England Fell Prey to Sri Lanka by 20 Runs – ICC World Cup 2019
Sri Lanka had less to no chances of victory against England on Friday, June 21, but Malinga had cast a spell on the pitch and England had to bow down. Lasith Malinga played his heart out and preyed on England, even where Stokes fought very well but end up falling short by 20 runs.
With just 4 percent chances of victory, Sri Lanka was tough. Jonny got dismissed by Malinga during the second delivery on inning where he didn’t play less impressive. Vince got a chance to set the statement but was caught at the second slip. Though he managed to score 14 runs, Malinga was on a continuous hunt and caught him as his second victim. He got sturdy support from Pradeep who had great control over the pitch. However, Morgan and Root managed to survive the typhoon with their share of 47 runs for the third wicket.
Morgan fell short since Udana made a stunning catch to get England’s captain out in the 19th over. Sri Lankan team bowled incredibly making scenes harder and harder for Stokes and Root. England scored 91 for by 25 overs then Stokes finally cut loose.
England needed some outstanding cricket that Stokes and Moeen Ali gave them, but that was just a matter of time. They worked hard to survive Malinga’s hunt and when Dhananjaya came into bowl, Moeen gave him a six. However, the left-hander attempted to do the same for the next delivery and was caught by Udana.
Things began to turn in favor for Sri Lanka as Chris and Rashid fell prey to Dhananjaya in the same over, where England was still short on 55 runs. The pressure was built on England!
Archer couldn’t handle the pressure. Then Stokes decided to handle the case on his own and smoked Udana for consecutive sixes.
With the need of 30 for 24 deliveries, Stokes caught Pradeep for two boundaries but there was Mark Wood caught behind the last ball of his over to give Sri Lanka one of its most outstanding wins in 2019 World Cup.
With six points, Sri Lanka got its name in the semifinals. On the other hand, England has still preserved the place at No. 3 but they still have to fight against India, Australia, and New Zealand.
