England complete 51-run victory in T20 Cricket World Cup Super 8s at Pallekele
England moved closer to the Super 8s knockout picture in the t20 cricket world cup with a 51-run win over Sri Lanka in Pallekele, a match defined by a Phil Salt 62 and a superb bowling display led by Will Jacks and Jofra Archer. England posted 146 for nine and then bowled Sri Lanka out for 95 in 16. 4 overs.
Will Jacks' three-for and Archer's strikes wreck Sri Lanka chase
Will Jacks finished with 3-22, including two wickets in two balls, and Jofra Archer took two wickets as Sri Lanka collapsed in the powerplay. Liam Dawson and Adil Rashid also took two wickets each, while Rashid bowled Madushanka during the collapse that left Sri Lanka all out for 95 in 16. 4 overs.
Phil Salt's 62 anchored a fragile England total
Phil Salt top-scored with 62 off 40 balls and was the only England batter to pass 21; Will Jacks was the only other England hitter to reach 21. England could only manage 146 for nine. Jos Buttler made seven off 14 balls — his third consecutive single-figure score — and Buttler, Ben Bethell and Jofra Banton finished in single figures overall.
Top-order wobble, Brook's reaction and on-field moments
England slipped to 68 for four off 10 overs after Harry Brook lost the toss following eight consecutive wins. Brook was given out leg-before to Wellalage after being beaten on the inside edge; earlier he had been greeted by a 90mph delivery from Dushmantha Chameera, whose 72mph slower ball was then mistimed to Kamil Mishara in the deep. Bethell's leading-edge off mystery spinner Theekshana went to Madushanka, and Banton was run out after a direct hit from Dasun Shanaka at mid-off. Salt looked increasingly tired late in his innings and at one point appeared to be battling cramp.
T20 Cricket World Cup implications and England's run vs Sri Lanka
This result represented England's 12th successive T20 victory over Sri Lanka and completed a sweep of Sri Lanka at the same venue in the last month, moving England a major step towards the semi-finals while leaving some questions about their top order. The match was part of the Super 8s; England had scraped through the first group stage and Harry Brook had wanted a fresh start in this round but his side managed only 146 for nine.
Sri Lanka's collapse, Shanaka's assessment and tournament context
Sri Lanka's top four were dismissed for single figures and only captain Dasun Shanaka reached more than 13, scoring 30. Dushan Hemantha's hit-wicket dismissal rather summed up their evening. Shanaka called the result very disappointing but said there were "lots of positives with the ball", noting they had kept England to a score 20 runs less than par and had tried a five-main-bowler approach in this World Cup. He said the pitch was slow, they had played some rash shots in critical intervals, and that one bad game was not affordable in a World Cup but that the top order had done well in recent games and he expected them to recover in upcoming matches. Earlier in the tournament Pathum Nissanka had produced an unbeaten century that effectively knocked Australia out.
Match detail, coverage and notes from Pallekele
England's 51-run margin followed their 146 for nine and Sri Lanka's 95 all out. Jacks, who had bailed England out against Italy in the previous match, was handed a rare new-ball opportunity and shared new-ball duties as he exploited grip in the surface that also helped Dawson and Rashid. Jamie Overton took a fine low catch to dismiss Mishara after Archer found his edge. Match coverage included reports by Mike Peter, Adwaidh Rajan and Pollie Starkie, with further reporting from Matthew Henry. Comment ahead of other fixtures referenced India v South Africa in Ahmedabad as an upcoming game in the tournament, and a separate headline noted: "Fielding in Pallekele will prove a different challenge" — Sridhar.
