England have progressed to the semi-finals of the T20 Cricket World Cup after Ben Stokes led them to a nervy win over Sri Lanka.
Jos Buttler’s side entered Saturday’s game in Sydney knowing victory would see them through to the last four, while defeat would see the hosts and defending champions Australia qualify at their expense.
England hit their target of 142 runs with just two runs to spare after collapsing earlier, losing five wickets for 36 runs.
Stokes found the gaps and raced hard to finish unbeaten on 42 from 36 before a Chris Woakes four sent England over the line with four wickets to spare in a biting finish.
They are likely to face India in the semi-finals – Rohit Sharma’s men will top their group if they beat Zimbabwe at the MCG on Sunday – but England could also play against South Africa, Bangladesh or the Pakistan.
“To be honest, I’m not a big observer so I didn’t enjoy it very much, but we knew we had to win the game. That’s the kind of situation he (Stokes) is made for,” said Buttler said.
“He can play a lot of roles, he’s a good competitor, and it’s at this stage of the competition that he will grow.
“They got off to a good start, we knew the wicket would slow down as the game went on. Fantastic from (Adil) Rashid to change the momentum.”
Next week’s semi-finals are in Sydney on Wednesday and then in Adelaide on Thursday, both at 8.00am UK time, with the final in Melbourne on Sunday 13 November also at 8.00am UK time.
