Cricket World Cup result and reaction as Buttler’s men suffer another heavy defeat

England suffered another embarrassing defeat in the Cricket World Cup to leave them on the brink of an early elimination. Having won the toss and elected to bat, Jos Buttler’s men failed to get any rhythm going. Wickets fell consistently and not even a rearguard defence from Ben Stokes (43) could help England set a decent total as they were skittled for 156.

In reply, Sri Lanka lost two quick wickets as David Willey gave England a glimmer of hope to reduce their opponents 23-2. That was the last moment of joy though as Pathum Nissanka (77*) and Sadeera Samarawickrama (65*) both passed fifty in a partnership worth 137 to earn victory in Bengaluru.

England have now lost four of their five matches in the World Cup and face an early exit with difficult tests against Australia, Pakistan and India still to come.

Relive all the action below:

England vs Sri Lanka LIVE: Cricket World Cup score and updates

• England face Sri Lanka in must-win Cricket World Cup clash

• England all out for 156 in woeful batting performance

• Wicket! Perera out for 4! ct Stokes b Willey – Sri Lanka 9-1

• Wicket! Mendis out for 11! ct Buttler b Willey – Sri Lanka 23-2

• Sri Lanka win by 8 wickets with almost half their overs remaining

• It’s time to face reality: Cricket World Cup collapse shows England are past their prime

It’s time to face reality: Cricket World Cup collapse shows England are past their prime

15:51 , Mike Jones

Jos Buttler could only look on from behind the stumps as England’s World Cup dreams lay in tatters around him on the turf in Bengaluru following his side’s eight-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka.

All the fighting talk, all the tinkering and changes, the whispers before the tournament of defending the title. Any lingering chance of qualification remains all but mathematically impossible as England slid to their fourth defeat from their opening five matches.

In history this may become a World Cup to be overlooked – as was the case in 2015 which led to the famous “white-ball reset” and four years later the title – but in the immediate aftermath there are questions to be answered.

It’s time to face reality: England are past their prime

Sri Lanka beat England by 8 wickets

15:43 , Mike Jones

“Sri Lanka played really well, really outplayed us.” said England captain, Jos Buttler. “There were a number of their players who played really well.

“Performance is the obvious thing. A lot of us, including myself, are not performing to the level that you expect of yourself or demand of yourself as an individual.

“There’s is no golden bullet, that one thing that if we did it then everything is right again. We’re just not performing to the level we need and expect to compete and play our best.

“Whoever we play next, we want to focus on ourselves as individuals and as a team. Absolutely keep asking questions to find out what the problems are and try to fix them.

“There is a hell of a lot of pride and a lot of guys who are disappointed with the way they’ve played. Speaking for myself, you feel that as much as captain. As an individual, you want to perform at your best from here on in in this tournament.

“Whatever happens from here in the tournament, we want to play good, hard games of cricket and play well well, get back to playing the way we know we can.

“It looks like we’ll need a few miracles and things to go our way to progress further in the tournament but the games we have left, we want to play the cricket we know we can play.”

Shambolic England slip to eight-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka

15:39 , Mike Jones

England’s excruciating World Cup defence was all but over after yet another shambolic defeat, this time against a Sri Lanka side led by their former head coach Chris Silverwood.

The 2019 champions turned in a meek, error-strewn performance with the bat, blown away for just 156 in Bengaluru, and barely fared any better with the ball as their opponents breezed home by eight wickets.

Jos Buttler’s side have now lost four of their five games by heavy margins – beaten by New Zealand, Afghanistan, South Africa and now Sri Lanka – and can start booking an early trip home despite having four fixtures still to play in a torturous group stage.

Shambolic England slip to eight-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka beat England by 8 wickets

15:34 , Mike Jones

Reaction from Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis: “I think net run rate going up is good for our team. We’ve done really well, the bowling team did a really good job.

“We have another four games left, I think if we win three games back to back we can make the semi-finals. I think we can do that.

“Kumara did really well today. He’s the main fast bowler in Sri Lanka, he bowled really well in his first three overs, he helped us control, I’m really happy.

“Matthews is so experienced, he tells us so many things in the middle. He bowled really well. He plays the situation, I’m very lucky to play with him.

“Today we fielded excellently. Everyone did well. In the next four matches if everyone does the same thing we’ll be more confident of reaching the semi-finals.”

Sri Lanka beat England by 8 wickets

15:27 , Mike Jones

Buttler faced more questions at a press conference following the game. He spoke about how frustrating and disappointing this tournament has been so far: “Obviously incredibly disappointing and incredibly frustrating.

“We’re not just losing, we’re losing by a long way and playing well short of our best. A huge disappointment.

“It’s never for a lack of effort, hard work or preparation. Look around the room, it’s not a lack of talent. We’ve got a lot of fantastic cricketers. It’s a huge frustration, this tournament has gone nowhere near the way we wanted it to.

“If there was one golden egg that we were missing then you’d hope to see that. But there is no secret, no one else can score your own runs or take your own wickets.

“That starts with the captain and I’ve been a long way short of my best. As a leader, you want to lead through your own performance and I’ve not been able to do that.

“You get on the plan to come to India in a really good position as a team, everything going to plan and it’s just not worked at all.”

Sri Lanka beat England by 8 wickets

15:21 , Mike Jones

More from Jos Buttler who says that the tournament hasn’t gone the way the team expected.

“It’s never through a lack of effort,” he said. “This tournament has gone nowhere near the way we wanted to. There is no secret.

“I’ve been a long way short of my best. As a leader you want to lead from the front and I’ve not been able to do that.”

Sri Lanka beat England by 8 wickets

15:17 , Mike Jones

Post-match reaction from England captain Jos Buttler who said: “It’s incredibly tough, an incredibly disappointing tournament. As captain, you feel that a lot.

“We’ve been short of our best by a very long way. I’m disappointed for myself and the boys that we’ve not shown a good account of ourselves.

“That’s the question we’re trying to answer. There’s no clear answer. If there was one golden nugget that we’re not doing then we’d pick that up.

“I can’t fault the guys’ efforts, we’re just a long way short of our best. As captain, you want to lead from the front and play well. I’ve been a long way short of my best and that’s filtered through the rest.”

Sri Lanka beat England by 8 wickets

15:13 , Mike Jones

Here’s how Sri Lanka finished off the match in style:

England ‘at end of cycle’ in ODIs says Michael Atherton

15:09 , Mike Jones

Former England captain Michael Atherton said the current one-day side could be “at the end of the cycle” after another poor batting display at the World Cup.

England won the toss and elected to bat in a must-win group game against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru, but collapsed to 156 all out with nearly seven overs remaining.

Jos Buttler’s side never looked capable of mounting an imposing target despite Moeen Ali’s pre-match assertion that England would play aggressive cricket with no fear.

England ‘at end of cycle’ in ODIs – Michael Atherton

Sri Lanka beat England by 8 wickets

15:04 , Mike Jones

England have won only one of their five matches in this tournament. They are ninth in the table, above only the Netherlands.

Sri Lanka go fifth, two points off the top four and they will be starting to think about reaching the final four.

Sri Lanka beat England by 8 wickets

15:00 , Mike Jones

With all the teams having now played five games at this World Cup, it’s grim viewing for England who sit second bottom of the table beneath Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

Only the Netherlands have performed worse and that is just due to net run-rate.

Sri Lanka beat England by 8 wickets

14:56 , Mike Jones

Sri Lanka have now inflicted a fifth successive World Cup defeat on England, in a run stretching back to 2007. They are England’s bogey team in ODI tournaments and could have dealt the killing blow for England’s chances of reaching the semi-finals.

Sri Lanka 152-2 (25.4) Nissanka 77, Samarawickrama 65, Rashid 0-41 (4.4) – Sri Lanka win by 8 wickets

14:47 , Mike Jones

Nissanka tries to win it in style with a slog sweep against Adil Rashid who is back into the attack. He doesn’t catch the ball cleanly but gets enough of it for the ball to land safely and bring a couple of runs.

A shimmy down the wicket does it for him this time. He smashes the ball into the stands for six and Sri Lanka win by 8 wickets!

They’ve demolished England.

Sri Lanka 152-2 (25) Nissanka 69, Samarawickrama 65, Woakes 0-30 (5) – need 5 runs to win

14:44 , Mike Jones

There are a lot of forlorn faces on the England players. They’ve been blown away again in this World Cup. It’s been a disastrous tournament for them and there are games against India, Australia and Pakistan still to come.

Woakes gets through another over with six runs coming from it. This match won’t last much longer now.

Sri Lanka 146-2 (24) Nissanka 66, Samarawickrama 63, Moeen 0-21 (2) – need 11 runs to win

14:40 , Mike Jones

Nissanka is content with playing within himself and waiting for the loose balls to attack. A single brings his partner on strike and Samarawickrama leans onto to the backfoot to cut a shortish delivery from Moeen Ali away.

Three singles come from the first three balls before Samarawickrama goes up and over with a drive over extra cover and collects four runs!

He picks up four more with a fancy reverse sweep. 11 runs come from the over and Sri Lanka only need that many more to win the game.

Sri Lanka 135-2 (23) Nissanka 64, Samarawickrama 54, Woakes 0-24 (5) – need 22 runs to win

14:36 , Mike Jones

An attempted slower ball is off target from Woakes. It’s a full toss which Samarawickrama dispatches to the legside boundary with ease.

Six runs comes from the over.

Samarawickrama 50! Sri Lanka 130-2 (22.1) Nissanka 63, Samarawickrama 50, Woakes 0-19 (4.1) – need 27 runs to win

14:34 , Mike Jones

Sadeera Samarawickrama goes to his second half-century of the tournament by flicking Chris Woakes off his hip and taking one to the fielder at deep square leg.

It’s been an impressive batting peformance from the Sri Lankan who is taking his team to victory here.

Sri Lanka 129-2 (22) Nissanka 63, Samarawickrama 49, Moeen 0-10 (2) – need 28 runs to win

14:31 , Mike Jones

Samarawickrama edges ever closer to a half-century by taking three runs from the first couple of deliveries of Moeen Ali’s second over.

He moves to 49 with another single eased into the gap and will hvae the strike for the next over.

Sri Lanka 124-2 (21) Nissanka 62, Samarawickrama 45, Livingstone 0-16 (3) – need 33 runs to win

14:29 , Mike Jones

Liam Livingstone gets through his overs quickly but there’s no pressure on the batters at all. Nissanka sweeps the ball away for one before Samarawickrama chips one away for a single of his own.

The final delivery of the over is lofted over cover by Nissanka in a wonderfully played stroke that brings four runs!

The 100 partnership also comes up between these two.

Sri Lanka 118-2 (20) Nissanka 57, Samarawickrama 44, Moeen 0-5 (1) – need 39 runs to win

14:27 , Mike Jones

As Jos Buttler continues to scramble for answers, he brings Moeen Ali into the attack for some gentle off-spin. Sri Lanka milk the ball away for ones and twos and take five from the over.

They only need 39 to win now.

Nissanka 50! Sri Lanka 110-2 Nissanka 51, Samarawickrama 42, Wood 0-23 (4) – need 47 runs to win

14:20 , Sonia Twigg

Wood will continue at the other end, the first ball of the over goes for two.

Both batters are closing in on half centuries here, a feat England could only have dreamed of in their innings – Stokes got closest with 43.

Nissanka brings up the milestone with a lovely four. The first 50 of the game and it just moves Sri Lanka closer to victory.

Sri Lanka 103-2 (17) Nissanka 44, Samarawickrama 42, Livingstone 0-8 (1) – need 54 runs to win

14:15 , Sonia Twigg

This feels like it’s starting to get a bit desperate for England, but Livingstone can make things happen and he is brought on to bowl.

And he goes for a boundary first ball as the runs continue to flow. The 100 is up after 16 overs and two deliveries, just 54 more runs required for Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka 95-2 (16) Nissanka 43, Samarawickrama 35, Wood 0-16 (3) need 62 runs to win

14:08 , Sonia Twigg

Nissanka fires one into the leg side and has another four. It was short and the batter has not hit that out of the middle, but there is no fielder there and they creep towards the total.

England are just fading away here after the two early wickets, which are starting to feel a long time ago…

Eight runs from the over.

Sri Lanka 87-2 (15) Nissanka 36, Samarawickrama 34, Rashid 0-31 (4) – need 70 runs to win

14:03 , Sonia Twigg

After the pace of wood, the batting pair have just knocked Rashid around for singles, forcing them to change tack, but it does not affect the pace of runs, they just drive down the ground for one.

Samarawickrama goes big and has a six! That came straight out of the middle fo the bat and into the stands.

An expensive over 12 runs from it.

Sri lanka 75-2 (14) Nissanka 34, Samarawickrama 24, Wood 0-8 (2) – need 82 runs to win

13:59 , Sonia Twigg

Samarawickrama goes for a big shot and doesn’t get hold of it but it falls short of the man on the boundary.

Sri Lanka have their 50 partnership and are already on course for victory here. Wood bowls one short that jumps up at Nissanka and he is receiving some treatment for what looks like a finger cut.

Three runs from that over from Wood.

Sri Lanka 72-2 (13) Nissanka 33, Samarawickrama 22, Rashid 0-19 (3) – need 85 runs to win

13:52 , Sonia Twigg

Samarawickrama goes for a scoop and ends up being struck in the throat – it’s off Rashid so he is okay but taken by surprise.

The rest of the over goes for just three.

Sri Lanka 69-2 (12) Nissanka 32, Samarawickrama 20, Wood 0-5 (1) – need 88 runs to win

13:48 , Sonia Twigg

Samarawickrama has his first boundary, Wood is wayward with his first ball of the match and Sri Lanka pounce and throw their hands at it and are rewarded with four runs.

The next ball is a beauty that zips through and is too quick for the batter.

This partnership is almost at 50, and England have to break it to have any chance of staying in this match – and the World Cup.

Sri Lanka 64-2 (11) Nissanka 32, Samarawickrama 15, Rashid 0-16 (2) – need 93 runs to win

13:44 , Sonia Twigg

Rashid will continue here, but Sri Lanka have found another gap in the field, this outfield is rapid, and the batters are making use of it in a way England could not in the first innings.

Sri Lanka 52-2 (10) Nissanka 26, Samarawickrama 9, Willey 2-26 (5) – need 101 runs to win

13:40 , Sonia Twigg

England would like a wicket, and they would like it to be Nissanka. The runs required have almost just dipped below 100 now and there are still 40 overs to go.

One boundary from the over and 5 runs from it.

Sri Lanka 50-2 (9) Nissanka 25, Samarawickrama 9, Rashid 0-8 (1) need 106 runs to win

13:35 , Sonia Twigg

England hand the ball to Adil Rashid. It’s not the typical move in the powerplay to bowl a spinner, but he bowled well against South Africa when few else did and is a wicket-taker.

The first four balls of the over were done well, but Nissanka has smashed a huge six! The first of the innings, he charges down the wicket and hits far into the stands.

Eight off the over

Sri Lanka 43-2 (8) Nissanka 18, Samarawickrama 8, Willey 2-25 (4) – need 114 to win

13:32 , Sonia Twigg

Willey has continued to bowl nicely here and shown exactly the fight and passion that has been lacking from their performance so far.

Just a touch wayward with a wide in his fourth over, but he is still looking threatening despite the over going for five runs.

Sri Lanka 38-2 (7) Nissanka 16, Samarawickrama 6, Woakes 0-18 (4) – need 119 to win

13:26 , Sonia Twigg

Woakes had kept the pressure on, but Nissanka has gone after one and is rewarded with another four to the total.

That was not a poor delivery at all, and he hits back to back boundaries.

This is an aggressive fight back after the two early wickets.

Sri Lanka 29-2 (6) Nissanka 7, Samarawickrama 6, Willey 2-20 – need 128 runs to win

13:22 , Sonia Twigg

Willey has been the key, and he can often be so good with the new ball, which England will hope continues to show swing for as long as possible.

Immediately after the wicket, Samarawickrama has driven away to the boundary for 4! That was a great shot.

Six runs from the over, but the wickets are going to be more important than the runs.

Wicket! Mendis out for 11 ct Buttler b Willey – Sri Lanka 23-2

13:18 , Sonia Twigg

That was just what England and Willey would have wanted! It was another top edge.

Mendis tries to flick the ball off his pads and it looped high, Buttler did well to get there and time the dive.

England have kept fighting, but there is still a long way to go.

Sri Lanka 23-1 (5) Nissanka 7, Mendis 11, Woakes 0-9 (3) – need 134 runs to win

13:16 , Sonia Twigg

Woakes has bowled better today than in previous matches this World Cup. Two singles from that over.

Sri Lanka 21-1 (4) Nisanka 6, Mendis 10, Willey 1-14 (2) – need 136 runs to win

13:11 , Sonia Twigg

Willey has bowled well so far today.

England will need him to be right on the money here.

But one is dragged slightly short and Mendis hits over the infield and to the boundary.

Six runs from the over

Sri Lanka 15-1 (3) Nissanka 6, Perera 4, Woakes 0-7 (2) – need 142 runs to win

13:07 , Sonia Twigg

Over to Woakes…the first three balls of the over are tight.

And it was a tight over, just the two runs from it

Sri Lanka 13-1 (2) Nissanka 4, Mendis 4, Willey 1-8 (1) – need 144 runs to win

13:04 , Sonia Twigg

Mendis edges between the hands of Joe Root at slip with his first delivery!

That has to be taken when defending such a low totla.

Could there be a bit of life in this game yet?

Wicket! Perera out for 4! ct Stokes b Willey – Sri Lanka 9-1

13:02 , Sonia Twigg

Willey drags one a bit short second over and he has gone for a boundary behind square. Not quite the tight start England would have wanted defending such a low total.

But he bowls one fuller and Perera is caught!

It was a leading edge that looped straight to Ben Stokes, Perera is out for 4 and that is just what England wanted.

Sri Lanka 5-0 (1), Nissanka 4, Perera 0, Woakes 0-5 (1) need 152 runs to win

12:57 , Sonia Twigg

Chris Woakes has ball in hand and will open for England who are defending just 156.

Nissanka is off the mark with a lovely on drive down the ground, Woakes was looking for swing that wasn’t there.

England bowled out for 156

12:55 , Sonia Twigg

Here is a report from the first innings:

England’s excruciating World Cup campaign took another turn for the worse as they slumped to 156 all out in their must-win match against Chris Silverwood’s Sri Lanka.

Knowing defeat in Bengaluru would leave them with one win in five and end any realistic hope of reaching the semi-finals, they batted calamitously and were rounded up in just 33.2 overs of self-inflicted pain.

Ben Stokes top-scored with 43 but even he barely laid a glove on the opposition, looking short of fluency throughout a 73-ball stay. Six players were dismissed in single figures, with Adil Rashid’s comical run out at the non-striker’s end summing up a shoddy performance.

England bowled out for just 156 in must-win World Cup clash with Sri Lanka

England bowled out for 156

12:46 , Sonia Twigg

England have maintained throughout the tournament that they will keep playing their “brand” of cricket, although it is hard to see what constitutes that “brand”.

They have not come out trying to replicate their form of 2019, which with Eoin Morgan in charge was different – he was clear and everyone had a distinct role.

This has been a case of chopping and changing to try and secure the desired outcome but it has seemed like the wrong decisions have been made at the wrong times.

England all out for 156

12:40 , Sonia Twigg

Here are some photos from the first innings:

England all out for 156

12:30 , Sonia Twigg

Well the hopes were not high ahead of the start of play, but few could imagine just how far England would fall against Sri Lanka in a must-win clash.

The score was well below-par, the wickets just seemed to tumble. Other than Stokes’ 43 there was not much to note with the bat.

Sri Lanka were good but England were woeful, and showed none of the fight you would want to see from a side with their backs against the wall following three defeats in their opening four matches going into the game.

Wicket! Wood out for 5 st Mendis b Theekshana – England all out for 156

12:23 , Sonia Twigg

That one almost snuck through Wood’s defence, it spun past the outside edge, a great delivery from Theekshana.

The next ball Wood comes down the track and misses, with Mendis taking off the bails.

That was a brilliant performance by Sri Lanka and just utterly woeful from England.

England 156-9 (33) Willey 14, Wood 5, Kumara 3-35 (7)

12:21 , Sonia Twigg

Wood has hit a four already., that was a big carve into the off side to bring up the 150 from England.

I think that has to be the plan now. Kumara bowls a full toss next ball but that went to the fielder in the deep and will just be a single.

Willey has picked up where Wood left off, lifting the ball over the infield and into the off side.

England 147-9 (32) Willey 10, Wood 0, Theekshana 0-21 (8)

12:17 , Sonia Twigg

Mark Wood has come to the crease, he scored more than 40 in a record-breaking ninth-wicket partnership with Atkinson during a failed run chase against South Africa, and England will be hoping for something similar here.

Wicket! Rashid out for 2! run out Mendis – England 147-9

12:15 , Sonia Twigg

That one has gone through Willey, who can only stand there leaning on his bat, but it misses the stumps.

There is a big appeal and Rashid is run out at the non-strikers end! He was a bit lazy getting back in there, a brilliant piece of fielding from the Sri Lanka captain and they have another!

England 144-8 (31) Willey 10, Rashid 1, Kumara 3-26 (6)

12:11 , Sonia Twigg

Kumara has been exceptional today, assessed conditions well and bowled to them expertly.

Willey has smashed Kumara for six! I can’t remember another one so that might well be the first of the innings so far.

It was well-hit. England might just be looking to pile on the runs as quickly as they can now with just two wickets left.

Wicket! Stokes out for 43! ct sub b Kumara – England 137-8

12:07 , Sonia Twigg

Stokes has mis-hit that straight to the fielder in the deep and is furious with himself!

With that wicket he takes England’s hopes with him. Just as he was starting to offer some resistance.

Sri Lanka have turned the screw and England are floundering.

England134-7 (30) Stokes 42, Willey 4, Theekshana 0-17 (7)

12:05 , Sonia Twigg

Stokes has another couple, Willey moves on to 4. They will both need to bat out most of the remaining 20 overs if England are to have any hope of setting a respectable total here.

Four runs from that over.

England 133-7 (29) Stokes 40, Willey 3, Kumara 2-19 (5)

12:01 , Sonia Twigg

Kumara who has bowled excellently so far will come back on for Mathews.

Willey flashes at the first ball of the over, it flies wide of the fielder and to the boundary for a single.

Three runs from the over.

England 130-7 (28) Stokes 39, Willey 1, Rajitha 2-36 (7)

11:53 , Sonia Twigg

A ball from Rajitha jumped up at Willey and caught the shoulder of the bat but looped wide of the fielder at point who was running round.

Stokes has smashed one for four, it isn’t quite yet time for him to farm the strike and keep this going as long as possible but not too far away.

England 124-7 (27) Stokes 34, Willey 0, Mathews 2-14 (5)

11:49 , Sonia Twigg

Mathews to continue, his medium-pacers have caused all sorts of problems for England so far, and they will want to take the remaining wickets as quickly as possible.

But he has bowled well and caused problems. They have taken enough wickets and this is the last recognised batter that England have.

Willey can only fend at the first three balls. No wickets and just one from the over.

England 123-7 (26) Stokes 34, Willey 0, Rajitha 2-30 (6)

11:45 , Sonia Twigg

It’s hard to see where England go from here, they will want to show some fight with the future of their World Cup in the balance, but it’s yet another poor batting performance almost all round.

Wicket! Woakes out for 0! ct Samarawickrama b Rajitha – England 123-7

11:42 , Sonia Twigg

Sri Lanka celebrate the wicket of Chris Woakes! the ball is thrown in the air but there is a debate about whether the ball carried.

The umpires have reviewed…Woakes pushed at it outside the off stump.

The angles shown to the third umpire are far from clear but he is out!

England 122-6 (25) Stokes 33, Woakes 0, Mathews 2-14 (4)

11:35 , Sonia Twigg

Woakes has a point to prove after being left out of the last game against South Africa at Mumbai, but he might not have been expecting to have to prove it with the bat – and definitely not so soon.

England are on the back foot. Stokes is at the crease but he is rapidly running out of partners.

Wicket! Ali out for 15! ct Perera b Mathews – England 122-6

11:33 , Sonia Twigg

Sri Lanka have kept tinkering with their attack, and this over will be bowled by Mathews.

The first three balls have just been played around for singles.

And then he strikes! Ali makes a mistake there and plays it to the fielder and has to go for 15.

Just as England started to look like building something another wicket falls and they are into the bowlers.

England 119-5 (24) Stokes 31, Ali 14, Rajitha 1-29 (5)

11:29 , Sonia Twigg

de Silva does not get a second over, and Sri Lanka turn back to Rajitha here.

He starts with a wide. Ali drives and can’t quite find the gap and it’s a good stop to keep it to a single.

That was a tighter over, just three runs from it.

England 116-5 (23) Stokes 30, Ali 13, Madushanka 0-37 (5)

11:25 , Sonia Twigg

Stokes has another four, he is taking the attack back to Sri Lanka here, capitalising on the bowling changes.

England lost to Sri Lanka in 2019, 2011 and 2015. The last four 50-over World Cups it is the side from the subcontinent who have come out on top against England.

Another boundary for Stokes and he is starting to find his groove.

England 108-5 (22) Stokes 22, Ali 13, de Silva 0-10 (1)

11:20 , Sonia Twigg

Two fours from de Silva’s first over! And finally some runs for England to take them over 100.

10 runs from that over.

England 98-5 (21) Stokes 17, Ali 8, Madushanka 0-29 (4)

11:17 , Sonia Twigg

The opening bowler Madushanka has come back on. His first three overs went for 20, but this is a completely different stage of the game, and England are five wickets down.

There is a misfield first ball and Ali will pick up two runs.

More misfields and England will take any run they can now. In overs 11-20 England lost 3-30 – we will see just how costly that will prove to be but it could cost them the game.

Stokes hits over the top for four last ball of the over.

England 89-5 (20) Stokes 13, Ali 3, Theekshana 0-14 (6)

11:12 , Sonia Twigg

Stokes has been given out just as it looked like there might be a brief respite in the tumble of wickets!

It was a massive appeal from Theekshana. Stokes was well forward as he tried to sweep the ball.

England have reviewed that, as they sort of have to now. There is a long delay in the wait for ultra edge…and a cheer goes up when it shows the ball has hit the back.

That is a lifeline for the defending champions and they have to make it count.

England 88-5 (19) Stokes 13, Ali 2, Kumara 2-16 (4)

11:06 , Sonia Twigg

None of England’s poor decision-making or woes should take away from Sri Lanka’s ability with the ball.

Kumara has bowled beautifully here, and there’s one that just carves up Stokes.

Stokes is dropped next ball! A leading edge to backward-point, the fielder dived to his right but it just spills out.

England 85-5 (18) Stokes 12, Moeen 0, Theekshana 0-13 (5)

11:03 , Sonia Twigg

England need to absorb pressure here, they cannot afford any more wickets.

Wicket! Livingstone out for 5! lbw Kumara – England 85-5

10:58 , Sonia Twigg

Stokes has a boundary – from a streaky edge – but England may not mind where they come from here.

The next ball is driven to the sweeper in the covers. Livingstone throws his bat at a wide one and fortunately edges it into the ground.

Livingstone is struck on the pads…Sri Lanka appeal and the finger goes up.

England have reviewed the decision…and that is out!

Hitting the wickets on umpires call and England are in trouble!

England 80-4 (16) Stokes 7, Livingstone 1, Theekshana 0-13 (4)

10:53 , Sonia Twigg

Buttler has averaged just 19 at the tournament in the opening five matches and has been out of nick, a rare run of form for him, and it has definitely had an impact on where England find themselves.

Another quiet over with just the three runs from it.

England 77-4 (15) Stokes 5, Livingstone 0, Kumara 1-8 (2)

10:49 , Sonia Twigg

Livingstone has come back in for this match and he will have a hell of a job to do here.

Stokes has only had one match in the tournament before this one, having missed the first three matches with a hip injury, so it might take him a while to find the form that saw him score over 180 against New Zealand in a pre-tournament series match at the Oval.

Wicket! Buttler out for 8! ct Mendis b Kumara – England 77-4

10:47 , Sonia Twigg

Buttler had scored a boundary first ball of the over, but makes a crucial mistake!

The England captain goes at one that was outside off stump, the ball catches the edge and flies to the wicketkeeper!

It’s a good diving catch for a ball that went hard and quite wide, but another wicket falls for England.

England 71-3 (14) Stokes 4, Buttler 3, Rajitha 1-26 (4)

10:42 , Sonia Twigg

Buttler will come out to join Stokes at the crease, it is a bit earlier than he would have wanted to come in, at 68 for three.

But it’s just 14 overs in and there are still 36 remaining in this innings for England to make a score.

He is off the mark second ball with a two, and it cannot be understated how much these two need to perform.

Wicket! Bairstow out for 30! ct de Silva b Rajitha – England 68-3

10:38 , Sonia Twigg

That is out! Bairstow will have really wanted a big score after surviving the first ball of the match when he was struck on the pad, but instead will have to settle for 30 and England have lost their third wicket.

The pressure had been building slightly without a wicket in a number of overs, and he went for a big drive down the ground but played it straight to mid on.

England have a rebuilding job to do here and there are lots of overs left.

England 68-2 (13) Bairstow 30, Stokes 4, Kumara 0-2 (1)

10:36 , Sonia Twigg

Kumara comes into the attack for the first time today, and almost has a wicket! Stokes goes for a lofted drive but it didn’t quite carry to cover. Another small let off for England.

And he was nearly run out the next ball, coming down the wicket after a hit to backward point and he was rightly sent back by Bairstow.

Just two runs from the over.

England 66-2 (12) Bairstow 30, Stokes 2, Rajitha 0-23 (3)

10:32 , Sonia Twigg

Rajitha has been brought back into the attack, he was expensive early on, but Malan and Root are out.

Just another look at the Root wicket, he absolutely skewered himself, came for a run and was sent back by Bairstow but couldn’t make his ground.

These two are just knocking it around for singles, there hasn’t been a boundary for a while, but there is plenty of time to accelerate later if England can keep wickets in hand.

The last ball of the over there was a heart-in-mouth moment as Bairstow inside-edged the ball – but it was onto his own foot rather than the stumps.

England 62-2 (11) Bairstow 27, Stokes 1, Mathews 1-11 (3)

10:27 , Sonia Twigg

Sri Lanka review for an lbw against Stokes! But DRS shows the ball pitching outside leg and England can breathe another sigh of relief, that was a bad review, and they could not afford to lose another.

The next ball Stokes is off the mark with a single into the off side.

England 59-2 (10) Bairstow 25, Stokes 0, Theekshana 0-10 (3)

10:23 , Sonia Twigg

The run out came at the worst time for England and they need a partnership now.

We know from the Australia vs Pakistan match that this is a high scoring ground and they cannot afford another poor score.

Wicket! Joe Root run out for 3! England 57-2

10:21 , Sonia Twigg

That was a horror show of communication!

That was an awful decision to run, Root dives but was far out of hs crease. That was unusual, the two have played so much cricket together, but that was a huge mix up and it is the number three batter and England who pay the price.

Stokes is in and will have a huge amount of work to do.

England 55-1 (9) Bairstow 24, Root 3, Mathews 1-8 (2)

10:16 , Sonia Twigg

Mathews has bowled well here to restrict England and force them to take quick singles, which almost led to a run out fourth ball of the over, with Bairstow struggling to make his ground, but fortunately for England, the throw from the fielder was wide of the stumps.

Just singles from Mathews’ second over.

England 52-1 (8) Bairstow 22, Root 2, Theekshana 0-8 (2)

10:12 , Sonia Twigg

Root and Bairstow are just rotating the strike. The runs are not flowing as freely as they were in the opening handful of overs but wickets are more important at this stage, and England cannot afford to lose any more.

Just the three runs from the eighth over.

England 49-1 (7) Bairstow 20, Root 1, Mathews 1-5 (1)

10:07 , Sonia Twigg

Root is immediately off the mark with a single, something he does so well in all formats, just keeps the strike rotating.

Mathews is not quick but he is experienced, and used all of his skill to claim the wicket of Malan, who had been going well for England for his 28 from 25 deliveries.

Wicket! Malan out for 28 ct Mendis b Mathews England 45-1

10:05 , Sonia Twigg

Sri Lanka’s decision not to review the first ball of the day when Bairstow was struck on the pad, as he motors on to 16 from 13 after the first six overs.

They hadn’t had another chance before a caught behind appeal second ball of the over! Malan had looked comfortable on 28, the on-field umpire did not raise his finger, but Mathews was convinced.

It all came down to ultra-edge, with a spike shown and Malan will have to go.

England 44-0 (6), Bairstow 16, Malan 28, Theekshana 0-5 (1)

10:00 , Sonia Twigg

Sri Lanka have made a bowling change following Rajitha’s expensive second over, and after three dot balls, he drags one down and wide and Bairstow does what he has done for so many years and rightly sends it to the boundary.

A much better over that caused some problems with the flat spin going through Bairstow and through Malan at times.

England 39-0 (5) Bairstow 11, Malan 28, Madushanka 0-20 (3)

09:58 , Sonia Twigg

England are finding their groove here and this could be a very high-scoring match. Malan hits a four the first ball of this over following the three boundaries in the previous one.

Australia scored 367 against Pakistan at Bengaluru in the only other match of the tournament so far played there, and England will want to put something similar on the board today.

The thermometer showed it is hot, around 31 degrees, so definitely better to be the batting side, although it might not faze Sri Lanka as much as the heat in Mumbai affected England against South Africa.

England 27-0 (4), Bairstow 11, Malan 16, Rajitha 0-19 (2)

09:50 , Sonia Twigg

Malan kept the strike with a single last ball of the over, and has another two here with a flick off middle stump towards deep backwards square.

He has another four second ball of the over with a bit of width on offer, a big drive past point to the cover boundary. The next ball is also sent almost to the same area.

Bairstow also finds the boundary, that was a great over from England.

England 12-0 (3), Bairstow 7, Malan 5, Madushanka 0-8 (2)

09:46 , Sonia Twigg

Malan is off the mark with a sweet cover drive to the boundary. That is his shot and he plays it so well.

The slip has come out, and interestingly the Sri Lankan wicketkeeper is wearing pale blue gloves, not a colour you see too often.

Malan is then almost caught poking around outside the off stump.

The boundaries are smaller than some here, with the shortest boundary 55m and the longest 79m.

After a couple of balls the slip comes back in.

England 7-0 (2), Bairstow 7, Malan 0, Rajitha 0-4 (1)

09:41 , Sonia Twigg

England just need to settle down and take their time. It’s something they haven’t been able to do for the majority of their four matches so far.

And they keep trying to be positive, Bairstow goes for a big swing across the line and misses the ball. Might be too early for that kind of batting.

He drives a more conventional shot next ball, but straight at the fielder.

The first bit of width…Bairstow throws the hands at it and does get four for that as it flies over the fielder at point.

The first boundary of the match.

England 3-0 (1) Bairstow 3, Malan 0, Madushanka 0-3 (1)

09:36 , Sonia Twigg

Dilshan Madushanka will open up for Sri Lanka with Bairstow to face and there is a bit of swing around and England have got away with one there!

He is struck on the pad and it goes down the ground for three. Sri Lanka thought about a review briefly but were timed out and that’s very lucky for England because it would have been out.

There might be sighs of relief in the changing room.

England vs Sri Lanka

09:28 , Sonia Twigg

Ahead of the start of the match, here are some photos from the warm-ups in Bengaluru:

England vs Sri Lanka

09:23 , Sonia Twigg

It cannot be understated just how key this match is for England.

They went into the tournament as double world champions following their win in 2019, plus their 2022 Twenty20 World Cup success, but are only off the foot of this year’s competition on net run rate.

It has been a poor showing from the side which has not changed a huge amount in the last four years, and questions have been raised over the captaincy of Jos Buttler and the ability of head coach Matthew Mott.

England vs Sri Lanka

09:16 , Sonia Twigg

England’s batters have not found their footing in this tournament.

Only Dawid Malan has scored a century – against Bangladesh – while Root has two half centuries, but the others have yet to find their footing.

They have almost gone too hard from the outset even if you take the disastrous collapse against South Africa aside.

Ben Stokes will be in the side and will hope to bring a new dimension to the batting, but it is more than just one player and the entire top and middle order will have to stand up.

England vs Sri Lanka

09:13 , Sonia Twigg

It will be a big test for Chris Woakes. He did not find his feet in the opening two matches.

It was a poor start when his first over of the tournament went for 12, but he will have to step up following the injury to Topley as England cannot let Sri Lanka get away from them at the start of the batting.

However, first it will be time for England to show what they can do with the bat.

England win the toss and choose to bat

09:06 , Sonia Twigg

Jos Buttler has won the toss and decided to bat first.

“It looks a good wicket, a little bit drier than sometimes here, so we’ll hope to put a good score on the board.

“It’s just about putting in a performance today.

“We’ve stayed very level as a group, there’s some frustration about not playing as we’d like to, but we’ve got the quality there.”

England have made three changes and it’s a return to the all-rounders Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone come in with Gus Atkinson and Harry Brook dropped from the last match along with the injured Reece Topley.

England vs Sri Lanka

08:54 , Sonia Twigg

Australia’s Glenn Maxwell is irked with the nightclub-style light shows that happen in the middle of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 matches.

Maxwell on Wednesday registered the fastest Cricket World Cup century by taking just 40 balls to reach the 100-run mark as Australia thrashed Netherlands by 309 runs, a tournament-record victory.

This was also the second-largest victory in terms of runs in the history of the 50-over format.

Glenn Maxwell hits out at Cricket World Cup organisers over light show

England vs Sri Lanka

08:46 , Sonia Twigg

England will hope conditions will be better in Bengaluru than they were in Mumbai for the defeat to South Africa:

Joe Root has revealed that his teammates were struggling to breathe properly during their recent ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 match against South Africa in Mumbai.

The comments from Root came after air quality in India’s financial capital slipped to “very unhealthy”, leaving players gasping for clean air. It was also hot during Saturday’s match with temperatures reaching 35C in Mumbai during the game.

South Africa defeated England by 229 runs at the city’s Wankhede Stadium on 21 October, marking the world champions’ biggest loss in the 50-over World Cup history.

Joe Root on poor air quality at Cricket World Cup match: ‘It was like eating air’

England vs Sri Lanka

08:38 , Jamie Braidwood

Moeen Ali is planning to bring the fun factor back to England’s World Cup campaign after realising the defending champions have “lost the enjoyment” in India.

Moeen is set to return to the side for Thursday’s must-win match against Sri Lanka after being confined to drinks duties for the past three games, during which time things have gone from bad to worse for the 2019 winners.

“When you sit out sometimes, you can see things that you don’t see when you’re playing,” he said.

“You can see from the outside that we’ve probably lost the enjoyment. We haven’t enjoyed it as a team as much, because we’ve been losing and we’re not playing that well.

“That spark is missing, that thing where they’re enjoying taking bowlers down, enjoying going out to bat.

“I think we’re probably taking it too seriously in certain ways. I think sometimes we can probably get a bit anxious. It’s almost having that carefree kind of attitude – ‘Who cares? It’s a game of cricket’.

“You’re going to make mistakes, you might as well make them doing what you’re good at. We’re making mistakes anyway, so let’s do it with a smile on your face.

“If I get my chance, I’m going to use all that intent that I have. Take it on. I’m going to take the situation out a lot of the time and just enjoy it as much as I can.”

England vs Sri Lanka

08:28 , Jamie Braidwood

Rob Key says Ben Stokes remains entirely focused on representing England for years to come – despite only choosing to sign a one-year deal rather than a multi-season option.

The Test captain had the opportunity to be one of the initial group of players to land a new multiple-season contract, which have been handed out for the first time.

But he has turned it down partially in favour of putting himself in a stronger negotiating position a year from now, when a new round of broadcast rights begins and central contracts could be worth more accordingly.

Managing director Key insisted it was primarily this, rather than any feeling from Stokes that he may not continue to represent England, which was behind the decision.

England sure Stokes remains ‘completely committed’ after short-term deal

England vs Sri Lanka

08:18 , Jamie Braidwood

Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews knows exactly what it takes to beat England at a World Cup and the veteran batter is promising to “fight fire with fire” when the sides meet in Bengaluru.

Mathews has only been an official part of the squad for 24 hours, called up as an injury replacement for Matheesha Pathirana after being left out of the original line-up, but goes straight into the side on Thursday.

The 35-year-old brings bundles of hard-bitten experience with him, including a few memorable tussles with England over the years.

There have been Test centuries at Lord’s, Headingley and Galle, as well as a brilliant knock in a losing cause in the T20 World Cup of 2016.

But most relevant to the task at hand was the dogged 85 not out in Leeds four years ago, a match-winning effort that threatened to derail what became a triumphant tournament for Eoin Morgan’s men.

Neither team can afford to lose at the Chinnaswamy Stadium this time, leaving Mathews ready for a high-octane affair.

Sri Lanka will fight fire with fire against England – Angelo Mathews

England vs Sri Lanka

08:07 , Jamie Braidwood

Moeen Ali believes former England coach Chris Silverwood will be keen to “prove a point” with his Sri Lanka side in Thursday’s World Cup clash in Bengaluru.

Silverwood was England’s fast bowling coach they won the tournament in 2019 and expected to be the man in charge of the title defence when he was chosen to succeed Trevor Bayliss in the top job.

But his reign came to an ignominious end when he was sacked after the 2021/22 Ashes debacle, with England subsequently opting to split the job between red and white-ball specialists.

Silverwood made a quick return to international cricket with Sri Lanka and faces his old charges in a game that both nations need to win to maintain any realistic chance of reaching the knockout stages.

England have already been bested by one of their own in India, with former batter Jonathan Trott guiding Afghanistan to a shock win in Delhi, and are aware of the extra layer of intrigue created by Silverwood’s appearance in the opposition dugout.

Moeen Ali: Sri Lanka coach Chris Silverwood will be fired up to face England

England vs Sri Lanka

07:56 , Jamie Braidwood

England’s star batter Joe Root has revealed that his teammates were struggling to breathe properly during their recent ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 match against South Africa in Mumbai.

The comments from Root came after air quality in India’s financial capital slipped to “very unhealthy”, leaving players gasping for clean air. It was also hot during Saturday’s match with temperatures reaching 35C in Mumbai during the game.

South Africa defeated England by 229 runs at the city’s Wankhede Stadium on 21 October, marking the world champions’ biggest loss in the 50-over World Cup history.

Root later talked to reporters at a press conference in Bengaluru city about the air quality in Mumbai and said the experience was akin to “eating air”.

Joe Root on poor air quality at Cricket World Cup match: ‘It was like eating air’

England vs Sri Lanka

07:49 , Jamie Braidwood

Are there issues over England’s leadership?

The captain-coach relationship between Jos Buttler and Matthew Mott got off to a roaring start when they won the T20 World Cup together last year just a few months into their time together. But with so much emphasis on the ‘Bazball’ revolution in the Test arena, their job has got trickier. With fewer matches, longer gaps and less availability of big names they have been left to pull things together at the last minute and it simply hasn’t worked.

The decision making has been wanting – from the chopping and changing on the team-sheet to the baffling logic of bowling first in stifling conditions in Mumbai – but the real issues may run deeper and wider than the dressing room alone. Eoin Morgan proved his mettle in the immediate aftermath of the botched 2015 campaign when he led with a strong voice and demanded the players and resources to succeed. If Buttler and Mott are to succeed in the long run they may need assert themselves in similar style.

England vs Sri Lanka

07:44 , Jamie Braidwood

Do England still have a chance?

With the elongated group format, England still have another five games to play between now and November 11 whatever happens. Mathematically speaking there are a few shades of grey in terms of what they need to do, but realistically things are already black and white. England need wins and lots of them. They may well require a perfect run to retain their crown and, with games against the table-topping hosts, rivals Australia and an unpredictable Pakistan, that looks a tough ask.

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