Will Jacks star as England outclass Sri Lanka in spin battle

In their first Super Eight match of the T20 World Cup, England defeated Sri Lanka by a score of 51 runs in a spin battle in Pallekele. Sri Lanka was outclassed by England. Sri Lanka's spinners initially put England under pressure on a slow surface, limiting them to 146/9 at the end. However, the English spin attack, led by Will Jacks' efforts in the Powerplay, crushed the hosts in front of a stunned home crowd, giving the hosts a taste of their own medicine. Despite the 12 hours of incessant rain leading up to the game, there were no delays to the game in spite of every possible circumstance. Consequently, Sri Lanka chose to bowl immediately after winning the toss, a decision that paid off immediately. Jos Buttler was troubled by Dilshan Madushanka immediately, but Dunith Wellalage struck first when the former skipper was trapped lbw in his attempt to break free with a reverse hit. Early indications indicated that the pitch was indeed sluggish and had some turn. Maheesh Theekshana took advantage in the Powerplay's final over when Jacob Bethell missed a shot while attempting a slog. Things got even worse when Tom Banton was run out despite diving, and Harry Brook was run out leg before wicket by Wellalage at the halfway point, leaving England at 68/4. Phil Salt was the only one who made crucial runs to keep England alive in the midst of the devastation. Salt scored more than half of his team's runs at that point, scoring sixes off Wellalage in just the second over, two boundaries off Madushanka, and a sweep off Dushan Hemantha. Salt's fifty and Sam Curran's signature slog sweep for a six off Hemantha gave England finally a sense of control for a brief period. But Dushmantha Chameera came back and beat Curran with a slower ball to stop the partnership from growing. Salt responded with a four and a six off consecutive deliveries in the same over, but Wellalage returned for his final over and got the big fish to help Sri Lanka regain control. In spite of Sri Lanka's progress at the other end, Jacks continued to timely find the boundary in the final five overs. Madushanka finished his spell with the wickets of Jacks and Jofra Archer in the final over, keeping England below 150. However, Archer and Jacks returned with the ball to cause harm to the home team. They worked together and took out half of the Sri Lankan team during the Powerplay to shock Pallekele and silence him. The dangerman was caught by England in a well-placed trap, and Pathum Nissanka was the first to leave, finding the fielder at deep midwicket despite hitting boundaries off the previous two deliveries. Jacks then made consecutive deliveries, aided by the surface, to send Kusal Mendis and Pavan Rathnayake back to the pavilion early. Following Kamil Mishara, the left-handed pitcher edged Archer to the fielder at the gully. In the final over of the Powerplay, Wellalage broke the chains with a couple of boundaries, but Jacks won when the left-hander mistimed one to get caught at midfield. At 34/5, the chase appeared to be over by the Powerplay's conclusion. With sixes in consecutive overs from Dasun Shanaka and Kamindu Mendis, the crowd cheered, but the latter chipped a catch back to Liam Dawson for more trouble for Sri Lanka. The hosts were 53/6 after nine overs, and Adil Rashid had not yet entered the attack. The procession continued despite a brief fight between Shanaka and the group. After a strong partnership between Jacks and Tom Banton close to the boundary, Hemantha was run out for a hit-and-run, and the Sri Lankan captain himself was eventually sent packing. After Shanaka left, Dawson and Rashid each took a wicket to end Sri Lanka's misery and complete the easy win. The home team will now be under pressure because of the margin of defeat, especially since Pakistan and New Zealand already have one point each after the loss last night.