T20 WC: Wicket played a part in this game, even England struggled in second half, says SL skipper Shanaka

Sydney [Australia], November 5 (ANI): Following his side’s four-wicket loss to England in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup, Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka said that the wicket played a part in this game given how England struggled in the second half of their innings like them.
Alex Hales gave a perfect start and Ben Stokes played a top knock in the end to help England survive the Sri Lanka scare in the death overs and win the match by four wickets to reach the semifinal of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2022.
“It was an amazing fight, but we could have done better. I think the wicket played a part in this game, even the English batters struggled in the second half. The first half was where we had to set the momentum. It was the powerplay where we did not bowl well, they played well – especially Alex Hales. I think we played good cricket in patches, but we had a few injuries which cost us the tournament. If not, we could have done better,” said Shanaka in a post-match presentation.
“When we go home, we will have to polish up the areas where we did not do well. Hasaranga and Theekshana have bowled well throughout, but the other bowlers have struggled, today they bowled well but that is an area we have to improve. Catching has been a problem in this tournament, we need to go back and improve. I must thank the colourful Sri Lankan fans who support us everywhere we go,” he added.
With this win, England has finished the group stage in the second position in the points table, with three wins in five matches and a total of seven points. They have qualified for the semifinal along with New Zealand. Australia, which also has seven points like England and NZ, have been knocked out of the tournament due to an inferior net run rate.
Coming to the match, opting to bat first, Sri Lanka posted 141/8 in 20 overs. Opener Pathum Nissanka posted a fighting half-century, scoring 67 off 45 balls, but he did not get enough support from batters other than Bhanuka Rajapaksa (23).
Mark Wood (3/26) was the pick of the bowlers for England. Curran, Rashid, Stokes or Woakes took a wicket each.
Chasing 142, England openers Alex Hales (47), Jos Buttler (28) put up a 75-run stand for the opening wicket. But after that, Sri Lankan bowlers derailed England from what was looking an early chase. England was 129/6 in 18 overs. But Ben Stokes (42*) helped England reach the target with four wickets in hand with two balls to spare.
Adil Rashid’s spell of 1/16 earned him the ‘Man of the Match’ award.
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka: 141/8 (Pathum Nissanka 67, Bhanuka Rajapaksa 22, Mark Wood 3/26) lost to England: 144/6 in 19.4 overs (Alex Hales 47, Ben Stokes 42*, Wanindu Hasaranga 2/23). (ANI)