The way in which Sri Lankan batters surrendered in entrance of the England bowlers on February 22 on the Pallekele Worldwide Cricket Stadium in Balagolla makes the Lankan legend Angelo Mathews perplexed. He took to his official ‘X’ account to specific his disappointment proper after the match.
On Sunday, Sri Lanka was up in opposition to England for his or her opening match of the Tremendous 8 of the continuing ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Sri Lanka, the co-host of the event, displayed top-notch cricket within the group stage and was the favourite to defeat England as nicely at present.
Sri Lanka was the entrance runner to win the match
On Balagolla, England’s batting order collapsed in entrance of the house crew’s bowling assault. Dunith Wellalage’s 3-wicket determine and Maheesh Theekshana and Dilshan Madushanka’s brace every restricted England to 146 runs in change for 9 wickets in 20 overs.
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As a number of Sri Lankan batters have been in high kind, and the goal was trying inadequate to be protected, many cricket consultants and followers believed that the cricket crew of the island nation would outclass England with ease.
Momentum shifted as soon as England went to bowl
As soon as the second innings of the match kicked off, issues began to form in a very totally different manner, proving many of the predictions mistaken. Pathum Nissanka, who smashed a ton in opposition to Australia and is among the many main run scorers within the event, was dismissed cheaply.
Kusal Mendis, Dunith Wellalage, Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, and the opposite stars of the Sri Lankan batting mixture come and go, with out placing any notable efforts to save lots of the crew.
Captain Dasun Shanaka tried arduous to carry one finish of the crease, however his 30-run knock was not sufficient in opposition to England’s 146. As quickly as Shanaka went out, all of Sri Lanka’s hope to win the match vanished inside seconds. The island nation folded for under 95, and England gained by 51 runs.
Horrible: Angelo Mathews
Former Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews could not imagine what he witnessed. Mathews, who’s now working as a commentator and a cricket knowledgeable within the event, described the second as ‘horrible.’ He slams the batters for not performing sensibly.
“OMG! No phrases! Pathetic batting by Sri Lanka. After bowling so nicely, no batter needed to bat sensibly and get Sri Lanka house! “Horrible,” the previous cricketer expressed himself.
OMG! No phrases! Pathetic batting by srilanka. After bowling so nicely and no batter needed to bat sensibly and get srilanka house ! Horrible
— Angelo Mathews (@Angelo69Mathews) February 22, 2026
England all-rounder Will Jacks was named because the participant of the match for his contribution each with bat and ball. With the bat, he added an essential 21 off 14, and with the ball, he dismissed Kusal Mendis, Rathnayake, and Wellalage to say the sport.
“We performed badly. All of the bowlers on our aspect bowled nicely; it is not that they (England) bowled very well. “We performed some rash pictures in vital intervals,” Dasun Shanaka, the Sri Lanka captain, mentioned after the match.
Learn Extra: Dushan Hemantha loses his wicket in a weird trend as England run riot in opposition to Sri Lanka
