England's batting suffered a significant setback on October 26 as they registered their lowest-ever first-innings total at the Chinnaswamy stadium in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, getting dismissed for just 156 runs by Sri Lanka.
The match between England and Sri Lanka was crucial for both teams as they were each in a must-win situation, having lost three out of their previous four matches. England's captain, Jos Buttler, won the toss and opted to bat first, with Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan as the opening pair.
The English openers got off to a strong start, forming a promising 45-run partnership for the first wicket. However, their positive beginning was cut short when Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews, who was making a return to the Sri Lankan side, dismissed Malan in the seventh over. This dismissal marked the onset of a disastrous batting collapse for England. Joe Root was run out, and Bairstow fell prematurely, resulting in a rapid decline in England's score.
From a solid 45 for no loss, England plummeted to 123 for seven in just 26 overs. The middle order struggled against Sri Lanka's impressive bowling attack, and England was eventually bowled out for a subpar total of 156 runs. This underwhelming performance left England's hopes of reaching the semi-finals hanging by a thread.
On the bowling front, Sri Lanka's Lahiru Kumara put up a stellar show, claiming 3 wickets for 33 runs in his 7.4 overs, while Maheesh Theekshana also made a significant impact, taking 2 wickets in his 9.2 overs.
During the on-air commentary, former cricketers Ravi Shastri and Nasser Hussain criticised the lack of rhythm and fluency in England's batting. The batting collapse was particularly disappointing, considering the team's initial strong start and the high stakes of the match.
Australia Hit 19 Sixes In The Previous Match At Chinnaswamy
This performance also set a new record for the lowest first-innings total by a team in Bangalore during the World Cup. The previous lowest score was 207 by Ireland in 2011 against India. The Chinnaswamy Stadium is known as a high-scoring ground, with Australia posting the highest-ever first-innings total in this year's World Cup against Pakistan, scoring 367 for nine in their 50 overs, while Pakistan managed 305 in response. In Australia’s innings of 367-9, they scored 19 sixes, out of which, David Warner and Mitchell Marsh hit 9 each. On the other hand, England could manage to hit just 1-six in their innings against Sri Lanka on Thursday, October 26.