England suffered an early setback at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium as a moment of brilliance in the field from Dasun Shanaka turned the tide in Sri Lanka’s favour.
The incident occurred in the eighth over when Dushmantha Chameera fired in a sharp yorker to Tom Banton. The right-hander could only jam it towards mid-off, and in a split second, he set off for a risky single.
What followed was pure fielding excellence as Sri Lankan captain Shanaka charged in from mid-off, collected the ball cleanly, and unleashed a perfect throw at the bowler’s end. With all three stumps to aim at, the Sri Lankan skipper nailed a direct hit. Even Banton’s desperate dive couldn’t save him as he was caught short of his crease. With his side already struggling after a top-order collapse, it was not a wise decision by the English batter.
Watch Shanaka’s brilliant throw here-
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