The defending champions, however, were never really in contention. They were bowled out for a paltry 156 runs in 33.2 overs, and Sri Lanka effortlessly reached their target with eight wickets and 146 deliveries to spare. This loss goes down in history as one of England's most disappointing defeats in a World Cup. In the short term, they find themselves in the ninth spot among ten teams, with only the Netherlands having a worse net-run rate, preventing Jos Buttler's side from hitting rock bottom.
Though Jonny Bairstow (30) and Dawid Malan (28) put on a promising 45-run partnership for the opening wicket, the dismissal of Malan triggered a disastrous collapse. Joe Root was run out for a mere three runs off 10 balls. While Ben Stokes fought valiantly with 43 runs from 73 balls, no one else in the lineup managed to contribute significantly, and it took a late contribution of 14 runs from David Willey to push England past the 150-run mark.
The Sri Lankan bowlers, including Kasun Rajitha (2-36), Angelo Matthews (2-14), and Lahiru Kumara (3-35), put on an exceptional performance, making life difficult for England's batsmen.
Willey managed to take two early wickets to give England a glimmer of hope, restricting Sri Lanka to 23-2. However, Pathum Nissanka (77*) and Sadeera Samarawickrama (65*) launched a blistering assault on the England bowlers, collectively hitting 14 fours and three sixes.
At this point, Jos Buttler's team is essentially playing for pride, and their journey to redemption begins when they face tournament hosts India on Sunday. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has climbed to fifth place in the standings and is preparing to take on Afghanistan in their next match.
