“I didn’t feel like I was looking at the tournament winners,” deadpan Athers.Hmmm, hard to disagree, but England do keep collecting results, despite sometimes looking like two ends of a pantomime horse.I’m not writing them off yet.A super innings by Salt was the difference between the two sides today, and England, led by Will Jacks, bowled nicely while Sri Lanka self-destructed.England currently top Group two!India v South Africa is just about to start in Ahmedabad, while England’s next game is against Pakistan in Kandy on Tuesday.

We’ll be back for that,Thanks for your company – bye!Dasun Shanaka: “It was disappointing, though we had lots of positives with the ball,I expected our batters to bat well,I think the pitch played well, a bit slow first thing, but settled with the lights but we batted badly,We played some rash shots.

”“The discussion [at half time] was to take it deep and taking the positive and right options.One bad game is not affordable in the World Cup but we need to bounce back.”Harry Brook: “I thought we played exceptionally there to bowl them out for less than 100.I didn’t think there were any daemons in the pitch, the spinners on both sides used the pace really well.“It was slow, and hard to time, Salty was exceptional.

I’m not concerned at all about Jos Buttler, he’s a power house of a white ball cricketer, and I’d rather he started the tournament like this and finished with a flourish.”“Jacksy was pretty annoyed with the way he got out and he said he always bowls better when he’s angry and he did….Once we can figures the power play out we’re going to be a hard team to beat.”“I thought Jacks’ innings was crucial to give us some runs at the end,” says Moeen Ali, “but I thought the wicket was quite slow and we bowled brilliantly”As the disappointed crowd drift away into the night, time to reflect on that peculiar match.England’s total was a tale of two innings.

Salt and Jacks made 83-2 off nine overs with 12 boundaries.Everyone else: 58-7 off 11 overs with three boundaries.[Thank you Tim de Lisle for those stats].Cracking bowling by Dunith Wellalage in particular.Sri Lanka’s innings started badly with the loss of main man Nissanka and didn’t improve.

Only captain Shanaka, with 30, made more than 13.They don’t hang about with these presentations.Will Jacks is the deserved player of the match.“We seem to do well here, defending, squeezing the game, Brooky is very big on us getting every dot we can.I love getting responsiblity with the ball, bowling in the power play.

”“After being expected to win [in the group stages] the pressure is off [in the Super 8s], we’ve played with freedom and unity,”Blimey,My mind is scrambled, I don’t know about Sri Lanka’s,WICKET! Dilshan Madushanka b Rashid 0A Rashid googly draws the curtains on a haphazard and frantic Sri Lankan effort,England are handed an easy victory from a unpromising position at the half way point.

16,4 overs: Sri Lanka 95 all out (Theekshana 10)Dawson gets his second with his last ball of the innings as Chameera has a toddler’s charge for daddy and is bowled16th over: Sri Lanka 94-9 ( Maheesh Theekshana 9) Sri Lanka need 53 from 24 balls,15th over: Sri Lanka 86-8 (Dushmantha Chameera 3, Maheesh Theekshana 4 ) Shanaka goes for a big heave – he probably has to – and with him goes Sri Lanka’s last shred of hope,Sri Lanka need 61 from 30 balls,The big one! A cracking tag-team bit of catching on the midwicket boundary as a leaping Jacks takes the ball with both hands above his head and as he is about to fall over the rope gently tosses the ball to the hyper-aware Banton.

14th over: Sri Lanka 81-7 (Dasun Shanaka 30, Dushmantha Chameera 2) Shanaka top edges Overton up, up … but the ball bisects the fielders on landing.Overton pounds in a brutish ball and Chameera can only poke him away.But from the last ball, Shanaka rouses the crowd by making brutal contact and pounding him straight for six.Sri Lanka need 66 from 36 balls.13th over: Sri Lanka 73-7 (Dasun Shanaka 23, Dushmantha Chameera 1 ) The lowest total so far this World Cup is 97.

Sri Lanka now have to face an on-song Rashid and can only pat him around,Sri Lanka need 74 from 42 balls,Hemantha, looking for an innovative way to get out, finds one, twirling into a pull, missing the ball, but catching his own bails,Overton is delighted; the ground silent,12th over: Sri Lanka 69-7 (Dasun Shanaka 21)11th over: Sri Lanka 64-6 (Dasun Shanaka 17, Dushan Hemantha 4) Shanaka nearly removers the umpire’s head with a firey straight four.

Eight from Dawson’s over.“This is not the Sri Lanka batting performance I think anyone expected, and it doesn’t exactly solve our batting issues, but I’ll take it Tanya! “ writes Guy Hornsby.“What a truly strange game this is though.England all at sea against spin, a total surely 25 short, and yet here we are, another wicket away from the batters.What a brilliant, mad, incomprehensible game this is.

Jacks has saved us with the bat this tournament, and now he could have done it with the ball.Are we good? Who knows!”10th over: Sri Lanka 56-6 (Dasun Shanaka 11, Dushan Hemantha 2) Sri Lanka are six down and Brook is only just playing his trump card, Adil Rashid.Three from the over and half way through Sri Lanka’s innings they need 91 from 60 balls, but with just four wickets to play with.The full house, ready to party, is pensive and quiet.9th over: Sri Lanka 53-6 (Dasun Shanaka 9, Dushan Hemantha 0 ) Kamindu throws it away the very next ball after frying-panning a short ball from Dawson for six over midwicket.

Oh dear, dear,A leading edge straight back into the waiting hands of Dawson,8th over: Sri Lanka 45-5 (Dasun Shanaka 8, Kamindu Mendis 7) Brook keeps Jacks on for a fourth over,Dasun tucks into a drag down by leaning back and hauling six over midwicket,7th over: Sri Lanka 37-5 (Shanaka 1, Kamindu 6) Some sanity at last, three calm singles off Dawson’s first over6th over: Sri Lanka 34-5 (Shanaka 1, Kamindu 5) At the end of the powerplay, Jacks had 3-14 and an unnecessarily panicked Sri Lanka have made a complete horlicks of the start of their innings.

Two lovely shots for four by Wellange off the over before he was out.Another shot to forget, this time a sort of failed umbrella opening to mid off.5th over: Sri Lanka 26-4 (Mendis 4, Dunith Wellalange 2) I’m not sure which manual Sri Lanka consulted during the innings break, but they might be regretting it.Mishara edges, Overton scoops up close to the ground at gully and Sri Lanka have stumbled into a huge hole.4th over: Sri Lanka 21-3 (Kamil Mishara 6, Wellalange 1) Disastrous batting by Sri Lanka hands the advantage right back to England, with a big juicy red bow.

Nice bowling from Jacks too.Jacks on a hat-trick! Frankly awful shot, feet dancing, bat everywhere and nowhere, ugly leading edge to Banton who gratefully takes the ball in the covers running backwards.Kusal has a half-hearted prod straight back into Jacks’ paws.3rd over: Sri Lanka 19-1 (Kamil Mishara 5, Kusal Mendis 4) A very clever dink for four by Nissanka who steps to leg and angles Archer away to deep third.Next ball, he goes the other way, on one knee fanning behind square for four more.

But then Archer gets his man, and looks pretty mean about it.Kusal starts beautifully with four shimmied through backward square.Lovely looking shot but straight to deep midwicket where the newly deployed Overton takes the prize.Big wicket.2nd over: Sri Lanka 7-0 (Pathun Nissanka 1, Kamil Mishara 5) Jacks is handed the second over.

Mishara gets four off the first ball after an uncharacteristic fluff by Bethell at point.Five dots follow.1st over: Sri Lanka 3-0 (Pathun Nissanka 1, Kamil Mishara 1) Archer with the new ball, slinks in.Nissanka fresh from his 100 off 52 balls against Australia at this very ground, is hit on the forearm going for a pull.Jofra is not impressed by a no ball call as the ball swings very late.

England huddle, Jofra Archer rubs his hands vigorously in the dust,Here we go…Under par by an out of sorts England, but can they pull things back with the ball? Sri Lanka’s chase will tee off shortly, but time for me to make a quick coffee,“Time to reach for the bat phone and tell Barney to prepare an English national teams in crisis article,” He’s neck stretching as I type, Ian Copestake,20th over: England 146-9 (Overton 10, Rashid 1) Overton traction engines six from Chameera’s third ball.

But England can only get three from the final three balls,In between, Sri Lanka review an lbw against Overton to no avail,Overton limps off after being hit on the leg and that’s not quite what the doctor ordered,A cherry-ripe diving catch as Archer pillowcases a full toss to Hemantha just outside the circle,Golden duck!19th over: England 135-9 (Overton 2) The long legged Madushanka.

Noughts and crosses.Jacks crunches four through extra cover.Madushanka fires the next succesfully wide of off stumps.But Jacks spears the next through extra cover again.Then two wickets on the bounce leaves England in the mire.

Scythes at a stretch at a very wide full toss and is well caught on the rope18th over: England 126-7 (Jacks 13, Overton 1) Big Jamie can’t get a hold on Theekshana either, after three dots he eventually digs out a single,Theekshana beats Jacks last ball and that’s an awesome over – a wicket, a wide and a single,Advances down the pitch, doesn’t pick Theekshana, instead licks, stamps and delivers to Shanaka jogging back at cover,17th over: England 124-6 (Jacks 13, Dawson 6) Chameera barrels in,Pow! Jacks posts him through the covers for four more.

Graciously accepts a wide.Dawson is doing his best but not found his timing.16th over: England 114-6 (Jacks 8, Dawson 2) Theeksana keeps England to four singles, until Jacks crunches a lofted cover drive for four off the last ball – only the second four hit today by an England batter whose name isn’t Phil Salt.15th over: England 105-6 (Jacks 2, Dawson 0) A big wicket for Sri Lanka, a super innings from an exhausted Salt.Wellalage tightens the knot: dot, dot, dot, dot.

Down long on’s throat!