SYDNEY – England on Saturday qualified for the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup after defeating Sri Lanka by four wickets in their final Super 12 encounter at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
England took a steady start to chase the target of 141 runs down as Alex Hales and Jos Buttler build a strong opening stand of 75 runs. Buttler played the second fiddle in the partnership, scoring 28 from 23 deliveries, Hales blasted his way to 47 from 30 deliveries.
The opening pair looked in hurry to finish the game but Sri Lankan bowlier Wanindu Hasaranga had other plans as he dismissed the both in consecutive overs.
Those two wickets triggered a collapse as England lost for more quick wickets in the space of just 47 runs, making the chase extremely difficult for themselves. However, the team kept their nerves strong and surpassed the target in 19.4 overs.
Earlier, Sri Lanka opted to bat first after winning the toss. The Lankan openers put on a stand of 39 runs in the first four overs and at 80/2 at the end of 10 overs, Sri Lanka were in a very good position in the game. Although Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva departed, Nissanka carried on and made his way to a fine knock of 67 from 45 deliveries.
However, the England bowlers made a comeback after a difficult start and kept the target within a chaseable limit.
England has secured the semi-finals berth by knocking out Australia.
Squads
England: Jos Buttler(w/c), Alex Hales, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, Dawid Malan, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha
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