England cakewalk into Final

Tags: England v Sri Lanka 1st Semi-Final at St Lucia - May 13, 2010, Sri Lanka, England, ICC World T20 - 2010, Stuart Christopher John Broad, Kevin Peter Pietersen

Published on: May 13, 2010

Scorecard | Commentary | Graphs

England defeated Sri Lanka by 7 wickets to enter into the Final of the ICC World Twenty20 2010.

England Innings

England defeated Sri Lanka by 7 wickets to enter into the Final of the ICC World Twenty20 2010. It was a one-sided game after all once Sri Lanka got into the horrible situation of 47 for 4 and ending up with just 128. The new English openers - Craig Kieswetter (39 from 29 balls with 5 fours and 2 sixes) and Michael Lumb (33 from 26 balls with 4 fours and a six) have continued to impress right through the tournament and today their stand of 68 in 8.1 overs laid the foundation for a cakewalk victory! England got the runs without any trouble in 16 overs with no.3 Kevin Pietersen returning back from home with an unbeaten 42 from 26 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes.

The Lankans lost the plot very early and they gave it up once the English openers knocked off 50 in decently quick time, to be precise in 6.3 overs. There were a couple of easy school-boy run outs that went down begging for the Sri Lankans today! England would be up against either Australia or Pakistan in the Final depending on how the second Semi Final goes tomorrow at this same venue.

The Man of the Match award for this First Semi Final went to English pacer Stuart Broad who took 2 for 21 in 4 overs - the wickets of Mahela Jayawardene, who has been in rich form and that of Chamara Kapugedera to cut short the 5th wicket stand to 46.

Sri Lanka Innings

England are favourites to enter into the ICC World Twenty20 2010 after restricting Sri Lanka to a below par 128 for 6 having lost the toss. The Lankans were ripped apart at 47 for 4 in 9 overs losing all the big fishes which included the in-form Mahela Jayawardene who got sent back by a magic delivery from Stuart Broad. Just when England was looking to set things up for a cheap total, SL got a steady partnership going between Angelo Mathews and Chamara Kapugedera which ensured that their team wasn't going to be bowled out. Angelo Mathews went onto score 58 from 45 balls with 3 fours and a six.

For England, Stuart Broad was the most successful with 2 for 21 in 4 overs. Tim Bresnan was infact the only bowler who got some stick. It would now require one solid partnership for England to seal this chase comfortably and walk through into the Finals!

Toss and Teams

Sri Lanka have won the toss and elected to bat first in the 1st Semi Final against England at the Beasejour Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia. The pitch here is generally on the slower side and both sides have good all-round attack.

England Playing XI : Craig Kieswetter (WK), Michael Lumb, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood (C), Eoin Morgan, Luke Wright, Tim Bresnan, Michael Yardy, Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad and Ryan Sidebottom

Sri Lanka Playing XI : Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara (C&WK), Angelo Mathews, Chamara Kapugedera, Thissara Perera, Chinthaka Jayasinghe, Suraj Randiv, Ajantha Mendis and Lasith Malinga

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