Sri Lanka beat England by 8 wickets, Defending Champs Stare at Early Exit

In a stunning upset, Sri Lanka bowled out England for 156 and chased down the target with 8 wickets and 146 balls to spare in the World Cup 2023.

Sri Lanka 160 for 2 (Nissanka 77*, Samarawickrama 65*) beat England 156 (Stokes 43, Kumara 3-35) by eight wickets

England’s struggles continued as they suffered their fifth consecutive World Cup 2023 defeat to Sri Lanka at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. England won the toss and elected to bat first, but their top six batsmen fell within the first 25 overs.

Angelo Mathews, a Sri Lankan veteran, took a wicket in the seventh over, his first in over three years in ODI cricket. England’s chances took a hit as key players like Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, and Jos Buttler were dismissed early.

Despite a brief partnership between Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali, Sri Lanka’s relentless bowling left England struggling. Stokes, the English Test captain, put up a fight but was eventually dismissed for 43 off 73 balls in the 31st over. England was bowled out for a mere 156 in 33.2 overs.

Sri Lanka, in response, lost their first two wickets within the first six overs. However, Sadeera Samarawickrama and Pathum Nissanka’s resilient batting turned the tide.

Both players scored half-centuries, securing Sri Lanka’s victory with an impressive 146 balls to spare. Nissanka remained unbeaten on 77 off 83, while Samarawickrama scored 65 off 54, sealing a convincing eight-wicket win for Sri Lanka. England now faces the possibility of an early exit from the tournament.