Alas, how the powerful have fallen. Two of the World Cup’s underdogs, England, the defending champions, and Sri Lanka, are playing a game that might decide the outcome. Both teas are fighting for the thinnest of lifelines after terrible beginnings to their campaigns, with only one victory in each of their last four efforts.
The toss is underway here at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. After winning the toss, England chose to bat first.
For England, this tournament has been nothing short of a nightmare. Over the course of four games, the reigning champions, who entered this tournament as heavyweights, have hardly looked like them.
Numerous alterations made during their most recent game against the formidable Proteas proved to be a fatal mistake, as they suffered a devastating defeat in which the South Africans demonstrated their attacking prowess to the entire world.
Sri Lanka had comparatively smaller expectations from the others than did their opponents today. A promising new group of young players was anticipated to emerge and take the field by storm. Although the attacking players have really stepped up, the club has had trouble getting off the ground as a whole and has lost a number of games as a result.
During their successful 2019 World Cup campaign, England also suffered a run of setbacks, one of which came against Sri Lanka. After those defeats, they turned things around and went on an undefeated streak to win the trophy, something Jos Buttler would undoubtedly wish for. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka hopes to continue their winning streak of four matches.
Both sides are level at two points, but Sri Lanka is now ahead of England because they have a marginally higher NRR.
