Right then, it was a pretty one-sided contest out here in Bengaluru. Sri Lanka has emerged victorious and they take home a couple of points. The caravan now moves to Chennai where Pakistan will take on South Africa on Friday, 27th October 2023. The action will begin at 2.00 pm IST (8.30 am GMT) but join us for our coverage which will start much earlier. Until then, Cheers!

Kusal Mendis, the victorious skipper of Sri Lanka says this win will help their NRR. Adds that every department did their job well and he is very happy with his team. Tells that this win will give them a lot of confidence and he believes in his team that they can win their remaining games and make it to the top four. Credits Lahiru Kumara for his excellent bowling. Mentions that having Angelo Mathews helps a lot and he gives his inputs in the middle which helps the overall performance of the team. Says that the fielding was excellent which helped them put more pressure on England and ultimately got them the win in the end.

The England captain, Jos Buttler says that he is disappointed and feels that they are a long way from their best. He feels that the reason for their performance is not clear and mentions that as a captain he will be the first one to work on performing better. He feels that they have a good and experienced team which is why it's more frustrating to not perform up to the expectations. He mentions that selection is based on consistency but their main focus is their performance. He adds that many mistakes are been made and cites the example of a couple of run-outs that happened. He says that the biggest thing to cling on is their personal pride and regardless of what happens in the tournament, they will work on improving their game.

Lahiru Kumara is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his excellent spell earlier in the game. He says that he is very happy with his performance and the most important thing was the win. Adds that he didn't change much and the Australia game was an off day for him and he just focused on the basics. He says that having Angelo Mathews in the side is inspiring as he helps a lot with his experience. Mentions that sticking to the same line and lengths during the middle overs proved to be good as he got the reward as wickets.

The Presentation ceremony…

Earlier in the game, we saw a fantastic bowling display and some good fielding showcases from the Lankans. The English failed to capitalise on a very good start which created room for Sri Lanka to display their bowling prowess. Angelo Mathews had a good outing in his first match this season along with Lahiru Kumara who showed his skill by putting the opposition under pressure. The bowlers had the upper hand on the batters throughout the innings which hurt England. The defending champions could only put up 156 on the board.

England have had a day to forget. After failing to put up a competitive total on the board in the first innings, the only way for them to creep back into the game was to take timely wickets. David Willey made sure of that as he dismissed two of their batters in the first powerplay. However, none of the other bowlers managed to take wickets which allowed a very strong partnership to form out there in the middle. This sealed the game for the opposition. Jos Buttler and his team will not be happy with their performance and will have a lot to discuss in the dressing room. The defending champions are on the edge of finishing outside the top 4 on the points table. The score on the board was just now enough to defend as the opposition wrapped it up in just under 26 overs.

Sri Lanka looked ahead in the game since the first innings. A splendid bowling performance made sure that they restricted the English to a score of 156. The batters had to play it safe and not take unnecessary risks as the total was low. Kusal Perera seemed to be struggling out there at the start. He was soon dismissed for a low score. Kusal Mendis came in next and played a few good shots but he too was sent back to the pavilion. It looked as if the chase might prove a bit more difficult than expected. It was the partnership of Pathum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama that brought the Lankans back into the game. They both managed to complete their half-centuries and took the game to the end finishing it off with a maximum.

Sri Lanka have managed to secure another comfortable win in this World Cup. This one will surely give them a lot of confidence. England on the other hand will be very disappointed with their overall performance. It seemed as if none of their plans seemed to work in their favour. This loss will certainly hurt their hopes of qualifying in the top 4 and their campaign hangs in uncertainty. A good performance with the ball and some good batting by Pathum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama helped the Lankans take home another two points.