150/1 (12.5)
CR : 11.69
146/5 (20.0)
CR : 7.30
Sri Lanka Masters won by 9 wickets 🏆
Player of the Match
Kumar Sangakkara
106(47)
SLM won by 9 wickets
10:12 PM IST and Local Time | Sri Lanka Masters had to chase the target down in 15.4 overs to finish at the top of the points table and they did it in 12.5 overs to do so. Kumar Sangakkara has been the cynosure of the run chase with his masterclass innings of an unbeaten 106 runs in just 47 balls.
Batting first, English openers found it difficult to counter the movement of the new ball. Phil Mustard and Eoin Morgan got off to a slow start and Dilruwan Perera removed Morgan on 10. Then Tim Ambrose and Mustard took the onus. Ambrose tried hard but played 18 balls in his boundary less innings to score 17 runs. Mustard then hit a few after the first strategic time-out and completed his fifty but his innings was cut short by Udana on 50.
Darren Maddy had a terrible time once again. He scored just 15 off 17 balls. In the slog overs, Tim Bresnan and Chris Tremlett batted to post 146 on the board. Bresnan scored 18 and 14 came off Tremlett's bat.
For the Sri Lanka Masters, Isuru Udana, Dilruwan Perera, Asela Gunaratne, Chaturanga de Silva and Jeevan Mendis took a wicket each.
Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lanka Masters skipper came out to bat today with a new partner. Romesh Kaluwitharana struggled horribly but Sangakkara kept the score flowing with a flurry of boundaries. He took on Ryan Sidebottom and Boyd Rankin early in the powerplay and when Chris Tremlett and Tim Bresnan came in the attack, he smashed them too to muster 76 runs from the powerplay.
Sangakkara's atrocity catapulted after the powerplay. He hit Monty Panesar and Dimitri Mascarenhas in their first overs and the team score crossed the hundred run mark in a jiffy. Sri Lanka Masters lost their first wicket in the first ball of the 10th over when Kaluwitharana found Darren Maddy at deep midwicket off Mascarenhas on 16. But Asela Gunaratne batted intelligently to score 22 off 12 ball to help his team go closer to the target.
Kumar Sangakkara got to his triple figure mark in just 46 balls and in the very next ball he stepped out against Panesar to hit the first maximum of the innings to bring the winning score up. His unbeaten 106 run knock was decorated with 19 fours and a maximum.
Batting first, English openers found it difficult to counter the movement of the new ball. Phil Mustard and Eoin Morgan got off to a slow start and Dilruwan Perera removed Morgan on 10. Then Tim Ambrose and Mustard took the onus. Ambrose tried hard but played 18 balls in his boundary less innings to score 17 runs. Mustard then hit a few after the first strategic time-out and completed his fifty but his innings was cut short by Udana on 50.
Darren Maddy had a terrible time once again. He scored just 15 off 17 balls. In the slog overs, Tim Bresnan and Chris Tremlett batted to post 146 on the board. Bresnan scored 18 and 14 came off Tremlett's bat.
For the Sri Lanka Masters, Isuru Udana, Dilruwan Perera, Asela Gunaratne, Chaturanga de Silva and Jeevan Mendis took a wicket each.
Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lanka Masters skipper came out to bat today with a new partner. Romesh Kaluwitharana struggled horribly but Sangakkara kept the score flowing with a flurry of boundaries. He took on Ryan Sidebottom and Boyd Rankin early in the powerplay and when Chris Tremlett and Tim Bresnan came in the attack, he smashed them too to muster 76 runs from the powerplay.
Sangakkara's atrocity catapulted after the powerplay. He hit Monty Panesar and Dimitri Mascarenhas in their first overs and the team score crossed the hundred run mark in a jiffy. Sri Lanka Masters lost their first wicket in the first ball of the 10th over when Kaluwitharana found Darren Maddy at deep midwicket off Mascarenhas on 16. But Asela Gunaratne batted intelligently to score 22 off 12 ball to help his team go closer to the target.
Kumar Sangakkara got to his triple figure mark in just 46 balls and in the very next ball he stepped out against Panesar to hit the first maximum of the innings to bring the winning score up. His unbeaten 106 run knock was decorated with 19 fours and a maximum.
Eoin Morgan (England Masters Captain): "There's nothing a lot you can do. He looked fine and fatal. He(Kumar Sangakkara) is a left hander to whom I've always looked. He used the pace and did well. Probably Chris Tremlett pulled an injury but when Kumar Sangakkara plays like this, you can't do much.
The games we played, guys have picked up injuries. Steven Finn, Ian Bell and now Tremlett. We will look at the injury for the next 24 hours and then will think of the team for the match against South Africa on Wednesday."
The games we played, guys have picked up injuries. Steven Finn, Ian Bell and now Tremlett. We will look at the injury for the next 24 hours and then will think of the team for the match against South Africa on Wednesday."
Time for the post-match presentations.
Most Sixes of the Match: Phil Mustard
Power Player of the Match: Kumar Sangakkara
Player of the Match: Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara (Player of the Match and Sri Lanka Masters Captain): "It's good to get some runs. Pretty slow in the last innings. We focused on finishing it within 15.4 overs. That's the calculation we had. Everyone has done well.
I put my efforts in the last ball and cleared the rope. T20 cricket is such that the boundary count makes the difference. The team is in a good space. Guys are happy. All of them are playing to win and that makes a difference.
The bowlers have been brilliant. Specially the fast bowlers. It is not easy to run in and bowl. We took a flight and are coming next day for the match. We will try to play good cricket and play in the final."
I put my efforts in the last ball and cleared the rope. T20 cricket is such that the boundary count makes the difference. The team is in a good space. Guys are happy. All of them are playing to win and that makes a difference.
The bowlers have been brilliant. Specially the fast bowlers. It is not easy to run in and bowl. We took a flight and are coming next day for the match. We will try to play good cricket and play in the final."
So that marks the end of our coverage from the 13th match of the IML 2025 between Sri Lanka Masters and England Masters. Sri Lanka team completely outplayed the English side to secure the first position in the points table with 8 points. They have gone ahead of India Masters in terms of NRR.
For now, this is Saptak Sanyal signing off on behalf of the scorers/analysts of this game Bishal Mandal and Sachin Yadav. Good night.
For now, this is Saptak Sanyal signing off on behalf of the scorers/analysts of this game Bishal Mandal and Sachin Yadav. Good night.