England got out of jail in their last match against Afghanistan, somehow fashioning a win when defeat looked most likely. Eoin Morgan's side cannot afford another below-par evening when they play Sri Lanka in a match, which if they win, will see them through to the semifinals at the expense of their opponents and South Africa.
This match at the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi cannot be more easy in scenario-terms for England – win and you are in the semis along with the West Indies, lose and you leave your fate up to South Africa and Sri Lanka, who play the final group phase match of the tournament Monday.
Watch the highlights of the brilliant match HERE
Having played in two batting-friendly pitches at the Wankhede in Mumbai, England struggled to adapt to the slower conditions of the Kotla, leading to a batting collapse which nearly cost them dear. However, Moeen Ali and David Willey put on a crucial partnership towards the end to get to a respectable score, before Afghanistan folded under the pressure of the chase.
England will know they must improve on that performance if they are to beat Sri Lanka, even this Sri Lanka who look like the shadow's shadow of the side that won the WT20 title in 2014.
"We have obviously not performed our best throughout the whole competition yet which in a way is quite exciting because you know that's yet to come," England batsman Joe Root was quoted as saying by The Times of India. "Really pleasing thing to me is that we are finding ways to win which is really important in this format of the game.
"So, as long as we can continue to do that, all we can worry about is that we get there, win tomorrow and give ourselves the best chance to qualify."
With South Africa's defeat to the West Indies Friday, England need to just beat Sri Lanka, doesn't matter how, to qualify. As things stand, that looks pretty likely too, considering the form that Sri Lanka are in at the moment.
They look seriously short of quality and confidence in all departments of the game, with even an Angelo Mathews looking like an average player. It is hard to see where Sri Lanka are going to get their inspiration from, but if they don't their title defence will end in a whimper.
"We're struggling with the batting, especially the middle order," Sri Lanka opener Dinesh Chandimal was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. "It can happen when you come to big games like this. We don't have experienced guys in the middle. Guys are really working hard in practice. If our middle order clicks together, we'll have a good chance.
"But, you can't say every time that it's our transition period. We've got some experienced guys, as well as youngsters. We have to put our hands up and perform for the side."
Where to Watch Live
England vs Sri Lanka is scheduled for a 7.30 p.m. IST (4 p.m. SAST, 2 p.m. GMT, 9 a.m. ET) start. Star Sports 1, Star Sports HD1, Star Sports 3 and Star Sports HD3 will provide live TV coverage for viewers in India. Viewers in India can also watch the WT20 match in Delhi by online live streaming on Starsports online and Hotstar.
Sky Sports 2 will show the match live in the UK , with the live stream option on Watch Sky Sports and Sky Go. Sri Lanka viewers can watch the match live on SLRC.
Viewers in New Zealand will be able watch the match live on Sky Sport and Sky Go NZ. Fox Sports will show the match between live in Australia, while the live streaming option is on Foxtel.
Willow TV will broadcast the game live in the US and Canada, while all the action can also be live streamed on Willow TV Online. Viewers in the Caribbean can watch the match between Sri Lanka and England live on ESPN and ESPN Player.
Audience in South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa can watch the World T20 action live on SuperSport, with the online live stream option SuperSport Live Video. Viewers in the Middle East and North Africa can watch the WT20 action live on OSN Cricket . The online live stream option for the match is on OSN Play.
