"Accidental Champion"- Top 10 funny memes after England's crushing 8-wicket loss against Sri Lanka in 2023 World Cup
Sri Lanka registered a thumping eight-wicket win against defending champions England in the 25th match of the 2023 World Cup on Thursday (October 26) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Following the clinical defeat, England now find themselves in the ninth position in the points table, only above the Netherlands. Sri Lanka have moved up to fifth position and also got a booster shot to their net run rate.
After opting to bat first in the afternoon, England were bundled out cheaply for 156 runs in 33.2 overs as their batting line-up failed yet again. Ben Stokes (43) was the top scorer. Angelo Mathews showed his worth on his comeback by picking up two wickets for Sri Lanka. Lahiru Kumara was the pick of the Lankan bowlers as he scalped three wickets.
In response, Sri Lanka raced off to 160/2 in 25.4 overs and won the match comfortably. Pathum Nissanka (77*) and Sadeera Samarawickrama (65*) helped them finish the chase in clinical fashion.
Cricket fans on social media enjoyed the one-sided encounter between England and Sri Lanka on Thursday. They expressed their reactions through hilarious memes on social media.
Here is a collection of the best memes:
"Very long way away from where we should have been"- England captain Jos Buttler after the loss against Sri Lanka in the 2023 World Cup
After the conclusion of the match on Thursday, England captain Jos Buttler reflected on the crushing defeat, saying:
"It's incredibly tough and a disappointing performance. Very long way away from where we should have been. We haven't made a good account of ourselves."
Talking about the reasons behind their dismal run in the tournament so far, he added:
"As a captain, you have to lead from the front and I have been way short of my best. Not massively to be honest. Rally experienced players in the dressing room. They don't become bad players or we don't become a bad team all of a sudden. There must be something but can't put a finger on that at this point."
Buttler continued:
"I think selection is something you have to be consistent with. Build that trust and longevity but that is not the problem at the moment, it is the performance. It's an obvious one to say, Joe Root's run out as well, that sort of mistake we are making which isn't expected of us. We haven't done our basics right either in bowling or batting. It's about personal pride, whatever happens going forward but rest of the matches we want to play good cricket."
England will next face India on Sunday (October 29) in Lucknow.