Sri Lanka Crumble Against England at Pallekele

Defending a modest total of 146 after Phil Salt’s lone hand, Will Jacks takes three as Sri Lanka are rolled for 95  …..England 146 for 9 (Salt 62, Wellalage 3-26) beat Sri Lanka 95 (Shanaka 30, Jacks 3-22) by 51 runs

England have jumped to the top of Group 2 of the Super Eight with a dominant, Net Run Rate-boosting 51-run win over Sri Lanka in Pallekele. In pursuit of what should have been a manageable target of 147, the hosts were snuffed out for 95 in an error-strewn innings that continued a grim 12-match losing streak to England, who lead Pakistan and New Zealand by a point after their washout on Saturday.

Yet again, Will Jacks came to the fore – only this time with the ball. After England had posted what looked an under-par 146 for 9 – Phil Salt‘s 62 the lone score of note in response to Dunith Wellalage‘s 3 for 26 – Jacks bowled four of the first eight overs of the run chase, pocketing 3 for 22 without breaking a sweat.

Just as Wellalage had done in taking out three big English names – Jos Buttler, Harry Brook and Salt – Jacks’ trio capped Sri Lanka’s ambition. Kusal Mendis’s push back to the off-spinner was quickly followed by Pavan Rathnayake launching high to Jacob Bethell at cover, before Wellalage failed to clear Jamie Overton at mid on.

Coupled with Jofra Archer’s 2 for 20, which included star man Pathum Nissanka flicking to Overton at deep midwicket, Sri Lanka exited the powerplay on 34 for 5 and devoid of any real hope.

It made England’s 37 for 2 in their first six overs look far more measured, when in fact it was a patchy start typified by a labored 7 off 14 from Buttler, before he was trapped lbw to Wellalage.

Sri Lanka’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss – predicated on their comprehensive take down of Australia at this venue in the Group Stages – looked vindicated, even as Salt battled humid conditions to reach his first half-century of this World Cup – and second in all T20I editions – from 36 deliveries. That Jacks’ 21 was England’s second-highest score spoke to the awkwardness of the innings.

Dasun Shanaka marshaled his attack well, helped by the consistent threat of Dilshan Madushanka (2 for 25) and Maheesh Theekshana (2 for 21). But Sri Lanka’s captain was brought back down to earth when he found himself in the middle with a ball left of the sixth over.

Having thumped two sixes on his way to 30, an attempt at a third was brilliantly relayed on the midwicket fence to leave Sri Lanka 82 for 8, with all their full-time batters now back in the hutch. Naturally, Jacks was a key figure in that dismissal, taking the catch before casually lobbing it back into play, straight to Tom Banton.

Dushmantha Chameera and Madushanka were the final two batters to fall, both bowled trying going for slogs, in keeping with a comically cavalier approach to a target that required sensible heads. And yet even with the all out attack, Sri Lanka could only muster 95 in 100 legal deliveries.

Jacks shows all trades

You should never travel without insurance, and in Jacks England have the ideal safety blanket for a subcontinental T20 World Cup. And like insurance – in principle at least – Jacks has saved the team when they’ve least expected it.

For all the admiration for Jacks’ talents, as evidenced by his selection for the Ashes at the start of this winter, few would have predicted this emergence as a talismanic figure for England’s World Cup hopes.

You could argue the opportunities Jacks has taken should not have presented themselves in the first place. Nevertheless, the team have leaned on him against Nepal (39*), Scotland (16*) and Italy (53*), all unbeaten knocks from the defacto No.7 that pulled them out of sticky situations.

Now an established threat, he loomed in the background as England’s top order stumbled to 68 for 4 after 10 overs, before Sam Curran’s dismissal brought Jacks to the crease at 94 for 5 at the start of the 14th.

His 21 off 17 was the slowest of his four double-figure scores at this tournament, and Sri Lanka did well to stem his flow, removing him with seven balls to go. Unfortunately for them, Jacks took that personally.

“He always tells me he bowls better when he’s angry,” said Brook after the match. Jacks channelled that rage into a good length from around the wicket, both to right- and left-handers. A leading edge from Mendis and a horrid hack from Rathnayake got him back-to-back rewards, before Wellalage’s gifted him a third in his final over.

That he bowled the first four from one end speaks to the amount of trust now placed on Jacks and how well he is responding to it.

Buttler’s woes continue

Buttler said he would not curb his attacking intent in search for better form at this T20 World Cup, and he was true to his word. A length delivery from Wellalage was met with an attempted reverse sweep, Buttler upright looking to access behind point, where there was empty (patchy) green to exploit.

Unfortunately, Buttler’s bat could not have been further from the ball as it clattered into his knee, in front of middle stump. That he even had the conversation with Salt about reviewing was galling; surely he knew he was plumb? The desperation for reassurance from his opening partner was misguided, and Salt had little to offer. Buttler turned on his heels and marched off as quickly as he could.

That, arguably, was the soundest judgement he showed on Sunday. Taking a review back to the dressing room would have made the innings worse.

The four dot balls in the previous over off Madushanka were painful to watch. England’s greatest white-ball batter is clearly out of sync with his movements, even his trigger, turned inside out by the left-arm quick’s movement across him, which almost cost him his off stump.

Buttler is now averaging 13.50 in this World Cup. This innings – his third single-figure score in succession – is his 12th without a half-century. How far off are England from having a conversation about the former captain?

A long way given how much credit Buttler has in the bank and Brendon McCullum’s ethos of backing your headline acts to the hilt. “He’s a powerhouse of world cricket,” said Brook defiantly. “He’s arguably the greatest white-ball player to ever play the game”

But 35-year-old Buttler is struggling badly. Badly enough that his dismissal was, ultimately, a good thing for the team.

All’s Wellalage, even as it doesn’t end well

At the halfway stage, Wellalage was probably sitting back, admiring the part he had played in another Sri Lanka win. Until he was rudely jolted out of his chair by the start of a terminal top-order collapse.

The left-arm spinner found himself back out there 3.4 overs into the second innings, the pressure he had put on England now being shoved right back at him, his exceptional 3 for 26 split across three phases of the game on its way to being deemed obsolete.

Despite the result, Wellagage’s ability to knit together not just his own overs, but those of the bowlers around him, was a silver lining. And a reminder of the maturity he possesses at the age of just 23.

With the limits of the outfield sodden after heavy overnight rains, the sponge was brought in, reducing the size of the boundaries. With an enticing hit back over his head, Wellagage was unperturbed when slowing the pace down, which allowed him to sneak one into the pad of Brook. A bit of loop then did for Salt, whose tired thump down the ground fell into the hands of Dushan Hemantha at long off.

Wellagage’s spell would have been the jumping off point for a celebration of a well-rounded attack. In the end, it is nothing more than a footnote in a catastrophic defeat that already has Sri Lanka up against it to qualify for the semi-finals.