Bengaluru: England were the first team to win back-to-back World Cups in two formats – the ODI tournament in 2019 and T20 event in 2022.
But how quickly have the giants of white-ball cricket fallen from grace.
In the midst of a rotten run in the 2023 ODI World Cup, England went from bad to worse on Thursday as they were outplayed once again – this time by Sri Lanka.
Having dismissed England for a paltry 156 in 33.2 overs, the Lankans coasted to an 8-wicket victory with almost half the overs left.
It was England’s fourth defeat in 5 matches, and all of their losses – against New Zealand, Afghanistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka — have been by massive margins.
With just 2 points in the kitty and 4 games left in the league stage, England are tottering on the brink of elimination. They are not arithmetically out of the running for a semifinal spot yet, but England no longer have fate in their own hands.
They can at best garner 10 points by winning their remaining matches – against India (October 29), Australia (November 4), The Netherlands (November 8) and Pakistan (November 11). To qualify for the semifinals with a tally of 10 points, England have to depend on some favourable results in other games.
Brief scores: England 156 all out in 33.2 overs (Ben Stokes 43, Jonny Bairstow 30; Lahiru Kumara 3/35). Sri Lanka 160/2 in 25.4 overs (Pathum Nissanka 77 not out, Sadeera Samarawickrama 65 not out).
Result: Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets.
Standings: England 9th (2 points in 5 games); Sri Lanka 5th (4 points in 5 games).
