T20 World Cup: Sri Lanka vs England: Presentation Highlights, Player of the Match, Awards, Comments, Scorecard

Sydney, Nov. 5: England eked out a four-wicket win over Sri Lanka to seal their place in the semifinals of the T20 World Cup 2022.

Ahead of the game, New Zealand was the only team to have qualified for the semis, with the fate of the final spot of the group resting on the outcome of the England vs Sri Lanka match in Sydney.

Another upset on the cards? Well, it looked like that when Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat. The Lankan openers hammered the England bowlers around the park to hand Lanka a strong start. Having dominated the powerplay, Lanka looked set for a strong total.

T20 World Cup 2022: SL vs ENG, Highlights: England knock Australia out with thrilling win over Sri Lanka

But Adil Rashid, who hadn't been among wickets, turned the course of the game following the powerplay. Though Pathum Nissanka struck his second half-century of the tournament, Sri Lanka posted a below par total of 141/8 in their 20 overs.

In reply, England openers hammered Lanka, scoring 70 in the powerplay. The Lankan bowlers fought back couple of quick wickets, which saw the England middle-order collapse. But Ben Stokes came to the party with a crucial knock as he guided England to a last-over win.

England who held a positive net runrate, needed just a win to knock Australia out of the semis. Jos Buttler's men heaved a sigh of relief as they handed Lanka their third defeat in the Super 12 stage to join New Zealand in the semifinals.

England will now head to Adelaide for their semifinal match of the ongoing T20 World Cup.

Here are the post-match comments, player of the match, full list of awards and post-match presentation highlights of the Sri Lanka vs England Super 12 match in Sydney:

Player of the Match: Adil Rashid (1/16 from four overs)

Adil Rashid (Eng): It was a tight game. In T20 cricket it happens. They bowled well and created pressure but Stokes played magnificently. Thankfully we stuck to it and got over the line. It's obviously nice to bowl a few dots and create chances. But 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. You may not get that in certain grounds, but here you could do 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 actually felt quite good for sometime, even before the tournament. But that's T20 cricket, you may bowl well and not get a wicket. Sometimes you may not bowl well and get wickets. I've been trying to do my best to do my job and win. (Adelaide next) There may be a fresh pitch. It may seam. It may be a flat one. Whatever it is on the day, we'll assess. (Supporters) Wherever we go we always have our supporters, especially in Australia. So hopefully, they will come in huge numbers in Adelaide as well.

Dasun Shanaka (SL), Losing Captain: It was an amazing fight. We could have done better in batting. I think wicket played a part in this game. Even the English batters struggled in the second part. We didn't play according to the wicket. We gave a good fight in the last ten overs, we didn't bowl well in the powerplay. Hales and Buttler were very good in the powerplay. We played good cricket in patches. If the injuries were not there we could have done better. In patches we batted well. When we go home we have to brush up the areas we didn't do well. (Hasaranga) He's been outstanding and also Theekshana. They are both doing the job for us. Today, Lahiru Kumara and Rajitha bowled well in the latter part but Dhananjaya too. But, there are areas to be improved. To be honest, power hitting is a key area we need to work on. We have to look for new talent as well. Catching has been a problem in this tournament. (Supporters) Must thank the colourful and wonderful spectators who've supported throughout the World Cup. Everywhere we go, they follow us. Must also thank the followers back home.

Jos Buttler (Eng), Winning Captain: I'm not a great watcher to be honest. Couldn't enjoy that much. We knew we had to find a way to win that game and we did it. (Ben Stokes) Situations is what he is made for. He can play a lot of roles. He affects the game in all three facets and he's a proper competitor. I'm delighted for him. While he's at the crease, it gives you a sense of calm. Yeah, they (SL) 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 to change the momentum of the game. He's been someone we always turn to and I was really pleased with his performance. I think a lot of people always look at the end column. A lot of people just look at the wickets. 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. He's a tough customer to face. (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. (Opening combo with Hales) He again played beautifully again tonight, he's a tough batter to bowl at. (Adelaide) Just excited. We just wanted to find a way to win and get through to the semifinals. Now we're looking to play at what is one of the best stadiums in the World.