Hales ton keeps England alive
A breathtaking display from Alex Hales, who hammered England's first T20 hundred, inspired a beleaguered team to their highest-ever chase
A breathtaking display from Alex Hales, who hammered England's first T20 hundred, inspired a beleaguered team to their highest-ever chase
That's it from us for this game. Andrew McGlashan is updating the report shortly, and there's plenty more to come from our man Alan Gardner in Chittagong, so look out for that.
England have done something special here, not just because they toppled the top-ranked team, but also because they snapped Sri Lanka's 14-match unbeaten streak. Even 12 overs into the chase, they were well behind. They banked on catching up when the ball got wet towards the end, and Hales was too good in the final few overs.
Broad: "That's a very special knock and one of the best I've seen in an England shirt. World events are a big and that kind of win will give our dressing room a lot of belief. I feel for Sri Lanka's bowlers with the dew. We changed about four or five balls in the innings. We've been fielding with wet balls at training, we should probably make it wet bars of soap I think. The confidence we've got with the bat scoring 172 against New Zealand and this match today, we've got a lot of momentum. Alex's knock is one of the best I've ever seen. He kept up with the asking rate throughout and hit boundaries at the end."
Chandimal: "We started well thanks to Mahela and Dilshan. It was a good total, but it was difficult with the dew for our bowlers. We had two spinners, but they couldn't grip the ball - especially Mendis. Not sure how serious Mahela's injuy is. Alex batted really well, so did Morgan. We'll have to pick up the pieces and get ready for the next game."
Mendis was always going to struggle with the dew, and it was that 25-run over that swung it for England. They'll go back and have a look at their strategy.
Sree: "Whaddaplaya!!!! Hales, you the man. To see him smash Kula (a bowler full of confidence), especially at a time when he is nearing his hundred (considering he's been out twice before in the nineties), is a truly great sight. England's future is in real good hands. You can also see his name appear 4 times in the top 8 scores for England T20I. Hats off to you sir."
Hales is obviously man of the match. "We weren't in good form coming in, but we're buzzing now. After two wickets we knew if we stayed in we were in the game. The way Morgy played was outstanding. Centuries in this format don't come often. I've had a couple of 90s and it's good to get over the line. It's great to get on the board in the tournament. Without a shadow of a doubt it's the best I've ever played."
Mathews to bowl the last over. He has six runs to defend. England need 7 to win. Prabhash Miriya: "Where is Sten, please ask him to come for just one over"
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Having tossed away opportunities in the field with reckless abandon and slumping into negative territory at the start of their chase, England found the courage to make amends