ICC Cricket World Cup, 2023
Match 25
ENG
156 (33.2)
SL
160/2 (25.4)
England won the toss and elect to bat, and gave target of 157 to Sri lanka to win.
As Ben Stokes dragged himself back to the dressing-room – muttering dark thoughts, shaking his head – it felt not so much like the end of England’s World Cup as the end of an entire era.
Stokes had just pulled Lahiru Kumara to deep midwicket, having made a painstaking 43 from 73 balls in an England innings eventually put out of its misery for 156 – a total which Sri Lanka brushed aside for the loss of two wickets. The whole match lasted 59 overs.
This was a result which managed to be both England’s worst nightmare and fully in keeping with the shambolic nature of their title defence. And it raises serious questions about the ability of head coach Matthew Mott and captain Jos Buttler to get the most out of a talented but ageing bunch of cricketers.
