ENG VS SL - 25th Match, ICC Cricket World Cup 2023

It's just incredible how England's campaign continues to unravel. Their batting, which is their main strength, is letting them down game after game with no one able to kick on for a big score after getting a start. Granted the pitch today wasn't a belter but you expect players of that quality to adapt and recalibrate. There wasn't much of that happening today. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have come back strong after three straight defeats to win two on the bounce, and they would want to get on a roll from here. That's all from us for now. Hope you enjoyed our coverage. Until next time, it's goodbye!

Kusal Mendis: NRR going up is good for the team. We bowled very well today. Everyone did really well today. Another 4 games left. If we win 3 games back to back, we'll be in the semis. Players did well last match also. Hope we can do well next couple of matches. Kumara did well today. He's the main fast bowler in Sri Lanka. Bowled 140-145 speeds. Very happy that he came back strong today. Mathews bowled really well. He offers so many things. Can bat also. Can play the pressure situation also. I'm very lucky to be playing with him. Fielding was excellent today. Want to keep doing the same in the next 4 matches.

Jos Buttler: It's incredibly tough. As a captain you feel that a lot - disappointed with myself and the boys that we've not shown our best. We're playing a long way short of our best. There's a lot of really experienced cricketers in the room. You don't become a bad team overnight. That's the frustration. We've been so far short of our best, and there's no particular reason. Can't put my finger on it. Selection is something you want to be consistent with. Selection hasn't been our problem. We've been short of our standards. Lots of the dismissals - Root's run out - you don't see that kind of mistakes from us. Haven't been building partnerships. Not doing the basic things well with both bat and ball. The biggest thing is personal pride. The standards we set for ourselves. Rest of the matches we want to get back to playing good cricket. Whatever will be will be.

Stats courtesy of Shashikant Singh

England vs Sri Lanka in the last 5 WC matches
2007 - SL won by 2 runs
2011 - SL won by 10 wickets
2015 - SL won by 9 wickets
2019 - SL won by 20 runs
2023 - SL won by 8 wickets*

England led Sri Lanka 6-1 in World Cups before this sequence, Sri Lanka's only win coming in the 1996 quarter-final.

Highest partnership for Sri Lanka vs England in World Cups
231* - T Dilshan & U Tharanga, Colombo (RPS), 2011 (1st wkt)
212* - K Sangakkara & L Thirimanne, Wellington, 2015 (2nd wkt)
137* - P Nissanka & S Samarawickrama, Bengaluru, 2023 (3rd wkt)*

- This is the first time England has lost three consecutive matches in a World Cup edition since 1996.

- Sri Lanka beat England for the fifth time in a row in the World Cups since 2007.

Lahiru Kumara | Player of the Match: Playing a team like England, I’m very happy to perform this way today. Didn't make a lot of changes after the previous match, the Australia game was an off day for me. I’ve worked hard on my bowling. (On Mathews) Having him back is an inspiration, he gave me a lot of support and was talking to me throughout. (On his role in the team) The plan was to attack the middle overs with disciplined bowling, and we were rewarded with wickets.

19:18 Local Time, 13:48 GMT, 19:18 IST: It goes from bad to worse for England as they get hammered by Sri Lanka with close to 25 overs to spare. After a 229-run defeat to South Africa, the defending champions came here hoping to turn things around and decided to bat first this time after winning the toss. But the batting failed once again, getting blown away for just 156 on a pitch that was a bit up and down, and a bit two-paced as well. However, instead of looking to adapt to the conditions, their batters kept trying to stamp their authority on the game which didn't work out at all as they collapsed in a heap. In reply, a couple of wickets with the new ball from David Willey did raise hopes briefly as Sri Lanka were reduced to 23/2, but it wasn't to be as Pathum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama shut the door completely. Nissanka with his fourth consecutive fifty of this tournament, and Samarawickrama with his second. With this result, England have slipped to ninth spot on the table with their chances looking very grim.

Adil Rashid to Nissanka, SIX, Nissanka finishes it off in style! Tossed up, he dances down and hammers it over the long-on boundary to leave England's campaign on the brink

Adil Rashid to Nissanka, no run, flat on middle, skidding through off a length, Nissanka punches to mid-on

Adil Rashid to Nissanka, no run, googly on off, length ball, Nissanka punches it to short cover

Adil Rashid to Nissanka, 2 runs, tossed up just outside off, Nissanka looks to slog but miscues it in the air. He manages to clear the fielder at mid-on though

Adil Rashid [4.0-0-31-0] is back into the attack

Woakes to Nissanka, 1 run, good length outside off, Nissanka taps it wide of point and they get across for a single after a slight mix-up

Woakes to Samarawickrama, 1 run, back of a length outside offl, slower one, Samarawickrama looks to punch off the back foot through cover. He's early through the shot though. Ends up dragging it off a thick inside edge wide of midwicket

Woakes to Samarawickrama, wide, bouncer outside off, Samarawickrama leaves it alone, and it's called a wide for height

Woakes to Nissanka, 1 run, back of a length on middle, clipped through square leg

Woakes to Nissanka, no run, full on middle and leg, Nissanka works it to midwicket