Defending champion England's sadness deepened as they fell to a fifth consecutive World Cup loss to Sri Lanka on Thursday at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

England opted to bat first after winning the toss and were bundled out for a measly 156 runs. Lahiru Kumara clinched three wickets, while Angelo Mathews and Kasun Rajitha picked up two each. 

Chasing 157 to win, Sri Lanka reached 160-2 with a massive 146 balls to spare. Sri Lanka lost a couple of early wickets, but confidently went on to finish their chase as Nissanka smashed 77 off 83 balls and Samarawickrama scored 65 off 54 balls. They led the process with an unbroken 137-run stand for the third wicket. 

The Islanders now have four points, and they can eye a few stronger results in the remaining four matches. Contrarily, England have now lost four of their five games at this World Cup and retain a mere theoretical chance to make it to the semifinals.