ENG vs SL Highlights, T20 World Cup 2022: England beats Sri Lanka by four wickets, qualifies for semifinals

England wins and is through to the semifinals, knocking archrival and defending champion Australia out of the tournament. New Zealand qualifies as the top team from Group 1 and England as the second-placed team.

Kumara to bowl the final over. Slower one, wide outside off and Stokes gets a couple off the first ball. Three needed off five balls. Slashed aerially to deep third for a single. Two needed off four balls. Slower one, Woakes misses the pull and that’s a dot. Two needed off three balls. FOUR! England win.

England needs 13 runs to win in 12 balls. Woakes comes in. Stokes on strike. Wide yorker from Rajitha and Stokes gets a single off the first ball. 12 off 11 needed. Woakes defends and hares for a quick one. 11 off 10 required. A couple for Stokes at deep midwicket. Nine runs to win off nine balls. Wide outside off. Eight to win off nine balls. Six to win off eight balls as Stokes gets another couple down the ground. Stokes guides this straight to cover. Six off seven balls needed. Single off the last ball. Five needed off the last over.

Kumara bowls. Three dots. 15 to win from 15. Currant gets a single at deep third. OUT! Curran pulls and taken at fine-leg.

Maheesh Theekshana into the attack. Six runs from the over.

Off-spinner Charith Asalanka into the attack. Stokes greets him with a cut shot for four. Eight runs from the over.

Dhananjaya bowls out. Stokes starts with a single off a drive down the ground. Moeen defends solidly. OUT! Another one bites the dust as Moeen guides this straight to the fielder at cover. Is there a twist in the tale here? Out comes Sam Curran. Stokes will be the key.

Kumara returns. OUT! Livingstone gets this off the toe of the bat and this goes high up in the air. Taken at long-on. Moeen is the next man in.

Here comes Dhananjaya. Hundred runs up for England in 12.2 overs. Just 42 more needed in 46 balls. Stokes goes inside out over covers and just short of the fielder in the deep. Gets three runs. Eight from the over.

Hasaranga will continue. Stokes punches off the backfoot on the off for a couple. Batters happy to squeeze the ones and twos against Hasaranga. Just five runs from the over and Hasaranga is done. Ends with 4-0-23-2.

Dhananjaya continues. FOUR! Stokes slaps this full ball through the off-side for a boundary. OUT! Brook gives an easy return catch to the bowler and England loses another one.

Hasaranga continues. OUT! Hales gets a top edge on the sweep and the ball loops up and back into the bowler’s hands. Hasaranga gets his second. Brook steps out and drives through covers for a couple. Brook goes for the reverse-sweep, gets an inside edge and the ball just misses off-stump. Four runs from the over and the wicket.

Dhananjaya into the attack. Driven to long-off by Stokes for a single. Hales steps out and shovels this over the bowler for two more. Six runs from the over and England is now coasting in this chase.

Hasaranga into his second over. Hales start with a single. OUT! Buttler goes. Full, Buttler slogs that on leg-side and Karunaratne takes a brilliant catch at deep midwicket diving to his right. Stokes comes in at No. 3. He is off the mark with a single. Hales misses a sweep and is hit on the thigh.

Theekshana comes back. Two dots to start the over. Buttler turns one off his pads for a single. Turning into him and Hales pushes that off the backfoot for a single down the ground. Four runs from the over but England is well ahead and doesn’t need to take any undue risk.

Rajith bowls his second over. SIX! Hales has hammered this disdainfully over deep square for a maximum. Slower one, full and Hales digs this out and gets it over mid-on for four more. FOUR! Low full toss on the pads and Hales flicks this over midwicket for another boundary. Appeal for caught behind as Hales misses this outside the off stump yorker. Appeal turned down but Sri Lanka goes upstairs. DRS uphold the on-field umpire’s decision as there is no spike as ball passes bat. FOUR! Another boundary to end the over and 20 runs from it.

Hasaranga with the ball. Full on the legs and Buttler flicks that to deep midwicket for a single. Hales takes a single next ball. FOUR! Excellent footwork from Buttler, who goes back and cuts this through cover and point for a boundary. SIX! Launched down the ground by Buttler for a maximum and that’s 50 up in five overs.

Kumara into the attack. FOUR! Hales gets a boundary at long-off. FOUR! Too full on the pads and Hales sends that to the fine-leg boundary. Kumara has also overstepped and that’s a no-ball! Hales slogs this free-hit and only gets a single at deep third. Slower one, short-of-good-length and Buttler is hit on the waist as he misses the pull shot.

Theekshana continues. Beaten! Straight and flat on middle stump and Buttler misses it comprehensively as the ball goes over the stumps. FOUR! Full and Buttler hits this down the ground for a boundary. Punched off the backfoot for two more.

Kasun Rajitha will share the new ball. Good length on off and Buttler defends on the off-side. Buttler gets a single next ball. Hales flicks this on leg and takes a couple. FOUR! Hales moves outside leg-stump and lofts this over mid-off for a boundary. Going down leg-side and wide ball. FOUR! Full outside off and Hales spanks this over covers for another boundary. Driven to mid-off for a dot to end the over.

Buttler and Hales open the innings for England. Theekshana will start proceedings for Sri Lanka with the ball. Dot to start with. Driven to Buttler to mid-off. Pushed off the backfoot by Buttler for a single and England is off the mark. Low full toss on the pads and whipped away by Hales for a couple more. Hales might have got an outside edge trying to cut the last delivery. Just three from the first over.

Wood to bowl the final over. FOUR! Slashed through the off by Rajapaksa and this beats the diving fielder at deep cover. OUT! 152kmph delivery, Rajapaksa pulls and hands an easy catch at mid-on. Karunaratne comes in. Wood goes short, Hasaranga backs away outside leg to uppercut it and misses. He backs away again, Wood goes full outside off and Hasaranga misse. He hares for a bye and is run out at the non-striker’s end. OUT! Another falls off the last ball of the over.

Curran comes. Wide yorker to Hasaranga and the batter cannot get his bat down in time to dig this one out. Slashed on the off for a couple. Defended back to the bowler. Just two runs off the first three balls. Hasaranga swings and misses as Curran angles this across the stumps. FOUR! Lucky runs for Hasaranga as he shuffles across and gets an inside edge behind the keeper trying to whip this full delivery on leg-side. A couple to end the over.

Wood with the ball. Short ball angling across and Rajapaksa misses the pull. Goes for the pull again next ball but only manages a top edge to fine-leg for a single. Pulled by Shanaka through midwicket for one more. Going down leg and wide called by the umpire. Rajapaksa hurried on the pull again by the extra pace and gets one more. OUT! Back-of-a-length just outside off and Shanaka edges behind trying to cut this. Hasaranga comes in. Single to end the over.

Curran to bowl his third over. Yorker to Rajapaksa and he cannot dig it out; just one leg-bye. Shanaka takes off for a single after dabbing a good length ball to cover. Another single off the third ball. Curran keeping it tight at the death...again. Shanaka steps out and gets an outside edge that goes to the ‘keeper on the bounce. Dot ball. Top stuff from Curran as he ends the over with three dots.

OUT! Rashid is finally rewarded with a wicket after keeping it tight today. Nissanka steps out and can only launch this high in the air and taken at long-on by Jordan. Captain Shanaka comes in. He misses a sweep first ball. Goes for the sweep again next ball and gets a single at deep square. Driven by Rajapaksa for a single. Rashid ends with exceptional figures of 4-0-16-1.

Woakes with the ball. Two singles to start the over. Malan walks off the field with a groin injury as he looks to have hurt himself while giving chase to the ball. FOUR! Slower one, Nissanka gets under it and lofts this over long-off for four runs. FOUR! Rajapaksa uppercuts this short ball delicately over the keeper for another boundary.

Rashid comes back. Just a single off the first three balls as Rashid continues to trouble the batters. Rajapaksa misses a sweep as the ball keeps low and goes under the bat. Rashid then gets a googly to bounce more than expected and almost chops on trying to cut.

Stokes continues. SIX! Full and Nissanka launches this over deep square for a maximum. FOUR! Rajapaksa hops and cuts this behind point and to the boundary for four runs. Slower one, short and Rajapaksa can’t get it away. 100 runs up for SL in 12.5 overs.

Livingstone comes for his second. Rajapaksa is off the mark with a single through midwicket. Nissanka gets his fifty off 33 balls.

Stokes comes back for his second. Nissanka pulls a short and slow one to midwicket for a couple. Asalanka jabs another short one to deep square for one more. Stokes continues to keep pace off the ball. OUT! Asalanka has sliced this in the air and taken by Malan. Stokes ploy to bowl slow pays off. Rajapaksa comes in. Just four runs from the over.

Moeen Ali into the attack. Asalanka on strike. Swept to deep square for a single first ball. Nissanka gets one more next ball with a flick off his pads. Asalanka and Nissanka have collided mid-pitch trying to take a single and Nissanka looks to have hurt himself. The physio is out to have a look. He seems okay to continue after a small break in play. Just five singles from the over. Sri Lanka has 80 at the halfway stage.

Curran back for his second. Slower one on a good length to start with and Nissanka jabs this for a single. OUT! Fuller and Dhananjaya swings only to find the fielder at deep midwicket. Asalanka comes in next. He is off the mark with a single off the first ball. Just four runs from the over and a wicket. England has done well to pull things back after Sri Lanka got going in the PowerPlay.

Rashid continues. He keeps it tight as just three runs come off the first three. Dhananjaya plays an elegant aerial drive inside out and goes to the deep cover fielder on the bounce for a single. Swing and a miss from Dhananjaya to end the over.

Livingstone with the ball. A couple of singles to start with. Spinners have put the skids on the scoring for a while now. Wonder how Sri Lankan spinners will fare on this wicket. Tossed up on middle and off and Nissanka mishits this in the air and the ball lands safely between mid-on and mid-off for a couple. SIX! Nissanka connects this one and launches this for a maximum.

Adil Rashid to bowl the final over of the PowerPlay. Three dots to start the over. Make it four as Nissanka keeps finding the cover fielder. Just a single off the fifth as Rashid goes slightly short on leg and Nissanka pulls it to deep midwicket. One more single to end the over. Just two from it.

Curran into the attack. Angling across and pushed to backward point by Nissanka for a single. Dhananjaya gets off the mark with a risky single as he drives to Moeen at cover and hares off. FOUR! Nissanka steps out, and gets a top edge on the pull and gets four behind the keeper. SIX! Too full on the pads and Nissanka flicks this with flourishing wrists over the fielder at deep square-leg. Fifty up for SL in 4.5 overs. Single to end the over and Nissanka keeps strike.

Woakes back for his second over. Mendis pulls this good length ball for a single. Nissanka flicks this off his toes for one more. FOUR! Full, angling into the pads and Mendis flicks this to the square leg fence. OUT! Slower delivery, Mendis pulls and taken by Livingstone at deep midwicket.

SIX! In the slot on middle and leg and Mendis launches this over deep square for a maximum. Mendis gets three more as he flicks one aerially over midwicket. SIX! Short and Nissanka uppercuts this for another six over deep third. What a start for SL!

Woakes from the other end. Nissanka gets a couple off the first ball as he flicks a full delivery through midwicket. This is shorter and Nissanka hops and defends and hares for a quick single.

Mendis and Nissanka are out to open the innings for Sri Lanka. Stokes with the new ball. Shaping away on a length outside off and Nissanka leaves. SIX! This is going down leg and Nissanka swivels and pulls this over fine-leg for a 62m maximum. Mendis is off the mark with a single as he puts away a low full toss to square-leg. Nissanka tucks the last ball off his pads for one more.

The teams come out for the national anthems at the SCG.

Sri Lanka have won the toss and decided to bat first. Jos Buttler says he would’ve batted first as well. Teams batting first have won all five games at the SCG in this World Cup.

England (Playing XI): Jos Buttler(w/c), Alex Hales, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, Dawid Malan, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha

Good noon, all! Well here we are, just hours away from locking up the semifinal spots in Group 1. New Zealand has already advanced. England and Sri Lanka play in Sydney. If England wins, it is through , after Australia failed to beat Afghanistan by a big margin. If Sri Lanka win, Australia will join New Zealand. If England v Sri Lanka is rained off then Australia goes through (highly unlikely!)

The England vs Sri Lanka T20 World Cup match will be streamed live on Disney Plus Hotstar.

ENG VS SL HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD IN T20IS

Matches played: 13

England won: 9

Sri Lanka won: 4

Last result: England won by 26 runs (Sharjah; November 2021)

Last five results: ENG won - 5; SL won - 0

ENG highest score vs SL: 190/4 (19.2) - (Chattogram; March 2014)

ENG lowest score vs SL: 136/9 (20) - (Bristol; June 2011)

SL highest score vs ENG: 189/4 (20) - (Chattogram; March 2014)

SL lowest score vs ENG: 91 (18.5) - (Southampton; June 2021)

England has the edge over Sri Lanka historically in T20Is, having won nine out of the 13 matches played between the teams so far. In T20 World Cup history, England has beaten Sri Lanka four times while losing only once.

The last time the two teams met at the T20 World Cup was in 2021 in Sharjah, when England beat Sri Lanka by 26 runs.

England will qualify for T20 World Cup semifinals if it beats Sri Lanka in Sydney on Saturday with Australia unable to significantly boost net run-rate after a narrow win over Afghanistan in Adelaide.