Sri Lanka vs England, 39th Match, Group 1 at Sydney, T20 WC, Nov 05 2022 - Ball by Ball Commentary

10.22 pm And simultaneously, Australia are officially KO'd from the final four. It means that the streak will continue of host nations never winning the Men's T20 World Cup. And also means we have yet to have a repeat champion as the defending title-holders from 2021 say bye bye (yes West Indies have won two titles but did not repeat as champs with a gap in between the 2012 and 2016 titles).

Player of the Match is Adil Rashid for his 1 for 16 from four overs: "It was a tight game. It happens in T20 cricket. They bowled well and created pressure but Stokesy played magnificent so we got over the line which is a good thing. They bowled well and created the pressure. You lose some wickets and build some dots and that's the way the game goes in T20 cricket but thankfully we stuck to it and we got over the line. For myself, it was quite nice to bowl a few dots and create a few chances but I thought it was a great team effort. That's T20 cricket again. The first five or six overs, they got off to a flyer but it counts all the way. I thought we bowled exceptionally well as a team. Seamers there, Woody, Stokesy, all the bowlers and the spinners as well. It's obviously nice to bowl where there's a bit of assistance because in Australia you may not get that at certain grounds but you come here and you get that. Traditionally there is a bit of spin, but I thought the seamers and spinners we all stuck to it and finished it off very well. I've felt quite good in the tournament and before the tournament but that's T20 cricket. Sometimes you may bowl well and feel good and not get wickets. Sometimes you may bowl not as well and get the wickets. I've been trying to do my best to do my job and winning. [On bowling at Adelaide in a semifinal] There may be a fresh pitch. It may seam. It may be a flat one. Whatever it is on the day, we'll assess. [On the fans] Wherever we go, we get support, especially in Australia. So hopefully they can come to Adelaide in huge numbers."

Alex Hales on today's win: "It was a little bit nervy to be fair, as it would be in such a big game, but we bat all the way down to No. 11. Guys are confident in their skills in T20, so pleased to get the job done. You could tell from the first innings that it was a lot easier to bat in the Powerplay. So my game plan was to get ahead of the game, try to kill it as much as possible, look to be positive against the seamers. It looked a bit harder in the middle [overs] and fortunately that plan worked today. It was a used pitch so obviously it brought their spinners into the game and I thought they bowled really well in the middle there. I think just the fact that it was a used pitch more often than not means the Powerplay is the best time to bat. It was a much smaller side one side, I think it was only 60 meters. So for them to bowl short on that end was a bit of a gamble. So more often than not I knew they were gonna pitch the ball up so I looked to be positive straight and luckily today that came off. I'm not a big fan of setting targets [within each over]. It almost feels like a ceiling, like a limit of what you can do. So I always feel you just want to go out there and be aggressive and not set any limits at all. Batting with Jos is amazing. I think he's one of the best players in the world at the moment, particularly at the top of the order. So to get the chance to work with him is very special. It has been a fairly tricky one with the rain and stuff that's been around. It swung quite a lot in Perth and you saw the bounce and swing and nip that we had against Ireland in Melbourne is probably different to what you're used to getting in Australia. So I was trying not to beat myself up for the slow start [to the tournament] and cashing in now. The pitches are a bit better to bat in the Powerplay. Now we've got some crunch games coming up and I feel in good form. I didn't quite get off to the start I wanted [in the tournament]. The conditions were difficult. But Adelaide is a good place to bat in the Powerplay as well so hopefully I can take that form into the semi. [On possibility of playing India in the semifinal if they top their group.] It would be an epic game if we get the chance to play them. They've got amazing support wherever they go around the world and Adelaide Oval for me is one of the best grounds in the world. So it would be a pretty special occasion."

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka: "It was an amazing fight but still we could have done better in the batting part. Even the English batters struggled in the latter part. The first 10 overs set the momentum. We didn't play according to the wicket. We gave a good fight in the last 10 overs. In the Powerplay, we didn't bowl well. They played well in the Powerplay so credit to Alex Hales and Buttler. We played good cricket in patches but we started with a few injuries so it cost us a good tournament. If the injuries were not there, we could have done better because our main fast bowlers who played the Asia Cup, they got injured. Especially the batting part, in patches we batted well. When we go home, we have to certainly polish up the areas where we didn't do well. [On Hasaranga] He's been outstanding throughout and Theekshana, they both are doing the job for us. The thing is the other bowlers. Today Lahiru Kumara and Kasun Rajitha bowled well in the latter part and Dhananjaya de Silva but still there are other areas to improve. Power-hitting is a key area that we make sure when we come to the next World Cup, we have to get that power from somewhere and look for new talents. Catching has been a problem in this tournament, but in the last year we have been outstanding so we have to polish that as well. I must thank the colorful and wonderful spectators who have been supporting throughout this World Cup. Everywhere we go, they follow us. The supporters back home, I must thank them as well so a big cheer for them."

England captain Jos Buttler: "I'm not a great watcher to be honest so I didn't enjoy that much but we knew we had to find a way to win the game coming here today so thankfully we did that. [On Stokes] Those kind of situations is what he's made for and I'm delighted for him. While he's at the crease, that gives you a sense of calm. He can play a lot of roles. He effects the game in all three facets. He's a proper competitor. Getting to this stage of competition is where you just see him grow and grow. [On Sri Lanka's batting start and whether he got worried] Yeah, a little bit. They got off to a really good start. Having lost the toss, we knew the wicket would probably slow up as the game went on being a used wicket. I thought it was a fantastic over from Adil Rashid at the back end of the Powerplay to change the momentum. He's been someone we always turn to and I was really pleased with his performance. A lot of people always look at the end column and maybe he hasn't picked up the wickets that he usually does. I don't think he's bowled with much luck to be honest. He's had a few chances missed but I think he's still bowling well. When you get him on surfaces like this, he's a really tough customer to face. [On Sam Curran] He's someone who keeps growing and growing. Having such a good run of games in the team, again he's that sort of fierce competitor who wants to be in the tough moments. He's got real method to what he's doing and he's got a lot of different options which makes him tough to line up. [On the opening combo with Hales] I thought he played beautifully again tonight. He's such a tough guy to bowl at. I thought that one over where he really took the game away from Sri Lanka was a huge turning point in the match as well. Sitting there, I think one of us would've loved to have been there all the way through. [On playing a semifinal at Adelaide] Just excited. I think we just wanted to find a way to win today and get through to a semifinal which is really exciting. We go there looking forward to whoever we play at what is one of the best stadiums in the world."

Well, that wraps up our coverage for today. Come back tomorrow for live coverage of a tripleheader to wrap up play in the group stage from Group 2 as the day begins with South Africa vs the Netherlands followed by Bangladesh and Pakistan before ending with India taking on Zimbabwe. On behalf of my commentary partner Alan Gardner, I'm Peter Della Penna. Until tomorrow, take care!

ESPNcricinfo win predictor now at 99.02% for England...

Hasaranga now has a leg injury having tried to rush in to stop that two and he walks off the field injured for a sub.

Reminder again that Malan suffered a groin injury in the field and though he might be able to bat in an emergency, he likely can't run very well at all.

bezz: "What happened to Malan why is he not batting". Suffered a groin injury in the field.

England have gone into their shell in a huge way. They only needed singles for the last six or seven overs, but they have played as conservatively as that required run rate and now the tension has been ramped up a few notches.

Mark: "Starting to feel very grateful Australia didn't leave us needing a NRR swing here..."

Sri Lanka fans starting to go wild as the equation has been brought back to a run a ball.