Sri Lanka thrash England by eight wickets at Cricket World Cup

Sri Lanka pushed dismal England to the brink of World Cup elimination on Thursday when they handed the defending champions an eight-wicket thrashing.

Chasing just 157 to win, Sri Lanka reached 160-2 with a massive 146 balls to spare thanks to in-form Pathum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama.

Nissanka hit an undefeated 77, his fourth successive fifty at the tournament, while Samarawickrama was 65 not out to add to the 108 he made against Pakistan and 91 in the win over the Netherlands.

SL 160/2 in 25.4 overs

• Rashid bowls to Nissanka, and they take two runs as Nissanka attempts a slog on the leg side. The fielder is positioned inside the circle, but the ball lands a couple of meters inside the boundary. It's a SIX! This time, he connects cleanly, stepping out and sending it soaring over long on. SRI LANKA WINS BY 8 WICKETS

SL 152/2 in 25 overs

• Woakes to Nissanka.Three more singles and a wide make it six from the over.

SL 146/2 in 24 overs

• It's Moeen Ali's third over coming up.FOUR! "FOUR! Sadeera, another FOUR!11 runs from it in total.

SL 135/2 in 23 overs

• Woakes to Sadeera. Sadeera seizes the opportunity as a slow full toss is delivered, swiftly flicking it to the square leg boundary for a four!....

Sri Lanka fans cheer during the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup one-day international (ODI) match between England and Sri Lanka at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru  (AFP)

SL 129/2 in 22 overs

• Ali to Sadeera,The over yielded a total of five runs, with three additional singles scored during it.

SL 124/2 in 21 overs

• Livingstone to Nissanka.Nissanka scores four runs to conclude the over, marking the 100-run partnership between Nissanka and Samarawickrama.

SL 118/2 in 20 overs

• Moeen Ali for his first over. 

SL 113/2 in 19 overs

• Liam Livingstone conceded just three runs during his second over.

SL 110/2 in 18 overs

• Wood to Nissanka.FOUR!..... Nissanka gets to his half century with a brilliant drive past mid off. 

SL in 17 overs

• Liam Livingstone is set to deliver his maiden over. SL 103/2 in 17 overs Sadeera greets him with a well-executed late cut, sending the ball past backward point for a boundary!....Sri Lanka reaches the 100-run mark with a single off the following delivery.

SL 95/2 in 16 overs

• Wood to Nissanka.FOUR!......Nissanka takes on Wood.

SL 87/2 in 15 overs

• Rashid to bowl. SIX!......12 runs in the over.

SL in 14 overs

• Mark Wood to Sadeera. Nissanka successfully defends the final two balls of the over.
• 

SL72/2 in 13 overs

• Rashid is up next, with Samarawickrama at the crease. The over yields two additional singles.

SL 69/2 in 12 overs

• Mark Wood....Samarawickrama hammers the first delivery past point for a boundary!...A total of five runs were scored in the over.

SL 64/2 in 11 overs

• Rashid continues. Four!.... Another exceptional stroke. Eight runs from the over.

SL 56/2 in 10 overs

• Willey continues.On a bouncer, Sadeera executes a pull shot with somewhat limited control, yet the ball manages to find its way to the backward square leg boundary for a four!

SL 51/2 in 9 overs

• Adil Rashid has taken the ball and is now in the attack. Nissanka advances down the track and powerfully dispatches it over midwicket, sending the ball soaring into the stands......Sri Lanka reaches their half-century.

SL 43/2 in 8 overs

• It's Willey's fourth over. Five off the over.

SL 38/2 in 7 overs

• An intriguing moment in the match.Nine off the over.

SL 29/2 in 6 overs

• Another wicket falls, as Kusal Mendis departs.

Kusal Mendis c Buttler b Willey 11(12)

SL 23/1 in 5 overs

• Woakes continues. Only two singles from the over.

SL 21/1 in 4 overs

• Lots of plays and misses. Six from the over.

SL 15/1 in 3 overs

• Two runs off the over.

SL 13/1 in 2 overs

• Willey starts strong with Perera: England's LBW appeal. OUT!...Perera is gone.An effortless dismissal.
• 

SL 5/0 in 1 over

• Chris Woakes with the new ball. Five runs off the over.

"Sri Lanka returns for the chase"
"England Defends 157 Runs as Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera Open for Sri Lanka"

England's Lowest World Cup Total Against Sri Lanka: Record Alert

ENG 156/10 in 33.2 overs
OUT!!..... England's innings comes to an end at 156! Theekshana dismisses Wood as he advances down the track, fails to connect with the ball, and Kusul Mendis completes the stumping.

ENG 156/9 in 33 overs

• Nine runs were scored in the over, taking England's total past the 150-run mark.....

ENG 147/9 in 32 overs

• Theekshana is effectively blending his variations.

ENG 144/8 in 31 overs

• OUT!...Ben Stokes is gone. 

Stokes c (sub)Hemantha b Lahiru Kumara 43 (73)

• Adil Rashid has just come in to bat.

ENG 137/7 in 30 overs

• Theekshana is now in his seventh over.
• Four runs scored in the over.

ENG 133/7 in 29 overs

• Lahiru Kumara is back. 

ENG 130/7 in 28 overs

• Two dots to follow. Six runs off the over....

ENG 124/7 in 27 overs

• Mathews keeps troubling Stokes.Just a single in that over.

ENG 123/7 in 26 overs

• Rajitha to Stokes.
• Woakes is caught at point.The umpires have gone up to double check. 
• OUT! England is seven down.

 A fan waves Sri Lanka's national flag while watching the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup one-day international (ODI) match between England and Sri Lanka at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in engaluru 

ENG 122/6 in 25 overs

WICKET! MOEEN ALI IS CAUGHT AT POINT!....

• Moeen Ali c Perera b Mathews 15 (15)
• Chris Woakes joins Stokes.

ENG 119/5 in 24 overs

• Rajitha starts the next over with a wide.

ENG 116/5 in 23 overs

• Madushanka to Stokes. Eight runs in the over.

ENG 108/5 in 22 overs

• Dhananjaya de Silva for the first time today. FOUR!...That’s the 100 for England. 

ENG 98/5 in 21 overs

• Dilshan Madushanka back for his second spell. FOUR off the final ball.

ENG 89/5 in 20 overs

• Stokes review: The UltraEdge indicates there is an inside edge, and Stokes survives.

ENG 88/5 in 19 overs

• DROPPED! A tough chance for Samarawickrama at point but that will go down as a drop.

ENG 85/5 in 18 overs

• Theekshana bowls a maiden over. 

ENG 85/5 in 17 overs

• Kumara to Stokes, FOUR! 
• Liam Livingstone lbw b Kumara 1 (6)
• 

ENG 80/4 in 16 overs

• Theekshana back for his fourth over. 

ENG 77/4 in 15 overs

• OUT! Buttler is gone...Buttler c Kusal Mendis b Lahiru Kumara 8(6)

ENG 71/3 in 14 overs

• Rajitha to Bairstow. WICKET!....Jonny Bairstow c de Silva b Rajitha 30 (31)
• 

ENG 68/2 in 13 overs

• Lahiru Kumara for the first time today.

ENG 66/2 in 12 overs

ENG 62/2 in 11 overs

ENG 59/2 in 10 overs

• Joe Root run out (Mathews) 3 (10)

ENG 55/1 in 9 overs

ENG 52/1 in 8 overs

ENG 48/1 in 7 overs

• Dawid Malan c Mendis b Mathews 28 (25)
• 

ENG 44/0 in 6 overs

ENG 39/0 in 5 overs

ENG 27/0 in 4 overs

Mathews starts fourth World Cup as England bat

England skipper Jos Buttler won the toss and chose to bat in a World Cup clash against Sri Lanka on Thursday in what is almost a make-or-break showdown for both sides.

They each have just one win and three defeats after four games with their chances of making the semi-finals on a knife-edge.

England have made three changes to the team thumped by 229 runs last time out against South Africa with Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone and Chris Woakes getting the nod.

Harry Brook and Gus Atkinson are dropped while fast bowler Reece Topley was ruled out of the rest of the tournament with a broken finger.

Sri Lanka, the 1996 champions, welcome back veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews who is playing in his fourth World Cup.

Mathews was called up to the squad to replace the injured Matheesha Pathirana.

England: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (capt/wkt), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (capt/wkt), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka, Lahiru Kumara