Sri Lankan bowlers were all over England batters (Twitter)
In a rather one-sided face-off at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Sri Lanka delivered a commanding performance to defeat defending champions England by a substantial eight-wicket margin on Thursday. This victory has propelled Sri Lanka to the fifth position in the World Cup 2023 points table.
ENG vs SL: Lahiru Kumar was the pick of the bowlers in Sri Lanka's thumping win
The standout performer of the match was Lahiru Kumara, who picked up three crucial wickets in the form of Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, and Ben Stokes which was vital in restricting the Englishmen to just 156. His brilliance on the field earned him the title of 'Player of the Match'.
During the post-match presentation, Kumara humbly reflected on his performance. He indicated that while he was content with his showing against a robust side like England, he hadn't made significant changes to his bowling after their game against Australia, which he referred to as an "off day."
“Playing a team like England, I’m very happy to perform this way today. Didn't make a lot of changes after the previous match, the Australia game was an off day for me. I’ve worked hard on my bowling,” said Kumara.
Kumara also credited returning veteran Angelo Mathews for the constant guidance and support on the field. Highlighting their strategy, the 26-year-old mentioned that the team aimed to target the middle overs with disciplined bowling, and their adherence to this plan bore fruit in the form of wickets.
“(On Mathews) Having him back is an inspiration, he gave me a lot of support and was talking to me throughout. (On his role in the team) The plan was to attack the middle overs with disciplined bowling, and we were rewarded with wickets,” added the right arm-pacer.
Coming to the game, England set up a paltry total of 156 runs, being bundled out in 33.2 overs. Ben Stokes was the highest run-scorer for England with a patient 43 off 73 balls, followed by Jonny Bairstow's swift 30 from 31 deliveries.
The Englishmen couldn't handle the Lankan bowlers, especially Kumara, who returned with figures of 3/35 in his seven overs. Mathews also chipped in with an economical 2/14 in his five-over spell.
In response, the Lankan batsmen made short work of the target. Young talent Pathum Nissanka played a steady knock of an unbeaten 77 from 83 balls, and Sadeera Samarawickrama accelerated the chase with a fiery 65* off 54 balls. The only bowler among the wickets for England was David Willey, picking up 2 wickets for 30 runs in his five overs.
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