Sri Lanka thrashed England by 8 wickets

England's status as the 50-over World Cup winner was seriously put in risk on Thursday after tenacious Sri Lanka defeated the hosts by eight wickets thanks to strong fifties from Pathum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama and a pair of accurate spinners. England, who decided to bat first, collapsed batting miserably and were bowled out for a pitiful 156 thanks to the five wickets that they divided between themselves from outstanding Lahiru Kumara (3/35) and return man Angelo Mathews (2/14).

Despite losing a few early wickets, Nissanka (77 off 83 balls) and Samarawickrama (65 off 54 balls) spearheaded the chase with an uninterrupted 137-run partnership for the third wicket, helping Sri Lanka to a confident finish. With only two points from five games, England's only realistic possibility of qualifying for the semifinals is still theoretical, while the Islanders, with four points already, may hope for a few better performances in their next four games.