Road Safety World Series 2022: Sanath Jayasuriya’s bowling masterclass helps Sri Lanka hammer England Legends

Sri Lanka Legends shot to the top of the points table in the 8-team Road Safety World Series 2022 after beating England Legends by 7 wickets in Match 5 at Green Park in Kanpur on Tuesday, September 13.

Sri Lanka bowled England out for 78 in 19 overs on a damp pitch before chasing down the target with relative ease.

It was the second successive victory for Sri Lanka Legends, who are being led by former opener Tilakaratne Dilshan. Sri Lanka defeated Australia Legends in a high-scoring match in their opener of the Road Safety World Series, riding on a stunning century from their captain on September 11.

On Tuesday, legendary Sanath Jayasuriya rolled back the clock, taking fans down memory lane with his crafty left-arm spin. Jayasuriya bowled 4 overs, conceded just 3 runs and picked up 4 wickets. He bowled 2 maiden overs as well, removing the middle-order of England.

Jayasuriya made good use of the sticky conditions as the left-arm spinner bamboozled the English batters in Kanpur. Captain Ian Bell failed to get going, managing just 14 runs in 24 balls before he was dismissed by Chaturanga de Silva, who shone with 2 wickets.

Pacer Nuwan Kulasekara also picked up 2 wickets as England never had any momentum in their innings.

In response, Tilakaratne Dilshan could not get going as he managed just 15 from 21 balls but Upul Tharanga and Dilshan Munaweera chipped in with handy 20s in the run-chase. Jeevan Mendis finished the job off with a six as Sri Lanka won with 3.3 overs to spare.

Sri Lanka are currently with 4 points from 2 matches, 2 points ahead of India Legends. The Sachin Tendulkar-led team defeated South Africa Legends in their opening match of the Road Safety World Series. They will take on West Indies Legends on September 14.