The English team's heroes for the evening were Alex Hales and Ben Stokes, as they reached the target with two balls remaining.
Digital Desk: England defeated Sri Lanka by four wickets to qualify for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup on Saturday and ending the hopes of defending champions Australia whose title defence is now over.
The English team's heroes for the evening were Alex Hales and Ben Stokes, as they reached the target with two balls remaining.
the captain of Sri Lanka, Dasun Shanaka chose to bat first after winning the toss. Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis put on a partnership of 39 runs in four overs to get the Island country off to an incredible start.
The best English bowler was Mark Wood, he took three wickets for 26 runs in three overs.
Jos Buttler and Alex Hales gave England the perfect start as they put up 75 runs for the first wicket in just eight overs while chasing 142 runs to win.
The first Sri Lankan victory came from Hasaranga, who took Buttler's wicket. Hales also didn't stay long because, after scoring a brilliant 47, he was also killed by the Sri Lankan spinner. In 30 balls, Hales' inning featured seven boundaries and one six.
As a result of England losing a few wickets quickly and the pace of the game slowing down a little, Dhananjaya took out Moeen Ali and Harry Brook, while Lahiru Kumara got Liam Livingstone.
To make things more interesting going into the final two overs, the Sri Lankan spinners were able to exert pressure and reduce the equation to 13 off 13 balls. Kumara also took the wicket of Sam Curran.
Ben Stokes, though, showed great composure by scoring 44 runs in 36 balls to ensure that England reached their destination. Chris Woakes hit the winning runs as England won the match by four wickets to enter the semi-finals.
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