Introduction:
Double strike for Sri Lanka rattled England in the first Powerplay of their Cricket World Cup 2023 match in Bengaluru on Thursday. David Willey dismissed Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama in quick succession to reduce England to 23/2.
Willey strikes early to put England on the back foot.
Willey was brought on to bowl the fifth over of the innings and he immediately made an impact. He bowled a full and swinging delivery that Mendis edged to mid-on. Mendis was out for 19 runs.
Willey then followed up with the wicket of Samarawickrama in the next over. He bowled a short ball that Samarawickrama mishooked straight to extra cover. Samarawickrama was out for 5 runs.
Double strike puts England under pressure.
Willey’s double strike put England under pressure early on in the innings. They lost two of their top three batsmen for just 23 runs.
England were able to recover somewhat, but they were never able to get to grips with the Sri Lankan bowling. They were eventually bowled out for 156 runs in 33.2 overs.
Sri Lanka go on to win comfortably.
Furthermore, Sri Lanka chased down the target of 157 runs with ease, reaching the target in just 25.4 overs. Also, Pathum Nissanka was the star of the show for Sri Lanka, scoring an unbeaten 77 runs off 79 balls.
Sri Lanka capitalize on Willey’s early breakthroughs.
Moreover, Sri Lanka capitalized on Willey’s early breakthroughs and continued to put England under pressure. They took two more wickets before the Powerplay ended, leaving England reeling at 57/4.
England were never able to recover from this early setback and were eventually bowled out for 156 runs in 33.2 overs. So, Sri Lanka chased down the target with ease, reaching the target in just 25.4 overs.
Conclusion:
Finally, Sri Lanka’s double strike in the first Powerplay was a crucial moment in the match. It put England under pressure early on and they were never able to recover. Sri Lanka went on to win the match comfortably by eight wickets.