England’s Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali, throughout a follow session forward of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup match between Sri Lanka and England, at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium (KSCA), in Bengaluru on October 25, 2023.
| Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR Ok
In the soccer World Cup, there are rungs of respectability for groups exiting the competitors. You can undergo the ignominy of going out in the group-stage, the round-of-32, the round-of-16; or you may have the tags of an honourable quarterfinalist, a worthy semifinalist or a deserved finalist hooked up to your identify.
Cricket World Cup, in distinction, is a growth or bust event. The distinction between groups ending fourth and fifth is a semifinal place and a group-stage ouster. On Thursday, on the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Sri Lanka and England will conflict with the singular goal preserving alive their hopes of the previous.
Unaffordable
Both Sri Lanka and England have misplaced three of their 4 matches to date and sit seventh and eighth respectively in a 10-team World Cup. Keeping in thoughts the truth that they’re but to face table-topper India, neither can afford a loss.
England has to get better from a 229-run shellacking by the hands of South Africa. Its batting hasn’t clicked, skipper Jos Buttler has totalled lower than 100 runs in 4 video games and the bowling has been mauled by South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan alike. The feeling could be that England can solely go up from right here, but it surely can’t take Sri Lanka evenly.
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The Island Nation hasn’t misplaced to England in any of the 4 World Cup video games for the reason that flip of the millennium. Last week’s five-wicket victory over the Netherlands might not be very best preparation for Sri Lanka, however it will have definitely banished the dangerous reminiscences from three chastening defeats.
The final time England visited the Chinnaswamy for ODIs again in 2011, it misplaced a match after scoring 327 (Ireland) and tied a match by scoring 338 (India). This World Cup, Sri Lanka has conceded 428 and 345-run totals. Another run fest seems seemingly and England would lastly need to end on the best aspect of it.
