England upended Sri Lanka in the second game of the three-match T20I series by five wickets at Cardiff Wales Stadium on Thursday.
Opting to bat first, the Lankan openers Danushka Gunathilaka and Avishka Fernando were put under pressure from the very first ball itself as they failed to capitalize during the powerplay overs.
England speedster David Willey conceded just five runs in the first over, after which all-rounder Sam Curran bowled a tight line and length.
In the absence of boundaries, Gunathilaka and Fernando tried to rotate the strike but lost a wicket in the third ball of the second over.
The instance happened when Curran bowled a short of a good length delivery which swung late, only for Fernando to miss it. However, the two openers decided to steal a quick single. Curran, too, ran towards the ball with Gunathilaka and kicked the white leather towards the stumps before the latter could reach his crease.
Thus, Gunathilaka’s short stay at the pitch ended for a meagre three runs whilst the Islanders were stranded at 6/1 in 1.3 overs.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) shared a snippet of the scalp on their official Twitter handle and applauded Curran’s football skills.
“It’s coming home! Back of the net, @CurranSM!,” the ECB captioned their video.
Here is the video:
"It's coming home!" ⚽
Back of the net, @CurranSM! 👌
Scorecard/clips: https://t.co/pLmR4Sv6Mh pic.twitter.com/dx8gRiIFD7
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 24, 2021
Meanwhile, Kusal Perera & Co. could only muster a paltry 111/7 in their allotted twenty overs. Rain marred the contest, and the target was reduced to 103 in 18 overs. Riding on Liam Livingstone’s sturdy 26-ball 29*, England chased the total and finished the game in 16.1 overs.
With this win, England took an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the three-match T20I series. The last encounter would be played at Rose Bowl in Southampton on Saturday.
