England is continuing its stupendous form in the ongoing T20 World Cup. With four wins in a row, it has now become the first team to qualify for the semifinals. Jos Buttler’s brilliant century has helped the Brits beat Sri Lanka in tonight’s match by 26 runs. Sri Lankan batters tried their best to stay alive in the chase but managed to score only 137 runs while chasing a target of 164.
After winning the toss, Sri Lanka chose to bowl first. Their plan worked well as England lost the wickets of Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, and Jonny Bairstow inside the powerplay. But Jos Buttler (101*) and Eoin Morgan (40) settled the game and made sure not to lose any wicket for the next 13 overs. In the process, Buttler scored his half-century as well. He unleashed the beast inside him after scoring a half-century and started smacking Sri Lankan bowlers all over the park. With such a brutal form, Buttler also scored his maiden T20I century by smacking a six on the last ball of the innings. England was 47/3 by the end of 10 overs and 163/4 by the end of 20 overs. They scored 116 runs in the last 10 overs and that proves how brutal Buttler was in the latter half of the game. Wanindu Hasaranga (4-0-21-3) gave a spectacular performance for Sri Lanka on the bowling front.
Sri Lanka got into trouble right at the beginning of the chase as they lost the wicket of Nissanka right in the first over. Even Kusal Perera got out within no time. The middle-order batters Bhanuka Rajapaksa (26), Wanindu Hasaranga (34) and Dasun Sanaka (26) tried their best but all of them failed to stay in the crease till the end. When Sri Lanka lost their wickets, the game was almost over. Soon, England bowlers wrapped up things faster by scalping the rest of the wickets without wasting any time. Thus, Sri Lanka got all out for 137 in 18.5 overs. Moeen Ali (2/15), Adil Rashid (2/19), and Chris Jordan (2/24) scalped two wickets each for England.
With this defeat, Sri Lanka now lost the chance to qualify for the semifinals. It will face West Indies in its last match on November 4. England will face South Africa in its last league game on November 6.