Ben Duckett provided the ruthlessness England so desperately craved with a record knock of 165. But his heroics went in vain as Josh Inglis countered by pummeling a lackluster England pace attack and powering Australia to the highest successful chase in men’s ICC tournament history.

The first match at an ICC event in Lahore since March 1996 saw batting completely dominate this Champions Trophy blockbuster with little margin for error for the bowlers on such a benign surface.

With a mixture of inventive strokes and meaty backfoot blows, England-born Inglis hit his maiden ODI century to finish unbeaten on 120 from 86 balls as Australia reached the target of 352 with relative ease in the 48th over. England’s bowlers struggled to handle the dew under lights, with Australia achieving their second-highest successful ODI chase after their 359 for 6 against India in Mohali in 2019.

It was a bitter disappointment for England, who now face must-win games against Afghanistan and South Africa. They ultimately will rue falling a little bit short with the bat, but Duckett’s magnificent 165 off 143 was the highest individual score in Champions Trophy history. He received strong support from Joe Root, who made a crisp 68 in a third-wicket partnership of 158.

Even though no other batter scored more than 25 runs, England still compiled the highest-ever total in the tournament and took full toll on the least experienced Australian attack at an ICC ODI event since 1983. They were without frontline quicks Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, while seam-bowling allrounders Cameron Green, Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis are also missing.

However, the result was not a fait accompli on this flat surface, with Australia boasting a deep batting line-up. Australia’s innings mirrored England’s with two early wickets after Travis Head and stand-in captain Steven Smith fell in the powerplay.

Having blazed an unforgettable century the last time he was sighted at a 50-over ICC event, Head loomed as the key but on 6 his swipe hit the toe-end of the bat and Jofra Archer held a sharp return catch.

Smith could only edge to slip a hard-length delivery from speedster Mark Wood, who was in great rhythm and consistently hitting speeds of 150 kph. But Mathew Short and Marnus Labuschagne rallied with a 95-run stand as they took a particular liking to wayward quick Brydon Carse.

Short overcame a lean run of form by superbly using the pace of England’s quicks but legspinner Adil Rashid bowled a brilliant spell in combination with Liam Livingstone that squeezed the batters.

by Rex Clementine

Champions Trophy, one of cricket’s biggest showpiece events is underway in Pakistan and Dubai, but conspicuous by their absence are Sri Lanka – a team that once punched above their weight at ICC tournaments. For the first time since Anura Tennekoon led Sri Lanka to their maiden ICC event, the 1975 Prudential World Cup in England, the men’s team has failed to make the cut.

How did Sri Lanka end up missing out on a tournament of the magnitude of the Champions Trophy? To be clear, this is not a witch hunt to pin the blame on individuals. Rather, it’s a post-mortem to identify where things went off the rails and, more importantly, how to avoid future embarrassments of this scale.

The warning signs had been flashing like a malfunctioning scoreboard for a while. Sri Lanka’s steady slide in the rankings due to poor bilateral performances meant they had to take the scenic route through qualifiers. Ultimately, their ninth-place finish in the 2023 World Cup in India proved to be the death knell for their Champions Trophy hopes. Only the top eight teams went through and Sri Lanka missed out.

Both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh finished with four points apiece, but Bangladesh sneaked through by the barest of margins – thanks to a slightly superior Net Run Rate. This was a case of failing to keep an eye on the fine print, a classic example of losing a game in the dressing room before even stepping onto the field.

From the outset, Sri Lanka’s preparation for the World Cup resembled a game plan scribbled on a napkin – unclear and chaotic. The selection committee, after initially deciding to replace Dasun Shanaka as captain, made a dramatic U-turn at the eleventh hour. Shanaka, in a cruel twist of fate, lasted just two games before being sidelined by injury, and the captaincy baton was hastily passed to Kusal Mendis. Burdened with leadership responsibilities, Mendis lost his golden touch with the bat and Sri Lanka lost their direction.

Fielding was Sri Lanka’s Achilles’ heel and the team management’s approach to fixing it was akin to putting a band-aid on a fractured leg. They hired a foreign fielding coach to create an illusion of progress, but the reality was starkly different. Sri Lanka finished the tournament as the worst fielding side – proof that simply ticking boxes doesn’t win matches.

Take the match against Pakistan in Hyderabad. After posting a formidable 344, Sri Lanka should have won easily. Instead, butter-fingered fielding gifted Pakistan reprieves, and they chased down the target with ten balls to spare. The lapses in the field turned what should have been a regulation win into an agonizing defeat.

Then there was the curious case of Sri Lanka’s inability to bat out 50 overs consistently. In a desperate bid to plug the hole, the selectors turned to Dimuth Karunaratne, hoping his Test match resilience would steady the ship. While the idea had merit – given Karunaratne’s solid showing in the 2019 World Cup – he was inexplicably underutilized, playing just two matches. The end result? The problem persisted, and the batting continued to implode under pressure.

Even amid the wreckage, there were glimpses of brilliance. Sri Lanka dismantled defending champions England in emphatic fashion, thanks largely to Lahiru Kumara breathing fire with the ball. He sent Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes packing, putting Sri Lanka in the driver’s seat. But just when he looked like being the X-factor, Kumara was sent home. The official word was an injury, but murmurs in cricketing circles suggested otherwise. Whatever the real reason, losing a strike bowler mid-tournament only added to Sri Lanka’s woes.

But here’s the good news – Sri Lanka has begun to turn the tide. Currently ranked No. 5 in ODIs, the team has clawed their way back through sheer grit, a clearer strategy, and, most importantly, a no-nonsense approach to discipline. Indiscipline, which once festered unchecked, is no longer tolerated. And it’s paying dividends.

Captaincy, long a poisoned chalice, has now been handed to Charith Asalanka, who is marshalling his troops with composure. The team is slowly but surely putting the heartbreak of missing the Champions Trophy behind them and is now focused on regaining lost glory.

Since their World Cup exit, Sri Lanka have beaten both India and Australia in bilateral ODI series – no mean feat, considering these two sides were finalists in the last World Cup. That’s quite the statement of intent. Adding to the feel-good factor, Maheesh Theekshana has climbed to the No. 1 spot in the ICC ODI bowler rankings, becoming only the second Sri Lankan after Nuwan Kulasekara to achieve the feat.

Off the field, crucial reforms have been implemented to ensure Sri Lankan cricket regains its competitive edge. The domestic structure, once bloated and diluted, is finally being streamlined. The number of first-class teams has been reduced to 14, meaning a powerhouse like SSC will temporarily lose their first-class status after finishing at the bottom. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but credit to the authorities for having the courage to make tough calls. Next year, the number will be cut further to 12, making the tournament more competitive and weeding out mediocrity.

Additionally, the schools’ first eleven knockout matches have been extended from two to three days, and even Big Matches will now be played over three days, with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) footing the bill. This move is aimed at nurturing players who can bat long and take games deep – a skill set that has been sorely lacking in recent years.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka ‘A’ and the Under-19 teams are getting regular exposure, ensuring a robust pipeline of talent for the future.

Sri Lankan cricket has endured its fair share of setbacks, but the signs are encouraging. The team has taken its knocks, learned its lessons, and is charting a course back to the top. There’s still plenty of work to be done, but if recent performances are anything to go by, the dark days may finally be behind them.

As any seasoned cricketer will tell you, form is temporary, but class is permanent. Sri Lanka may have hit a rough patch, but the fire still burns.