Follow UsSri Lanka pushed England to submission in a dominating performance to secure an eight-wicket win in Bengaluru, with pacers dominating the show. Only one wicket was picked by a spinner - Maheesh Theekshana - but the control the tweakers showed allowed the pacers to dictate terms from the other end. So much so that, barring Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow, no one was able to cross the 30-run mark for England. Sri Lanka spinner Theekshana put it down to the consistency with which Sri Lanka picked wickets, never allowing England to come back into the game.
“In the initial four or five overs, we conceded a few runs due to our inability to find the right length. However, when Angelo took the ball, he utilized his experience to adjust the length. This allowed us to regain our disciplined bowling. We witnessed Angelo's success, and Lahiru emphasized the importance of maintaining discipline while bowling,” Theekshana said in the post-match press conference.
“Our strong bowling performance, characterized by wicket-taking, pressured the opposition into a defensive stance. They refrained from pressing forward and instead consistently attempted to clear the boundary with sixes and fours. So, we had a chance to take a wicket; that's what we planned here.”
The wicket at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru behaved slightly differently than its normal behavior, but as Sri Lanka batters showed later, there were runs to be had. Theekshana pointed that out.
“I have played an IPL match and the pitch is slightly different. There was a small turn, and there was a little pace and bouncier quality. In the IPL match that was played, there was a flat pitch. Scoring runs was indeed relatively easy on that pitch. I'm not implying that it was tough to accumulate runs in this match, as we managed to score 150 runs with just two wickets down. We maintained our momentum throughout the match, which ultimately led to our victory,” the spinner added.
After starting the tournament with three losses, Sri Lanka now have two consecutive wins against Netherlands and England and will aim for a top-four finish - a path to which will not be easy. However, Theekshana stated that they are a happy team at the moment while adding that England perhaps underestimated Sri Lanka’s caliber.
“Our confidence as a team has increased a lot because we have won two matches so far. And this match is a match in which we got a very happy victory. As a team, we are looking to play well in the upcoming four matches and reach the semifinals.
“I think they underestimate our team because we also lost three games, and we only won against Netherlands. I think they underestimated us. That's why the result went our way because we backed our strength; we went like a simple pan, so that's why we won the game today,” the Lankan spinner added.