Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka Shines With Fourth Consecutive Fifty In World Cup 2023 Clash Against England

Throughout the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, Nissanka has consistently delivered strong performances, achieving half-centuries in his last three matches.

Pathum Nissanka in action.

Source : Getty

Pathum Nissanka's exceptional performance continued in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 as he secured his fourth consecutive fifty during the match against the defending champions-England, in Bengaluru on Thursday, October 26.

Throughout the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, Nissanka has consistently delivered strong performances, achieving half-centuries in his last three matches. His scores included a brilliant 54 against the Netherlands, as well as 61 and 51 against Australia and Pakistan, respectively. This accomplishment places him in elite company as the fifth Sri Lankan batsman to score 50 or more runs in three consecutive World Cup matches, joining the likes of cricket legends such as Kumar Sangakkara, Chamara Silva, Roshan Mahanama, and Arjuna Ranatunga. Nissanka, though, faced a slow start to the campaign, beginning with a duck in Sri Lanka's first match against South Africa.

In terms of his overall ODI statistics for 2023, Nissanka has had an outstanding year. He became the second batsman to reach 1,000 ODI runs in 2023, following India's Shubman Gill, who accomplished this milestone during Sri Lanka's World Cup clash against England in Bengaluru. In total, he has amassed 1,562 runs in 44 ODIs with an average of 38.10, which includes three centuries and twelve fifties.

Angelo Mathews Makes Return For Sri Lanka

England had set a target of 157 runs for Sri Lanka after their collapse in the first innings of the match. This marked the defending champions' lowest first innings total in a World Cup match at the Chinnaswamy stadium. Angelo Mathews, who was making a return to the Sri Lankan side, bowled brilliantly as he got Sri Lanka their breakthrough wicket in the form of Dawid Malan. Mathews only featured in three ODI matches for Sri Lanka in 2023 prior to Thursday.

Sri Lanka's run chase did not begin well, as they lost Kusal Perera and skipper Kusal Mendis early and found themselves at 23 for two in 5.2 overs. Nissanka then assumed responsibility for the run chase, receiving support from Sadeera Samarawickrama at the other end, who quickly took on the role of the aggressor in their partnership.

Nissanka reached his fifty in 54 balls, with his innings comprising six boundaries and one six.