. Jonny Bairstow also struck a couple of silky strokes and it seemed like we had another potential run fest at this venue. The momentum shifted with the introduction of comeback man Angelo Mathews and Maheesh Theekshana in the first Powerplay. Malan and Bairstow had raced away to 39/0 in the first five overs but only 20 came off the next block of five overs. Mathews struck in his first over to remove Malan while Joe Root fell to an uncharacteristic run out.
It was the start of the batting implosion that blew England’s innings away. Although, the surface wasn’t a typical Chinnaswamy deck where batters could hit through the line with ease. There was a definite two-paced nature to it and the sluggish pitch played straight into Sri Lanka’s hands. Kusal Mendis rotated his bowlers well and ensured that his side made optimal use of the favourable conditions on offer. It also helped that England’s batters failed to adapt to the change in conditions and their method of hitting their way out of trouble backfired.
Three of the top four England batters got starts but there wasn’t any impetus to their knocks, particularly Ben Stokes who had a 73-ball vigil out in the middle for his 43. Barring Dilshan Madushanka who was expensive in his spell, all the Sri Lankan bowlers hit their straps and used the surface brilliantly to stifle the flow of runs. There was no let up in the intensity both with the ball and in the field as England capitulated meekly. Mathews set the tone early with his first spell and then the run out to get rid of Root. From there, it was one-way traffic till the end of the innings.
Brief scores: England 156 in 33.2 overs (Ben Stokes 43; Lahiru Kumara 3-35, Angelo Mathews 2-14) vs Sri Lanka