Sri Lanka crash out of T20 World Cup taking Australia with them – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE.
Sri Lanka flattered, then flopped, to exit the T20 World Cup with a bitter sweet taste in their mouth and the realisation that winning the Asia Cup and competing with the best in the world was two completely different leagues.
Playing a game that was crucial to Australia’s chance to make the semi finals, Sri Lanka’s batting showed early promise then folded like a deck of cards as the middle order continued their dismal form with the bat to give England easy access to the semis.
Openers Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis started like a house on fire smashing the feared England attack for 39 runs off the first three and a half overs before England stemmed the tide by removing Mendis and the steady procession continued thereafter.
Nissanka, 67 with five sixers and two fours was the lone sentinel in a disappointing effort by the Sri Lanka batters who folded under a sustained and well disciplined England attack.
They began by blasting England speedster Mark Woods out of the attack in his first over. Woods came back later to wreck Sri Lanka’s batting claiming 3 for 26 off three overs.
Dasun Shanaka won the toss, but not many fans, after they chose to bat first in great Sydney conditions. But they destroyed a great start and any chance of a win by posting an under par 142.
The way they went about their task made many wonder if Sri Lanka looked like winning did not matter because their campaign had ended. Their mindset and lack of focus at the task at hand puts coach Chris Silverwood under scrutiny for another Australian misadventure.
While the whole of Australia watched and waited with bated breath, England put paid to all Australian hope by unsettling Sri Lanka’s plans with a well mapped out course to end the host nation’s hopes of making the final four.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers fought back and toiled fruitlessly to defend a sub par total but fell short with four balls to spare. It was a bridge too far.
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England’s openers Jos Buttler and Alex Hales put the result out of Sri Lanka’s reach buy posting 75 off 8.2 overs before Buttler departed. Hales made a quick fire 47 off 30 balls with 7 fours and a six. Ben Stokes continued the chase with an unbeaten 42 off 36 to see England home.
If there was a plan outside the win loss ratio, Sri Lanka were expected to pull out all stops and throw everything in an endeavour to stun England and pay back Australia’s tour to the Island nation recently when times were tough.
Sri Lanka were out of the T20 World Cup, and although the result of the outcome was irrelevant, they had a point to prove to their hard to please and easily swayed fans who expected a team who needed to qualify first, to actually progress to the semis and maybe even win it?
Their form certainly suggests they are not far off, with a pleasing blend of new and exciting talent. But like Rome, success was not achieved in a day.
The doomsayers obviously were quick on the trigger to shoot them down about off field activities for their inability to qualify for the semi finals which has not proven to have broken any protocols.
The experience gained from this World Cup was that Sri Lanka qualified for the Super 12’s then knocked off Netherlands, Ireland and Afghanistan while receiving a hiding from favourites Australia and New Zealand.
The lesson learned will be invaluable to a young but quickly absorbing side, hungry for success.
