Watch: Kusal Mendis' smart move to run out unaware Adil Rashid at non-striker's end

Sri Lanka wicket-keeper Kusal Mendis did a smart move to run out Adil Rashid.

England and Sri Lanka are facing off in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on October 26, 2023, in Bengaluru. England entered this match having lost three consecutive matches, while Sri Lanka were also looking for a win after a spate of defeats.

Jos Buttler, England's captain, won the toss and elected to bat first. Bengaluru has been a batting paradise so far in the World Cup 2023, but England's innings proved to be rather different. Dawid Malan (28) and Jonny Bairstow (30) gave England a great start, contributing 45 runs in 6.3 overs.

However, the Sri Lankan spinners removed them, with Angelo Mathews taking Malan's wicket on his return to Sri Lanka. Following that, it was a parade of wickets for the England side. The England scorecard read: Joe Root (3), Jos Buttler (8), Liam Livingstone (1), Moeen Ali (15), Ben Stokes (43), Chris Woakes (0), and David Willey (14*). In 33.2 overs, they were knocked out for 156 runs.

Lahiru Kumara grabbed three wickets for Sri Lanka, while Kasun Rajitha and Angelo Mathews took two each .

Kusal Mendis’ quick thinking results in Adil Rashid’s comical runout

Despite the turmoil, Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis displayed excellent game awareness. Maheesh Theekshana shot a ball down the leg-side on the last delivery of the 32nd over, which Mendis gathered cleanly and was adjudged a wide.

However, the Sri Lankan captain spotted that Adil Rashid was out of the crease for some reason and fired a throw at the stumps. He scored a direct hit and replays showed that Rashid’s bat was short of the crease and the TV umpire gave him out.

Watch the video here:

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