They are not yet eliminated from contention for a position in the semifinals, but their loss to Sri Lanka has hampered their chances and they must win their remaining four matches to have even a remote chance. It was Sri Lanka’s fifth victory over England in the World Cup, and it was a rout, as Kusal Mendis’s squad defeated England by eight wickets. Ben Stokes’s 43 was the highest score for England, which was bowled out for a meager 156 by the trio of Angelo Mathews, Kasun Rajitha, and Lahiru Kumara. Sri Lanka lost Kusal Perera and Mendis early in the chase, but Pathum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama’s unbeaten half-centuries assured a comfortable victory as they chased down the target in 25.4 overs. England is now ranked ninth with only one victory in five games, while Sri Lanka is currently ranked fifth with two victories in five contests.
Fin de l’aura – Left scrambling for a mathematical chance to still advance to the quarterfinal stage, it was unquestionable that England’s golden era had come to an end. Since 2016, they have advanced to the quarterfinal stages of every ICC white-ball tournament, including winning two titles. Ganesh Chandrasekaran writes that the twilight has arrived sooner than expected.
Sri Lankan spinners force England to its World Cup low point – Sri Lanka and England began the afternoon desperate for two points to keep their respective campaigns alive. Prakash Govinda Sreenivasan writes that Sri Lanka planned better, fought better, and regrouped better, exemplifying the old sports aphorism of desiring it more.
England are almost resigned to the possibility that their campaign is drawing to an end. Speaking to Sky Sports, head coach Matthew Mott said, “Mathematically, we’d have to have a lot of things go our way. As I said prior to today, we could control it from there, but it certainly hasn’t helped our net run-rate and, depending on others, we’ll keep fronting, we’ll keep treating each game in isolation, and we’ll try to salvage some really good stuff out of this. But in all honesty, we’re in a tad of difficulty.”
Concerns grow over Hardik Pandya’s extended absence
The Indian all-rounder is presently undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, according to reports. The precise date of his return is currently unknown. It is unknown whether he will be available for the match against Sri Lanka in Mumbai on November 2 or the encounter against South Africa in Kolkata on November 5. It is currently verified that he will not be available for the game in Lucknow.
Pakistan run into rampaging South Africa
When their campaign was on the verge of disintegrating, the 1992 tournament-winning Pakistani squad won five consecutive games. Four consecutive victories in 2023 would presumably place Pakistan in the semifinals. But embarking on such a stretch will be difficult, particularly since South Africa will be the first of those four opponents. With a 400-plus score and three more 300-plus scores in their first five games, the firepower of South Africa’s batting lineup has been the talk of the tournament, so it will not be easy for an out-of-form pace attack to contain them. The final event of this World Cup will be played in Chennai.
The ridiculousness of Glenn Maxwell
Glenn Maxwell’s batting is preposterous, according to Bharat Sundaresan. Over the years, numerous other adjectives have been used to describe his distinctive batting technique. However, this behavior is not merely frenzied, ultra-aggressive, or extreme. It is more than breathtaking. If anything, it is absurd. Maxwell broke the mark for the fastest World Cup century at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, so it’s no surprise that the term “record” was uttered incessantly by commentators and spectators.
Shakib returns to Bangladesh to work on leg side game
Shakib Al Hasan was greeted with boos and chants of “bhoa-bhoa-bhoa” (fake) as he exited the BCB academy on October 26 after a net session with Nazmul Abedin, with whom he has worked since his boyhood days at BKSP. The left-handed batter decided to depart Mumbai for two days of intensive training with his coach after his poor performance with the bat negatively affected his team’s chances in the ongoing World Cup.
