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Sri Lanka crush lackluster England

Tillakaratne Dilshan celebrates after Sri Lanka cruised into the cricket World Cup semifinals with victory over England.
Tillakaratne Dilshan celebrates after Sri Lanka cruised into the cricket World Cup semifinals with victory over England.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Both openers score centuries as Sri Lanka beat England in the cricket World Cup quarterfinal
  • Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga pass England's total of 229 with 10 overs to spare
  • Victory sets up meeting with New Zealand in Tuesday's semifinal

(CNN) -- Sri Lanka have booked their place in the semifinals of the Cricket World Cup with an emphatic 10-wicket win over England in Colombo.

Openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga both made centuries as they overcame England's total of 229 for six with more than 10 overs to spare.

Earlier, England won the toss and elected to bat and got off to a steady start as Ian Bell joined captain Andrew Strauss at the top of the order.

But both were out in quick succession. Strauss bowled by Dilshan for five with the score on 29, while Bell fell two runs later for 25, caught by Thilan Samaraweera off the bowling of Angelo Mathews.

Jonathan Trott and Ravi Bopara put on 64 for the third wicket, but by the time Bopara was trapped lbw by Muttiah Muralitharan for 31 in the 27th over England had only made 95 runs.

I think we were 30 light and at the end it felt like 50 light
--England captain, Andrew Strauss
RELATED TOPICS
  • Cricket
  • New Zealand
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Eoin Morgan hurried things along a little scoring a brisk half century, but when he fell with the score on 186 any momentum that had been gained quickly dissipated.

Trott battled on until the penultimate over of the innings scoring 86 from 115 balls before becoming Muralitharan's second victim.

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Matt Prior tried to swing the willow at the death but could only muster one boundary in the final over -- England only scored 12 fours in the entire innings -- to give England a score of 229, and an outside chance of victory.

But any hopes they might have harbored were quickly snuffed out as Sri Lanka took total control of the match.

None of England's six bowlers ever really troubled Dilshan or Tharanga and the game progressed to a predictable and rather anti-climactic conclusion.

Afterwards, England captain, Andrew Strauss conceded his team's total was always going to be difficult to defend.

"I think we were 30 light and at the end it felt like 50 light. I thought if we took early wickets we'd be in with a chance but fair play to Sri Lanka, the opening batsmen were outstanding," Strauss said.

Sri Lanka's victory sets up a meeting with New Zealand next Tuesday for a place in the final which takes place in Mumbai on April 2.