Pallekele, February 22 Left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage (3/26) shone as a disciplined Sri Lankan attack restricted a shaky England to 146 for nine in a Super Eights match of the T20 World Cup here on Sunday.
Phil Salt top-scored for England with 62 off 40 balls, even as his teammates struggled.
Having struggled in the group-stage games, England's start in the second phase of the tournament was in stark contrast to captain Harry Brook's earlier assertion of playing aggressive cricket.
Not only did Sri Lanka stifle the English top order in the powerplay, but they also managed to take two wickets, leaving the visitors at a precarious 37 for two after the first six overs, on a pitch that offered something for the bowlers, but not as much as the batters made it look.
Considering Jos Buttler's poor form in the tournament and his recent struggles against spinners, it was not surprising to see Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka use Wellalage in the powerplay.
Wellalage did a great job, taking the wickets of Buttler and Brook (14 off 7 balls) in his first three overs, leaving England at 68 for four after 10 overs, and dismissing the captain as their innings approached the halfway mark.
Wellalage bowled one slow ball through the air, which missed Brook's bat and hit his pads.
Buttler (7 off 14 balls) was the first casualty of the day, as he was rapped on the pads after a failed attempt at reverse sweeping the spinner, bringing to an end a scratchy innings that might just force the England team management to seriously consider giving someone like Ben Duckett a chance in the next game, especially considering the Nottinghamshire man's excellent record against spinners.
Maheesh Theekshana (2/21 in 4 overs) dismissed Jacob Bethell after the batter got a leading edge to Dilshan Madushanka (2/25 in 4 overs), who also bowled well with the new ball, conceding just 16 runs in three overs.
Tom Banton (6) was back in the dressing room after attempting a suicidal single, while Sam Curran was caught by Dushmantha Chameera.
Meanwhile, Salt, who had survived the powerplay for the first time in the tournament, played some fine shots, including a six over extra cover off Wellalage and a maximum over fine leg against Chameera, and raced to his half-century in 36 balls.
However, Wellalage fought back to get rid of Salt when the tiring opener failed to send a short ball over long-off, and the England innings deteriorated further after that.
