ENG vs SL: Is it all but over for England at the ODI World Cup 2023? Lose by 8 wickets to Sri Lanka

A total of 157 runs proved insufficient for England as they suffered an 8-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka in the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023. This loss marks Sri Lanka's fifth consecutive victory over England in ODI World Cup encounters.

The match took place at Bengaluru's M. Chinnaswamy Stadium and turned out to be a batting disaster for England. They struggled to amass just 156 runs in 33.2 overs while losing wickets at regular intervals. Sri Lanka successfully chased down this target in 25.4 overs.

With another loss added to their campaign, England's chances of advancing in the ODI World Cup 2023 look bleak.

Commentators during the game stated that England's odds of reaching the knockout stage are a mere 4%. Their solitary win in the tournament came against Bangladesh, and their upcoming matches against India and Australia are high-stakes affairs, with both teams performing exceptionally well.

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Before this match, Sri Lanka occupied the 7th spot on the points table, while England held the 8th position. Following this victory, Sri Lanka has moved up to the 5th place, while England now finds themselves in the 9th spot.

In the game, England's captain Jos Buttler won the toss and opted to bat first. However, their aspirations of setting a competitive total were soon dashed. Despite a promising start, Sri Lanka made a strong comeback, with veteran Angelo Mathews taking a wicket in the seventh over, his first in over three years in ODI cricket.

England's top-order batsmen, including Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, and Jos Buttler, fell early, all before the 16th over. Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali attempted to stabilize the innings, but Ali was dismissed by Mathews after contributing 15 runs, ending their partnership at 37 runs. Chris Woakes soon departed, thanks to an excellent catch by Sadeera Samarawickrama, placing the onus on Stokes to lead England to a competitive total. However, the England Test captain was dismissed for 43 off 73 balls in the 31st over.

The lower-order batsmen, including Liam Livingstone (1), Moeen Ali (15), Chris Woakes (0), David Willey (14), Adil Rashid (2), and Mark Wood (5), were unable to make a significant impact.

On the other side, Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka scored his fourth consecutive half-century and formed a strong partnership with Sadeera Samarawickrama, who also reached his fifty.