Within the FIFA soccer World Cup, there are rungs of respectability for groups exiting the competitors. You’ll be able to endure the ignominy of going out within the group stage, the spherical of 32, the spherical of 16; or you possibly can have the tags of an honourable quarterfinalist, a worthy semifinalist or a deserved finalist hooked up to your title.
Cricket World Cup, in distinction, is a increase or bust event. The distinction between groups ending fourth and fifth is a semifinal place and a group-stage ouster. On Thursday, on the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Sri Lanka and England will conflict with the singular goal preserving alive their hopes of the previous.
Each Sri Lanka and England have misplaced three of their 4 matches to this point and sit seventh and eighth respectively in a 10-team World Cup. Conserving in thoughts the truth that they’re but to face table-topper India, neither can afford a loss.
England has to recuperate from a 229-run shellacking by the hands of South Africa. Its batting hasn’t clicked, skipper Jos Buttler has totalled lower than 100 runs in 4 video games and the bowling has been mauled by South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan alike. The sensation could be that England can solely go up from right here, however it can not take Sri Lanka evenly.
The island nation hasn’t misplaced to England in any of the 4 World Cup video games for the reason that flip of the millennium. Final week’s five-wicket victory over the Netherlands will not be splendid preparation for Sri Lanka, however it might have actually banished the unhealthy reminiscences from three chastening defeats.
The final time England visited the Chinnaswamy for ODIs again in 2011, it misplaced a match after scoring 327 (Eire) and tied a match by scoring 338. This World Cup, Sri Lanka has conceded 428 and 345-run totals. One other run fest seems seemingly and England would lastly like to complete on the proper aspect of it.