Sri Lanka’s batting brilliance blows England away

Sri Lanka batsmen Kumar Sangakkara (left) and Lahiru Thirimanne celebrate after hitting the winning runs against England during their Cricket World Cup Group A match in Wellington on Sunday. - AFP

SYDNEY (AFP): Sri Lanka inflicted England’s third crushing defeat by a Test nation at this World Cup with a nine-wicket win on Sunday that left their opponents’ quarter-final hopes hanging by a thread as Pakistan looked to revive their bid for a place in the last eight.

Chasing 310 for victory, Sri Lanka cruised to a seemingly stiff target with 16 balls to spare as Lahiru Thirimanne, who ended the match with a six off Chris Woakes to be 139 not out, and Kumar Sangakkara (117 not out) shared an unbroken partnership of 212 for the second wicket in Wellington.