World Cup 2019: Top 5 performers from Sri Lanka's stunning win over hosts England

England v Sri Lanka - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019
England v Sri Lanka - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

Sri Lanka produced the upset of the ICC World Cup 2019 so far with a remarkable win against England at Headingley.

There were some stand-out performances by players from both teams, but who were the five players to make a real difference? Here's a look at them:

Joe Root (England)

England v Sri Lanka - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019
England v Sri Lanka - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

One of the few England batsmen to actually get in and score a considerable amount, Root provided a solid base for his team to push on. While maybe not at his fluent best, he looked solid nonetheless, scoring 57 runs to bring his total for the tournament to an impressive 424.

On a pitch which wasn't the easiest to score freely on, Root showed his adaptability, digging in to contribute a substantial amount of runs.

Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka)

England v Sri Lanka - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019
England v Sri Lanka - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

An icon of the game, Malinga rolled back the years with a superb performance with the ball.

Removing England's top three of James Vince, Jonny Bairstow and Root, he gave his team the impetus that they needed early on to make a real fist of things.

With England seemingly well set, he took the crucial wicket of key man Jos Buttler to stunt their progress and give his team reason to believe.

Mark Wood (England)

England v Sri Lanka - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019
England v Sri Lanka - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

With the recent arrival of Jofra Archer into the team, the Durham man has gone somewhat under the radar. But once again, he was able to demonstrate his importance to the team with three wickets in a hostile spell of bowling.

Today's haul brought his tally for the tournament to 12, enough to place him fourth on the list for most scalps.

Dhananjaya de Silva

England v Sri Lanka - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019
England v Sri Lanka - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

After contributing 29 with the bat, the Sri Lankan off spinner took two wickets in an over to turn the game on its head.

The 27-year-old sent the middle order tumbling, dismissing Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid to completely shake up the outlook of the match.

On a pitch which wasn't offering too much in the way of spin, De Silva used his skills to bowl in testing areas, resulting in Woakes and Rashid edging behind to wicket-keeper Kusal Perera.

Angelo Mathews

England v Sri Lanka - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019
England v Sri Lanka - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

Perhaps the pick of the bunch, the former captain used all of his experience to craft a patient 85 runs in the face of some excellent England bowling.

With both openers getting out cheaply, and Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis being dismissed in the 40s, Mathews knew that it was his job to hang around and get his side to a respectable total.

With wickets falling around him at regular intervals, he managed to remain focused and dragg his team single-handedly towards a total which would prove to be enough to secure a famous win.

Also read – Cricket World cup winners

Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on World Cup points table, news, world cup most runs, live scores, schedule, most runs, most wickets and fantasy tips.

Follow IPL Auction 2025 Live Updates, News & Biddings at Sportskeeda. Get the fastest updates on Mega-Auction and cricket news

Quick Links

Edited by Musab Abid
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications