4.6 overs (0 Run) OUT! Cleaned up! Dushmantha Chameera has got the breakthrough for his team.
4.5 overs (0 Run) Was there a knick on it? Back of a length, outisde off and angled in. Dawid Malan looks to work it on the leg side but gets cut in half. The replay shows that indeed there was a bottom edge on it.
4.4 overs (0 Run) Chameera hurls across a length ball from around the stumps and Malan taps it towards short cover.
4.3 overs (4 Runs) FOUR! Just a flick from Malan and the ball has raced away into the fence. Length again, on middle and leg, Malan hangs back and flicks it through mid-wicket for a boundary.
4.2 overs (1 Run) Buttler pre-meditates the scoop again and Chameera bowls a slower one outside off. Buttler just nudges it the other way, towards short third man for a single. Good cricket all-round.
4.1 overs (0 Run) Jos Buttler looks to get funky early on. A length ball, just outside off. Buttler walks right across his stumps and looks to scoop it over the keeper's head but fails to connect.
3.6 overs (0 Run) Quicker. This stays straight and on the pads. Malan misses his flick and gets rapped on the pads. Maheesh Theekshana appeals but the umpire is unmoved. It was surely pitching outside leg. A good start by Maheesh Theekshana, just 4 runs off it.
3.6 overs (1 Run) WIDE! Floated, sliding down leg. Malan looks to tuck it away but misses. Wide called.
Dushmantha Chameera is back on. Went for 12 runs in his first over.
3.6 overs (1 Run) WIDE! Tossed up, down leg. Malan looks to flick it away but misses. Wide called.
3.5 overs (1 Run) A single now! Full and on leg. Buttler comes down the track and flicks it towards square leg for a run. With this single, Buttler gets to 2000 T20I runs. That is some milestone.
3.4 overs (0 Run) Three dots on the trot. Flatter and on off. Buttler stays inside the crease and punches it to point.
3.3 overs (0 Run) Tossed up, outside off. Buttler taps it out to point.
3.2 overs (0 Run) Quicker, full and on off. Buttler pushes it to cover.
3.1 overs (1 Run) Flatter and on leg. Malan clips it to mid-wicket for a single.
More spin as Maheesh Theekshana is into the attack.
2.6 overs (0 Run) Fuller and on off. Buttler pushes it to cover off the toe end of the blade. An expensive start for Kumara, 10 runs coming off his first.
2.5 overs (2 Runs) Good length and on off. Buttler stays back and guides it past backward point. The batters pick a couple as the fielder misfields.
2.4 overs (0 Run) Length and on off. Buttler defends it out to the off side.
2.3 overs (4 Runs) FOUR! Streaky this time! Buttler gets lucky and finds the second boundary of the over. A length ball, around off. The ball nips in off the pitch. Buttler though looks to push it away to the off side without any footwork. The ball takes the inside edge and goes into the boundary at fine leg.
2.2 overs (0 Run) Full length, around middle and leg. Buttler works it towards mid on.
2.1 overs (4 Runs) FOUR! Beautiful shot! Great hands by Jos Buttler. Good length and outside off. Buttler stays inside the crease and punches it through point. The ball races away to the boundary.
Lahiru Kumara to bowl now.
1.6 overs (1 Run) On middle, Buttler tucks it to the leg side for a single. A great over by Hasaranga a wicket and just three runs off it. The Hat-Trick hero of the last game, does not take time to get going in this game.
1.5 overs (0 Run) Wrong one, around off. Buttler stays back and defends it out.
1.4 overs (1 Run) Malan gets off the mark now! Floated, around off. Malan pushes it to cover and crosses for a single.
1.3 overs (0 Run) Googly, on off. Malan gets low and defends it on to the pitch.
Who walks out at number 3? Dawid Malan it is.
1.2 overs (0 Run) OUT! TIMBER! The plan of getting the spin early on has done wonders for Sri Lanka. Wanindu Hasaranga gets the big wicket of Roy. He has to depart on 4. Floated, full and on off. The ball skids through off the pitch. Roy kneels down and looks to sweep it away but misses it completely. The ball sneaks under the blade and connects with the off pole. The lights are off and Wanindu Hasaranga is up and running with his celebration. A great start for Sri Lanka.
1.1 overs (1 Run) Loopy ball, full and on leg. Buttler comes down the track and flicks it to square leg for a single.
Who will bowl from the other end? It is Wanindu Hasaranga.
0.6 over (2 Runs) Good-length on the fourth stump line. Roy hangs back and guides it down to third man. The man in the deep fumbles which allows the batsmen run two. A great start by England. 12 runs coming off the first over.
0.5 over (3 Runs) Buttler opens his account as well! A length ball, on off. Buttler stays inside the crease and punches it through covers. The batters take three before the fielder cuts it out.
0.4 over (1 Run) Full and on the pads. Roy clips it to deep square leg for a single. Buttler comes on strike for the first time now.
0.3 over (4 Runs) FOUR! Roy does not take time to get going. Back of a length, around off. Roy hits it on the up. He makes room and punches it through covers and bags the first boundary of the innings.
0.2 over (0 Run) A dot now! Length and outside off. The ball does not bounce much. Roy stays back and pushes it to extra cover.
0.1 over (2 Runs) Jason Roy and England are off the mark straightaway. Chameera hurls a length ball, on the pads. Jason Roy flicks it behind square on the leg side. The batters pick up two easily.
The players walk out and line up for their respective national anthems. It is Sri Lanka's first followed by England's. Done with all the pre-match formalities. It is time for the action as the players of Sri Lanka stride out to the middle. Jason Roy and Jos Buttler are the openers for England. The players take the knee to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Dushmantha Chameera to start with the ball. Here we go...
Eoin Morgan, the skipper of England, says that they would have bowled first as well. Says that it is a different condition. Adds that they want to win every game at the moment and qualify for semis. Adds that as a group they play together. Informs that there are no changes.
The Sri Lankan skipper, Dasun Shanaka says that they will bowl first and there might be dew later on. Adds that there are no changes to the side. Mentions that the youngsters have been good and it's the experienced players who need to step up a bit. Adds that he hopes the batting will improve and yes, it is a bit of an advantage to have played here earlier when the opponent hasn't, so will look to make the most of it.
England (Unchanged playing XI) - Jos Buttler (WK), Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, Eoin Morgan (C), Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Tymal Mills.
Sri Lanka (Unchanged playing XI) - Kusal Perera (WK), Pathum Nissanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Avishka Fernando, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (C), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Lahiru Kumara.
TOSS – Eoin Morgan and Dasun Shanaka, both the skippers are out in the middle for an all-important toss. Morgan flips the coin in the air and it lands in the favour of Sri Lanka. They have opted to BOWL first.
PITCH REPORT - Shane Watson is near the pitch, he says, it looks like a pretty standard Sharjah wicket. It will be skiddy he adds. Mentions, the straight boundaries are a bit on the bigger side as compared to the square boundaries. Niall O'Brien is with him he says, the bowlers have something to work with on the pitch, the bounce is a little low here as compared to the other wickets. Adds the pitch looks an absolute belter, it should be a high scoring game.
The Lankan lions have looked a shadow of a team they once were in the past couple of years or so but in the qualifying leading upto the Super 12 stage, they somehow managed to find their rhythm and put up some commendable performances. They have two matches remaining and will need to win both of them to have a chance of making it through to the semifinals. They have a good bowling lineup but their batting needs to be more consistent and against a team that hasn't lost a match yet, Sri Lanka will need to bring their A game today. Can the Lankan lions halt the English march or will they be outclassed like all the other opponents that have come up against this English side so far in this tournament? Find out soon. Toss and team news in a bit.
Up until that 2019 World Cup title win, England always had great individual players but couldn't quite play consistently great as a team. Well, all that's changed now and they have become a ruthless unit under the captaincy of Eoin Morgan. The only team who has matched them in terms of both, performances and results in this tournament so far, is Pakistan, who have been playing cricket in these conditions for quite some time now. England on the other hand, have adapted to the conditions so well, that at the moment, it would take everything for an opponent to beat them. Their batting has been good, bowling has been phenomenal and their fielding has been top notch as well. With a win today, England can become the first team to qualify for the semifinals and that's exactly what they'll be looking to do.
Hello and a warm welcome welcome to matchday Monday here in the T20 World Cup. It's time for match number 29, between Sri Lanka and England. It's that time of the tournament where every single match is like a knockout for most teams and in this week we'll see how that semifinals line-up is shaping up. Going by what we have seen so far, England and Pakistan have been two dominant sides and have an unblemished record so far, winning 3 out of 3 and getting a win each, over their arch-rivals in the process. Sri lanka have shown great fight as well in the tournament, so this match seems to be a match-up of high intensity with a lot riding on it.
... MATCH DAY ...
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