T20 World Cup 2022: England survive Sri Lanka scare, with Stokes back in form but Malan set to miss semi-final
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SYDNEY CRICKET GROUND — England survived a late scare against Sri Lanka to seal a nervy four-wicket victory that books their place in the semi-finals of this T20 World Cup.
Jos Buttler’s team eventually got over the line, reaching their target of 142 with just two balls to spare thanks to an unbeaten 42 in 36 balls from Ben Stokes, the all-rounder finally finding form with the bat in this tournament.
In the end, though, it is hosts Australia who are out, with England finishing ahead of the defending champions in Group 1 thanks to a superior net run rate.
They will now move onto Adelaide, where they will play their semi-final next Thursday against the winners of Group 2, likely to be India. However, they will need to play better than this if they want to add the Twenty20 World Cup to the 50-over crown they won on home soil in 2019.
England, who revived their tournament hopes with victory against New Zealand in Brisbane earlier this week, looked to be on their way to an easy win when they set about their target in aggressive fashion, racing to 70 without loss off the first six-over Powerplay.
There should have been no looking back after openers Buttler and Alex Hales set such a commanding platform.
Yet a steady flow of wickets allowed Sri Lanka, coached by former England coach Chris Silverwood, back into the game, with their spinners in particular strangling the scoring rate.
Buttler, caught in the deep off leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, was the first to go in the eighth over.
Hales, who struck 47 from 30 balls, also perished when he lobbed a tame catch straight back to Hasaranga in the 10th over.
Harry Brook, caught and bowled by Dhananjaya De Silva and Liam Livingstone, holing out to Lahiru Kumara, were then both out cheaply.
At this stage, England only needed 36 to win from 41 balls with six wickets remaining. But that became 31 off 33 when Moeen Ali chipped Dhananjaya straight to extra cover.
Stokes was still in at this stage, with Sam Curran joining him at the crease. But the sixth-wicket pair were unable to finish the job, Curran picking out a fielder with the last ball of the 18th over to leave England needing 13 off the final 12 deliveries.
With Stokes joined by Chris Woakes, England were still firm favourites to get over the line. That remained the case when they hit eight off the penultimate over, with five needed from the last six balls.
Thankfully, it wasn’t a task beyond them, with Woakes hitting the winning runs off Kumara’s fourth delivery of the final over.
5 key moments
Livin’ on a prayer
Liam Livingstone took a fine running catch in the deep off Chris Woakes to hand England their first wicket with the final ball of the fourth over, the dismissal of Kusal Mendis reducing Sri Lanka to 39 for one after their fast start to the innings.
Sam’s the man
Sam Curran took his 10th wicket of the tournament – and England’s second of the night – when Ben Stokes steadied himself on the boundary to end Dhananjaya De Silva’s night as Sri Lanka slipped to 72 for two in the ninth over.
*End of the world for Dawid?
The sight of Dawid Malan pulling up in the field when chasing the first ball of the 15th over was not a good sight for England. Their No3 would be crucial in any chase but he didn’t take the field after sustaining a groin injury that looks to have ended his tournament.
Adil on the money
Without a wicket in the tournament, Adil Rashid chose the perfect time to break his duck when he tempted Pathum Nissanka electric knock of 67 from 45 balls in the 16th over. It was a breakthrough that ensured England’s chase would not be too worrying.
Ben’s back
When Ben Stokes crunched a sweet drive off Dhananjaya for four in the 11th over to move onto nine – his highest score of what had been up to this game a disappointing World Cup for the all-rounder.
It was tighter than England would have hoped but it matters not, they are in the semi-finals.
However, a satisfying night for England was marred by a groin injury to Dawid Malan, their No3 batter, who now looks likely to miss the rest of this World Cup.
Maybe the nerves should have been expected given England’s record in run chases this year, with only three successful pursuits before this and nine defeats.
Even though they were asked to chase here on a used pitch that had already had two matches played on it, this was closer than they would have liked.
Yet in a tournament where a shock defeat to Ireland and a washout against Australia had put Buttler’s team under pressure early in their campaign, they at least got the job done and are through to the last four.
Pathum Nissanka was Sri Lanka’s dangerman after they won the toss and opted to bat first, hitting five sixes during a 45-ball innings that saw him score 67.
But England did start to drag things back, thanks in large part to Adil Rashid. The leg-spinner had taken a combined 168 for one 19 overs since landing in Australia at the start of last month.
But he ended up with figures of one for 16 from his four overs here, his first wicket of the tournament seeing off Nissanka after the Sri Lanka opener picked out substitute fielder Chris Jordan.
That wicket also took Rashid to 90 in T20 internationals, drawing him level with Jordan, on the field after Malan pulled up in the 15th over, at the top of England’s all-time list.
In this match, the dismissal of Nissanka three balls into the 16th over slowed down Sri Lanka’s scoring significantly. Indeed, they were 25 for five off the final five overs after a fine comeback from England in the field. Chief among those who turned around their fortunes on the night was Mark Wood, whose first over went for 17 but who ended up with three for 26 after striking first in the 18th over and picking up another two wickets and a run out after being handed the ball for the final over as Sri Lanka were restricted Sri Lanka to 141 for eight.
Buttler: We never questioned Stokes, he’s a proper match winner
Jos Buttler hailed the match-winning knock from Ben Stokes that booked England’s place in the T20 World Cup semi-finals.
Stokes had been out of form with the bat, averaging five across his first three matches in the tournament, before he struck an unbeaten 42 from 36 balls to help his country chase down 142 in a nervy four-wicket win against Sri Lanka in Sydney.
It sets up a probable last-four clash for England against India in Adelaide next Thursday and captain Buttler admitted: “It was a lot more nervy than it needed to be, but we found a way to get the job done. Ben Stokes was there and he’s a guy who can win you a game with bat, ball and in the field. There was no questioning of him within the group. The nature of T20 cricket means you won’t always come with off with the bat. He’s a proper match winner and he showed that in a different way today.
“It’s the kind of situation he is made for. He can play a lot of roles, he is a proper competitor, and it’s getting to this stage of comps where he is going to grow.”
On an otherwise good night, England suffered a blow when Dawid Malan pulled up with a groin injury in the 15th over of Sri Lanka’s innings and the No3 batter is now likely to miss the rest of the World Cup. “It’s too early to tell but fingers crossed he’ll pull up well,” said Buttler. “He would have batted if he needed to. Running would have been difficult but he would have gone out there.”
As for the semi-final and a chance to face India, Buttler added: “I still think our best game is ahead of us in the tournament. We can put in more complete performances than we have.
“We have done enough to get through and now it’s about going to the real knockout stage and expressing ourselves. It’s the reason you play the game. To get to semi-finals and finals and try to win things, and hopefully we’re in a position to do that. If we play India it will be a fantastic occasion.”
Man of the match Adil Rashid is also eyeing up that likely last-four showdown against India with interest, the leg-spinner saying: “It’s exciting. India get big support wherever they go, especially in Australia. I’m sure we’ll be up for it, it will be exciting and something we’re all looking forward to.”