England defeated Sri Lanka by four wickets on Saturday to advance to the T20 World Cup semifinals. The result eliminated the tournament’s defending champions Australia.
Sri Lanka scored 141 for 8 in their first innings, thanks to Pathum Nissanka’s 45-ball 67 and Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s run-a-ball 22.
England responded by scoring 144 for six in 19.4 overs, meeting the target with two balls to spare.
Alex Hales got the chase off to a flying start with a 30-ball 47, but England collapsed before Ben Stokes took the team home with an unbeaten 36-ball 42. Sri Lanka’s successful bowlers were Wanindu Hasaranga (2/23) and Dhananjaya de Silva (2/24).
For England, Mark Wood (3/26) claimed three wickets, while Ben Stokes (1/24), Chris Woakes (1/24), Sam Curran (1/27) and Adil Rashid (1/16) took one each.
Brief Score:
Sri Lanka: 141 for 8 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 67; Mark Wood 3/26).
England: 144 for 6 in 19.4 overs (Alex Hales 47, Ben Stokes 42; Wanindu Hasaranga 2/23, Dhananjaya de Silva 2/24)