World Cup 2023 | Lahiru Kumara Dismantles ENG Before Nissanka Guides SL To Easy Win
Sri Lankan players celebrate an English wicket at the 2023 World Cup (AP)
Brief Scores: England: 156 all out (33.2 overs) [Ben Stokes: 43 (73), Jonny Bairstow: 30 (31); Lahiru Kumara 3/35 (7), Angelo Mathews 2/14 (5)] lost to Sri Lanka: 160-2 (25.4 overs) [Pathum Nissanka: 77* (83), Sadeera Samarawickrama: 65* (54); David Willey 2/30 (5)] by eight wickets.
Sri Lanka overpowered defending champions England in a battle-of-equals to climb higher on the World Cup 2023 points table.
Kumara, Rajitha and runouts run through ENG middle-order
Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara blew away Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan’s sublime opening stand as the Englishmen slipped from 45-0 to 85-5 in the space of 10 overs.
After comeback man Angelo Mathews handed Sri Lanka their first breakthrough of the match, both Rajitha and Kumara scythed through the English middle-order, with the latter finishing his spell with 3-35 from his seven overs.
Ben Stokes provided some spark lower down the order, but his cautious 43 made little difference as the defending champions were dusted out for just 156 inside 34 overs.
Apart from tight Sri Lankan bowling, England also fell victim to some untimely runouts as Joe Root and Adil Rashid both slumped to such dismissals against the run-of-play.
Nissanka, Samarawickrama ace chase with flamboyant 50s
England speedster David Willey struck twice with the new-ball as he removed Kusal Perera and captain Kusal Mendis in succession to send shivers down the Sri Lankan camp. However, in-form opener Pathum Nissanka overcame team’s early jitters with ease by forming an unbeaten 137-run partnership with fellow half-centurion Sadeera Samarawickrama.
Nissanka also landed the finishing blow to finish on 77* while Samarawickrama produced a quickfire 65* from his end. The duo took Sri Lanka to an easy eight-wicket win, with more than 24 overs still intact in the game.
 "Aakash Saini")
