02/22/26 07:09:00
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02/22 07:08 CST T20 World Cup: Phil Salt and Will Jacks lead England past Sri
Lanka in Super 8s
T20 World Cup: Phil Salt and Will Jacks lead England past Sri Lanka in Super 8s
PALLEKELE, Sri Lanka (AP) --- Phil Salt and Will Jacks provided England a
perfect start in the Super Eights as co-host Sri Lanka crashed to a 51-run
defeat on Sunday.
Salt anchored England to 146-9 with a resolute 62 off 40 balls and Jacks
provided impetus to the total by smashing four boundaries in his 21-run knock
in the death overs.
Sri Lanka crumbled to 95 all out as offspinner Jacks picked up three wickets
inside the power play and earned England its 12th consecutive win in a T20
against the hosts.
Jofra Archer (2-20) struck with a vital blow in his second over when Pathum
Nissanka, who scored a century against Australia at the same venue during a
group game, flicked a 150 kph delivery straight to deep mid-wicket.
With spinners getting a grip on a slow wicket, Sri Lanka batters struggled
against Jacks' fuller deliveries and slipped to 34-5 inside the first six
overs. Kusal Mendis offered a tame return catch to Jacks and Pavan Rathanayake
got dismissed off the first delivery when Jacks got a leading edge.
Captain Dasun Shanaka top-scored with 30 but fell to a brilliant relay catch
when Jacks caught the ball above his head while running back and tossed the
ball back to Tom Banton to complete the catch before Jacks went over the ropes.
The two other England spinners, Liam Dawson (2-27) and Adil Rashid (2-13), also
prospered in ideal bowling conditions. Fast bowler Jamie Overton (1-13) also
managed to get amongst the wickets.
Earlier, England's top-order crashed against spinner Dunith Wellalage (3-26) as
Jos Buttler's (7) disappointing tournament continued with his third successive
single-digit score. Buttler fell to a poor reverse flick against Wellalage
after his bat got tangled between his legs and he was struck on the pads plumb
in front of the wickets.
Off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana (2-21) also kept the batters under pressure in
the middle overs as England kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
Salt completed his half-century off 36 balls before he heaved Wellalage to
long-off in the 15th over, but Jacks' cameo in the death overs and Overton's
straight six in the last over gave England enough runs to defend.
Later on Sunday, co-host India will take on South Africa in a Super 8 matchup
of teams with perfect records in the group stage.
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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
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