The Oval ke maidan par aaj sirf ek hi shor tha aur woh tha English batters ke balle ka. England ne batting masterclass dikhate hue Sri Lanka ki bowling unit ko poore ground mein bhagaya hai. Innings break tak score board par 355 runs tang chuke hain aur Lankans ke liye yeh chase kisi mission impossible se kam nahi hone wala. Tom Banton ki maiden century aur Harry Brook ki tabadtod batting ne game ko ek tarfa bana diya hai.
To Hua esa hai ki:
Innings ki shuruaat se hi England ka irada saaf tha. Tom Banton ne apne ODI career ki pehli century jadte hue 126 runs ki behtareen innings kheli. Unka saath nibhaya Harry Brook ne jinhone 77 runs banaye. In dono ke beech teesre wicket ke liye hui 150 runs ki partnership ne innings ki neev rakhi. Halanki Harry Brook ko kismat ka saath mila jab Kusal Mendis ne unka catch sirf 7 runs par drop kar diya tha. Uske baad Brook ne peeche mudkar nahi dekha aur Sri Lanka ke bowlers ki jamkar dhulai ki.
Jab Banton aur Brook out hokar pavilion laute, tab aisa laga ki shayad runs ki raftaar thamegi, lekin Jordan Cox ke dimaag mein kuch aur hi tha. Cox ne mahaz 52 balls par 76 runs thonk diye aur death overs mein aisi tabaahi machayi ki Sri Lanka ke captain ke paas koi jawaab nahi tha. England ki team 50 overs mein 355 for 7 tak pahunch gayi, jo ki is venue par ek daunting total hai.
Analysis & Numbers
- Tom Banton ne 126 runs ki innings ke saath apna pichla best score 73 cross kiya.
- Harry Brook aur Banton ki 150 runs ki partnership sirf 117 balls mein aayi.
- Jordan Cox ne apni pehli List A aur ODI half-century maari, jisme 6 chauke aur 2 bade chhake shaamil the.
- Sri Lanka ke bowlers ka haal bura raha: Asitha Fernando ne 3 wickets liye lekin 64 runs kharch kiye, wahi Sachindu Colombage ne 2 wickets liye par 71 runs diye.
- Fielding mein Sri Lanka ne do bade catch chhode, pehle Harry Brook aur phir Jamie Overton.
The Guru Gyan Verdict:
England ne aaj dikha diya ki kyun unka white-ball dominance itna khatarnak hai. Sri Lanka ki bowling aur fielding dono hi "club level" ki nazar aayi. Catch drop karna aur phir length delivery par kutai khana inki purani aadat rahi hai. Wese inki bowling dekh kar humein hamare padosi Pakistan ki yaad aa gayi, jahan bowlers ke paas speed toh hai par line-length ka koi ata-pata nahi hota. Agar Sri Lanka ko yeh match jeetna hai toh unhe miracle batting karni hogi, warna yeh match toh England ki mutthi mein hai.
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