England vs. Sri Lanka: Winners and Losers from Cricket World Cup Match

England’s miserable World Cup campaign continued when they lost by nine wickets to Sri Lanka on Sunday. Save for Joe Root’s century and Jos Buttler’s lower-order fireworks, there was little for England to get exciting about.

Having won just one match in the group stages thus far, England now have to win their two remaining matches in order to keep their hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals alive. We’ve picked some winners and losers from the match, add yours in the comments.

All quotes and information obtained firsthand, unless otherwise stated.

Winners: Sri Lanka’s Top Order

Ross Setford/Associated Press

Every single batsman in Sri Lanka’s top order has now passed triple figures in the tournament. A solid base is so crucial when it comes to crunch chases and having all of their top order players in form means Sri Lanka have recovered well from their unconvincing performances against New Zealand and Afghanistan.

That Kumar Sangakkara has now scored two hundreds in four matches will also help.

Winner: Joe Root

Ross Setford/Associated Press

Were it not for Joe Root and Jos Buttler, England’s total might have looked a bit more embarrassing. Root deserves heaps of credit for keeping a cool head while everyone else seemed to be losing theirs.

Sure, he got lucky a few times, but he rode his luck and capitalised when seemingly nobody else in the team could build an innings.

Loser: the Dubious Review from Sri Lanka

Ross Setford/Associated Press

In the 39th over, Sri Lanka reviewed what some have termed the worst review in history of bad reviews. Joe Root missed a full toss, sneaked through for a leg bye and Sri Lanka opted to review a ball that hit Root so far outside of leg, it turned out to be missing more than two sets of stumps.

At least the review process was over quickly instead of dragging on like they sometimes do.

Loser: The Fielding

Ross Setford/Associated Press

There were plenty of faux pas in the field from both teams. Sri Lanka’s fielders threw everything they had at chances and half chances, but nothing seemed to stick. Joe Root was dropped on two and later on, Root himself was involved in a drop when he put down Lahiru Thirimanne on three. Although some of the chances were tough, the fielding of both teams was somewhat disappointing.

Loser: England’s Lack of Variety in Their Bowling

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

England's heavy reliance on the same old, same old in the fast bowling department meant that Sri Lanka's batsmen were allowed to settle far too easily.

Moeen Ali and Joe Root did offer some variety, but not nearly enough to trouble two batsmen who have clearly hit form.

There’s not much they can do to remedy the situation going forward, so they will hope the experience of their front-line bowlers can give them a break.

Loser: Suranga Lakmal’s Discipline

Ross Setford/Associated Press

Suranga Lakmal had a horror day out in the middle. Early on, he conceded five wides, was warned for running on the "danger zone" and he ended the day by being taken out of the attack for bowling too many full tosses.

His figures of one for 71 weren't too flattering either, but Sri Lanka will be hoping that it was just one of those days as he remains a central figure in their bowling line-up.