England vs Sri Lanka CWC 2023

England and Sri Lanka will go head-to-head on 26 October 20232 in the 25th match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Both these teams have to win now. They will go for the win. They have no other option. And we will give you a broader perspective on this match here. So don’t go anywhere. A video below and match highlights will be at the end of this article.

Points table: ICC Cricket World Cup points table 2023

England’s story so far

Before the start of this World Cup, Jos Buttler said that they wouldn’t be defending anything. However, he said that with a hint of confidence, it has backfired. The statement still fits, but not how Buttler wanted it to fit.

With only the Bangladesh vs England CWC 2023 match in their bucket, England has seen some disappointing matches. Their game against South Africa may have hit them the most regarding NRR. However, the England vs Afghanistan CWC 2023 match greatly hurts them.

They have to win this one to keep their hopes alive.

Sri Lanka’s campaign review

It has been a wild ride for the Lankans. They were only near winning a match during the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka CWC 2023 game. They scored 344 and knew Pakistan only chased 265 successfully in a World Cup Game. However, Mohammad Rizwan ruined the show for them.

However, they have been in the momentum since the Netherlands vs Sri Lanka CWC 2023 match. The 5-wicket victory over the Dutch has given them confidence for the match.

ENG vs SL Cricket World Cup 2023 live streaming

England has everything to lose, while the Lankans will enter the Bengaluru pitch with nothing to lose but a measly 2 points. This will be an entertaining show. Trust me, it will be. And you can watch this match live.

Live streaming: ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Live Streaming

However, we understand that most of our fans are from Pakistan, India, and the Middle East. Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered.

Country	Live streaming platforms
India	Hotstar
Pakistan	Shoq app, Daraz App, ARY Zap app and website, Tamasha App and website, and Tampad
MENA	Starzplay

MATCH PREVIEW – England vs Sri Lanka CWC 2023

M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Match	England vs Sri Lanka
Position on the points table	England = 8th Sri Lanka = 7th
Match number	25
Starting time	2 pm IST (Indian Standard Time)
Date	26 October 2023

Pitch report

So, we are back in Bengaluru. You all must have seen the high-scoring Australia vs Pakistan CWC 2023 game. Almost 700 runs were scored in 96 overs. Now, this is a high-octane match. You can expect the same stuff during this match as well. Batters will get much help, while the bowlers must be patient and contain the runs. Only the scorecard pressure will give you a wicket.

Probably playing 11

England: Both teams have some surprising developments. England is dealing with an injured Topely. He was one of their best bowlers so far. Hence, it is a nightmare to lose him at this point. All the games after this point are must-win matches. Chris Woakes can jump in for him, so this is a change that you can expect in England’s playing 11.

Sri Lanka: The Lankas will be heading in without Pathirana in this match. Angelo Mathews has come in to fill in his place. However, does it make sense to give him the chance? If your criteria is experience, Mathews might as well be the better choice.

However, he has played far less ODI cricket in recent years. Not to forget that the Lankans lost a pacer here. Mathews had let go of his bowling after injuries forced him to focus more on his batting. The Lankans will continue with their winning combination in this match.

Key players

Batters will play a critical role here. This has to be written on a stone tablet at this point. The good news for Sri Lanka is that its top-order has some runs under its belt. Nissanka, Perera, Mendis, and Samarawikrama have scored runs in this tournament. However, Mendis is the guy you should be worried about. Although Samarawirakam has a better average, Mendis has an explosive strike rate.

From England’s perspective, Dawid Malan is the player they will have their hopes tied to. He is averaging 67 in the last 7 matches. We have seen glimpses of what he can do during the Bangladesh game.

Predictions

This is 50-50. Both the teams have equal ability to win this match. The only arsenal in the bowling that England has is their spinners. And the Lankan boys play spin well. They play spin very well. And the pitch has favoured batters the most. It all comes down to whether the batting lineups will be able to score in this game. And it seems like Sri Lanka may be a tide better than England in this aspect. So yeah, if you ask me, it is a 51-49 in favor of Sri Lanka.

Highlights

England won the toss and chose to bat first. But was this the right decision? Of course, this is what the Lankans would have done as well. However, things were slightly favoured towards the Sri Lanka bowlers, just as we had predicted.

ENGLAND	SRI LANKA
Jonny Bairstow	Pathum Nissanka
Dawid Malan	Kusal Perera
Joe Root	Kusal Mendis
Ben Stokes	Sadeera Samarawikrama
Jos Buttler	Charith Asalanka
Liam Livingston	Dhanajaya de Silva
Moeen Ali	Angelo Mathews
Chris Woakes	Maheesh Theekshana
David Willey	Kasun Rajitha
Adil Rashid	Dilshan Madushanka
Mark Wood	Lahiru Kumara

First Innings – England

ENGLAND 156-10 (33.2 overs)
BATTING	BOWLING
Ben Stokes 43 (73)	Lahiru Kumara 3-35
Jonny Bairstow 30 (31)	Angelo Mathews 2-14
Dawid Malan 28 (25)	Kasun Rajitha 2-36
TARGET	157 runs in 50 overs

• This is a collapse from England. The signs were there. The “bazball” approach is a double-edged sword. As much as it provides you an upper hand in the game, it also provides the bowling side fault lines to manipulate. And this is what happened today. Sri Lanka gave England the beating it deserved for rash decisions in the batting.
• The opening partnership looked good. Malan and Bairstow added 45 runs in 38 deliveries. However, Angelo Mathews took Malan’s wicket when he was at 28. The old gun still fires at full force. This is a return Mathews mustn’t have expected since he wasn’t playing that much cricket these days. It’s raining cats and dogs in Sri Lanka!
• After this, it was a collapse. No batter could stay on the wicket and score more runs. Ben Stokes tried to stay on the crease and score more runs for the team. But the Stokesy can do so much on his own. It may be the defining moment for Sri Lanka when Lahiru Kumara took Ben’s wicket. England was done for. Their World Cup campaign is done for.
• The bowlers bowled brilliantly. It was a slower wicket than we anticipated. Props to Theekshana for having a tight grip on the scorecard. He blocked those runs. And this was what he said in the pre-match interview as well. His role was always to block the runs while Hasaranga took the wickets from the other end. But this time, the mystery spinner has done the job.
• Sri Lanka will be happy chasing 157 on such a surface.

Second Innings – Sri Lanka

SRI LANKA 160-2 (25.4 overs)
BATTING	BOWLING
Pathum Nissanka 77 (83)	David Willey 2-30
Sadeera Samarawickrama 65 (54)	Chris Woakes 0-30
Kusal Mendis 11 (12)	Liam Livingstone 0-17
RESULT	Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets at hand

• This is a crushing defeat for the English team, and there goes their campaign for this World Cup. The trophy is out of their hands, for sure. Bazball may work in Test cricket, but it has yielded nothing in the ODI format.
• David Willey took two wickets, which may have dented Sri Lanka’s pursuit of 156. However, 156 wasn’t the target that could cripple an in-form Sri Lanka batting side. Sadeera Samarawikrama and Pathum Nissanka made sure to sail the ship smoothly.
• Sri Lanka chased this target quickly with 8 wickets at hand and 146 balls remaining. This will make their NRR better.
• No excuse for the English batters. The rash decisions gave England bowlers nothing to play with. Props to Lahiru Kumara and Co for using the conditions wisely.

Man of the match

Lahiru Kumara has to be the man of the catch for today. The bowler destroyed England’s middle order, crippling their batting lineup to nothing. The tail could only do so much. This goes in Kumara’s bag.