ICC Men’s T20 World Cup - Super Eight: Salt leads as bowlers finish to steer England to victory

England’s Phil Salt top-scored with 62 runs

Will Jacks put on an all-round performance with 21 runs and 3/22

By M. Shamil Amit in Pallekele

England cleared the first hurdle when they won the first match of the three-match Super Eight with a comfortable 51-run win over Sri Lanka, played at the Pallekele Stadium yesterday.

England, after making 146 for 9, succeeded in defending the score as they bowled out Sri Lanka for a paltry 95 runs. England, in the process, continued their winning trend against Sri Lanka, as they continued to torment them, having recorded a 3-0 T20 series win in early February that was played in Sri Lanka, and also this was their 12th successive T20 win against Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka, in their run chase of 147 runs, put themselves in deep trouble and were in dire straits as they succumbed to the right-arm pace and spin duo Jofra Archer and Will Jacks, losing their top five wickets within the first six overs with the scoreboard reading a pathetic 34 for 5.

None of the five batsmen were able to reach double figures. The writing was on the wall for Sri Lanka, who were left with the daunting task of making another 113 runs in 85 balls. Kamindu Mendis and Dushan Hemantha followed cheaply for the addition of 35 runs, and Sri Lanka were struggling on 69 for 7 in the 12th over.

Despite skipper Dasun Shanaka making a top knock of 30, he was forced to see the losing of his partners at the other end, and Sri Lanka lost their remaining three wickets for the addition of 26 runs, being bowled out for 95.

After Archer and Jacks, who together did the early damage to the Sri Lanka innings, sharing five wickets, the spin duo Liam Dawson and Adil Rashid did the finishing touches, with the pair sharing four wickets, which stemmed the collapse of Sri Lanka’s late-order batting.

Earlier Jos Butler continued his failure, and he was the first to exit, falling victim to Wellalage, making just seven runs in his 14-ball knock, and England on 18 for 1 in the fourth over. Jacob Bethell, who followed too, was unable to make any impression, lasting just four balls.

Tom Banton too underwent the same fate as he struggled to come to terms with spin bowling before getting himself run out, having faced seven balls for his six runs, and England at this stage was in a spot of bother with three down for 49 in the eighth over.

At the halfway stage of the innings, England was struggling on 68 for 4. Skipper Harry Brook and Salt, though, put in some resistance; their association came to an end, having added 19 runs for the fourth wicket with the dismissal of Brook, who became Wellalage’s second victim.

Salt, joined by Sam Curran, saw the pair accumulating runs and denying the Sri Lanka bowlers, and Salt in the process managed to race to his half ton which took him 36 balls that comprised five boundaries and a six. Right-arm pacie Dushmantha Chameera separated the pair with the wicket of Curran, who together added 26 runs for the fifth wicket.

Salt followed, giving Wellalage his third wicket of the match, having made 62 in 40 balls that included six boundaries and two sixes. With England on 106 for 6 in the 15th over, the late-order batsmen managed to collect 40 runs in the latter stages of the innings for England to end with a score of 146 for 9.

(Pix by Kushan Pathiraja)