You can put your calculators away now as the equation for England is simple - win against Sri Lanka on Saturday and they will be in the T20 World Cup semi-finals. Australia were unable to haul their net run-rate above England's on Friday with their victory over Afghanistan at Adelaide Oval coming via a narrow four-run margin. That left the defending champions with a run-rate of -0.173. England's, in contrast, is +0.547, so if they beat Sri Lanka and join Australia on seven points, they will advance at the hosts' expense.
A defeat and England are out. A no result and England are out. The former is always possible but the latter looks less likely with the weather in Sydney seemingly set fair. A victory of 127 runs or more, meanwhile, and England would not only advance but also top the group, ahead of New Zealand. First things first, though, is securing a victory of any description, something that will not be easy with the game being played on a used SCG surface. Trending
"A used pitch brings Sri Lanka into it," said former England captain Nasser Hussain on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast. With their three spinners - Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana - they will be useful and obviously their batters are used to batting on tired pitches." England opener Alex Hales is not taking Sri Lanka lightly either: "They're always a very tricky side and they've got some handy operators. We're going to have to play our best cricket to win. But we're pretty confident and the mood is good in the camp. Also See:
On a personal level, to have a chance to play knockout cricket in a World Cup would be a very special feeling. As a group it will be, too. It's a pretty tight competition and to get through is difficult. You have to beat some very good teams along the way. "I feel like we can deal with anything that's ahead of us. We have a very confident batting unit and I think we'll be able to adapt to whatever we need. It would be a good achievement if we can get through in a pretty tough group in my opinion." Sri Lanka have not beaten England in a T20 since 2014, losing the last seven matches between the sides, but have had their moments in this tournament and challenged Australia and New Zealand before subsequently falling to heavy defeats. They also won the Asia Cup in September, beating Pakistan and India along the way. Sri Lanka batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa said: "We are coming to justify our presence in Australia. We just want to play good cricket. "We have already shown what we are capable of [at the Asia Cup] and it's a strong side. Unfortunately, not all the results have come our way, but [Saturday's game] is important to end on a high note." 
Saturday's encounter will definitely be Sri Lanka's last in this tournament with wins for New Zealand and Australia on Friday - New Zealand beating Ireland by 35 runs before Australia pipped Afghanistan - ending their semi-final hopes. But they will still have a big say on who joins the Black Caps in progressing. England on a high after Buttler stars against New ZealandA used pitch might give Sri Lanka a boost but it should hold no fear for England, who beat New Zealand on a worn deck in Brisbane on Tuesday as Jos Buttler enjoyed a dream night, the captain making stellar decision after stellar decision as he guided his side to victory in his hundredth T20 international. First, he went against England's usual policy of chasing by electing to bat after winning the toss. Then, aided by dropped catches from Kane Williamson on eight and Daryl Mitchell on 40, he top-scored with 73 from 47 balls in his side's total of 179-6. Now it was time for his captaincy to kick in.
Off-spinner Moeen Ali, who had not bowled in the tournament, was given the first over and conceded only four runs. Leg-spinner Adil Rashid sent down the third over of the powerplay and went for just six. Sam Curran was brought on for the fifth to try and exploit Finn Allen's apparent weakness against left-arm seamers. It worked. Across the first seven overs of the chase, Buttler used six different bowlers, and further rotation paid off in the final six overs as England curbed a New Zealand charge to see out a 20-run win. Ben Stokes returned for the 15th over and dismissed Kane Williamson. Mark Wood returned for the 16th and removed Jimmy Neesham. Chris Woakes returned for the 17th and accounted for Daryl Mitchell. Curran returned for the 18th and did for New Zealand dangerman Glenn Phillips. Four bowling changes, four wickets. Those calls capped what Eoin Morgan and Hussain considered Buttler's best game as England white-ball captain, a role he was handed earlier this summer after Morgan's international retirement. For Woakes, Buttler is now "stamping his authority" on the group.
"The last game was a big one for him as captain and he came through it really well," all-rounder Woakes said of Buttler. "He made some big calls, big decisions. We've always been a bowl-first team - the majority of T20 teams around the world have been - but he was very clear he wanted to bat first. "Taking over the reins from Morgs, who had a successful reign as captain and has done so much for the game, Jos must have felt the pressure of that. "I can definitely see a confidence in him about how he's going about his business and the way he talks to the group. There's been a change over the last month or so. "It definitely feels like Jos has stamped his authority on the team a bit more. It gives us a lot of confidence as a team moving forward that we were able to beat New Zealand in that sort of manner."
Morgan, part of the Sky Sports team out in Australia, added: "We haven't seen the best of England in this tournament but we got really close to it against New Zealand. "You don't win the World Cup in the first week, this is the business end of the tournament and if England continue to get better, they are three wins away from winning silverware." For now, it's just the one win England are focused on. Things looked dicey after the shock defeat to Ireland at the MCG on October 26 but if they beat Sri Lanka at the SCG on Saturday, then their hopes of becoming dual white-ball world champions will remain alive. We don't need our calculators to work that one out. Watch England vs Sri Lanka, in Sydney, live on Sky Sports Cricket on Saturday. Build-up begins at 7.30am ahead of an 8am start. |
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