We Didn't Play Well, Sri Lanka Did And Gave Us A Bit Of Humble Pie, Says Heather Knight

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 England captain Heather Knight admitted her team didn’t play well in their defeat to Sri Lanka in the second T20I at Chelmsford, adding that the visitors gave the hosts’ a bit of humble pie.

England were bowled out for 104, before Sri Lanka reached their target in 13.2 overs to earn a first win over the hosts’ in the T20I format. Captain Chamari Athapaththu slammed 55 off 40 balls and took out Danni Wyatt in the opening over to set the tone for a superb bowling performance from Sri Lanka for squaring three-game series at 1-1.

"We all had a bad day at the same time. It went wrong for pretty much everyone. "But we have a very inexperienced side, guys learning their trade. There will be no big inquiry about it."

"We didn't play well. Sri Lanka did and gave us a bit of humble pie. It's a good lesson to the youngsters that if you are not on and not able to execute your skill how you want to, then you are going to get punished," said Heather to Sky Sports after the match ended.

With England losing eight wickets to spinners in second T20I, Heather admitted her batting line-up must improve their batting against spin ahead of the Women’s T20 World Cup to be played in Bangladesh in 2024.

"It has a humbling day but an opportunity for us to learn and hone in on what we need to be better at moving forward. Even before this game we identified playing spin as an area we can keep improving with the World Cup in Bangladesh on the radar."

"The pitch was a little two-paced and we didn't adapt to conditions super-quick. Some dismissals were a little soft, mine included. There is a lot to learn," she added.

Former England men's cricketer Mark Butcher feels Sri Lanka are closing the gap with their surprise wins in women’s cricket. "It was a stunning performance from Sri Lanka. It shows how much the gap is closing between the teams at the top and the teams at the middle of the table."