Clinical England outclass Sri Lanka in spin battle

England outclassed Sri Lanka in a spin battle in Pallekele to pick up a resounding 51-run win in their first Super Eight clash of the T20 World Cup. On a slowish surface, Sri Lanka's spinners first had England under the pump and eventually restricted them to just 146/9. However, the hosts were then handed a taste of their own medicine as the English spin attack, led by Will Jacks' efforts in the Powerplay, crushed them in front of a stunned home crowd.

Against all odds, there were no delays to the contest despite the incessant rain for 12 hours leading up to the game. As a result, Sri Lanka had no hesitation in opting to bowl after winning the toss - a call that was proved right very early. Dilshan Madushanka made an instant impact by troubling Jos Buttler but it was Dunith Wellalage who struck the first blow when the former skipper was trapped lbw in his attempt to break free with a reverse-hit. Early signs were clear that the pitch was indeed on the slower side, taking a bit of turn as well. Maheesh Theekshana capitalised in the final over of the Powerplay when Jacob Bethell mistimed one while attempting a slog. Things went from bad to worse when Tom Banton was run out despite putting in a dive and at the halfway mark, Harry Brook was dismissed leg-before-wicket by Wellalage to leave England stuttering at 68/4.

Amidst all the carnage, Phil Salt was the only one who kept England afloat with some crucial runs. Having hit Wellalage for a six in just the second over, Salt also smashed back-to-back boundaries off Madushanka before nailing a sweep against Dushan Hemantha to score more than 50% of his team's runs at that stage. For a brief period, England finally appeared to be in some control with Salt bringing up his half-century and Sam Curran bringing out his trademark slog sweep for a six off Hemantha. But Dushmantha Chameera came back to ensure the partnership didn't flourish further as he got rid of Curran with a slower ball. Salt counterattacked in the same over with a four and a six off successive deliveries but Wellalage came back for his final over and got the big fish to help Sri Lanka regain control again.

In the final five overs, it was Jacks who kept finding the boundary in timely intervals despite the inroads Sri Lanka were making at the other end. In the penultimate over, Madushanka closed out his spell with the wickets of Jacks and Jofra Archer and that ensured England were kept under 150.

But both Jacks and Archer were back with the ball to hurt the home side. They operated in tandem and nipped out half the Sri Lankan side inside the Powerplay to stun Pallekele into silence. Pathum Nissanka was the first to depart as the dangerman fell to a well-laid out trap by England, finding the fielder at deep midwicket despite hitting boundaries off the previous two deliveries.

With the surface aiding him, Jacks then struck off consecutive deliveries to send Kusal Mendis and Pavan Rathnayake back to the pavilion early. Kamil Mishara was the next to depart with the left-hander edging Archer to the fielder at gully. Wellalage broke the shackles with a couple of boundaries in the final over of the Powerplay but Jacks had the last laugh when the left-hander mistimed one to get caught at mid on. By the end of the Powerplay, the chase appeared to be done and dusted at 34/5. Dasun Shanaka and Kamindu Mendis brought some cheer to the crowd with a six each in back-to-back overs but a leading edge saw the latter chip a catch back to Liam Dawson to add to Sri Lanka's woes. After nine overs, the hosts were 53/6 with Adil Rashid yet to enter the attack.

While Shanaka put up a brief fight, the procession continued. Hemantha was dismissed hit-wicket and the Sri Lankan skipper himself was eventually sent packing following a fine combined effort near the boundary from Jacks and Tom Banton. Dawson and Rashid then put Sri Lanka out of their misery with a wicket each after Shanaka's departure to complete the facile win. The margin of defeat will now put pressure on the home side, especially with Pakistan and New Zealand already securing a point each following the washout last night.

Brief scores: England 146/9 in 20 overs (Phil Salt 62, Will Jacks 21; Dunith Wellalage 3/26, Maheesh Theekshana 2/21) beat Sri Lanka 95 in 16.4 overs (Dasun Shanaka 30; Will Jacks 3/22, Adil Rashid 2/13) by 51 runs