Sri Lanka vs. England T20 World Cup result: Highlights and full scorecard as Ben Stokes guides England to semi finals

England held on to claim a nervy victory against Sri Lanka to secure their spot in the semi finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup. 

Sri Lanka made an aggressive start, but their opponents were able to take control in the latter stages of the innings, holding them to 141 runs.

Mid-way through their innings, England appeared to be cruising towards a win as Jos Buttler and Alex Hales crushed boundaries at will.

However, Sri Lanka clawed their way back into the contest courtesy of some strong fielding.

This saw the match reach the final over, but Ben Stokes stood tall to win the game for England with three balls remaining.

Stokes was brought in at No.3 to cover for Dawid Malan - who appeared to injure his groin whilst fielding - and kept his side on track as they struggled to hold firm.

Due to their superior net run rate, the result means England overtakes Australia in the group standings, sending the host nation and reigning champions out of the tournament. 

The Sporting News was on hand to bring you all the updates from the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Sri Lanka vs. England T20 World Cup live updates, highlights from the SCG: As it happened

Final score

ENGLAND WIN BY 4 WICKETS

20th over: Fittingly, it is Stokes - the man who stood up for England throughout the majority of the innings - who scores the winning runs. It was close in the end, but England got the job done.

19th over: Woakes does a good job to get off strike before Rajitha bowls a costly wide. The odds are moving in England's favour now. Five runs are now needed from the last over.

18th over: WICKET! Three dot balls in a row from Kumara gets the Sri Lankan fans excited before the SCG erupts as Curran is dismissed following a wild hook shot. He's caught on the boundary by Rajitha as Kumara picks up his second wicket. The new equation is 13 runs from 12 balls for England.

Woakes is out in the middle.

17th over: England keep the runs ticking over with consecutive singles, before squeezing in two runs off some good running. Now, 15 runs from 18 balls are needed.

16th over: We're into the final five overs... England are still likely to get the runs required, but there are plenty of nervous faces in the crowd. Asalanka bowls his first over of the match and gives up eight runs.

15th over: ANOTHER WICKET! This is starting to get very nervy for England... Ali plays a strong cover drive, but it ends up in the safe hands of Shanaka. A second wicket for De Silva who has been heavily involved tonight.

Curran is at the crease for England.

14th over: WICKET! Just as it seemed England were on track, another spanner has been thrown in the works. Livingstone is caught near the boundary by De Silva and it's Kumara who picks up the wicket. 

Ali is in to bat now, so there is definitely still strong talent at the crease.

12th over: The match is quietening down, but that shouldn't worry England who are still in control. 36 runs from 42 balls is the equation.

11th over: WICKET! Great work from De Silva, who reacts quickly to catch and bowl Brook. A slightly lazy shot from the young batter but you cannot take anything away from that catch.

Livingstone is next up for England. Malan - who injured himself whilst fielding - is yet to bat.

10th over: WICKET! Big wicket, with Hales now gone for England. A bizarre ricochet sees him caught and bowled by Hasaranga. Could the tides be beginning to turn? 

Brook joins Stokes out in the middle.

9th over: De Silva bowls his first over and only gives up six runs. Stokes still settling in at the crease.

8th over: WICKET! Finally, a breakthrough for Sri Lanka! Buttler plays a strong shot off Hasaranga to mid-wicket, but it's well-taken by a flying Karunaratne. 

Ben Stokes is in for England now. Let's see if the momentum shifts at all.

7th over: More tidy bowling from Theekshana, but a wicket is really what Sri Lanka need right now. England need less than 6 runs an over from here to get the win. 

6th over: England's openers have clicked into another gear. The boundaries are flowing and the runs are suddenly racking up very quickly. Hales in particular is looking aggressive and confident. 

5th over: Hasranga takes the ball but can't help Sri Lanka find a breakthrough. England looking rock solid out there at the moment, as Buttler smashes a six to finish the over.

4th over: Chance! Buttler doesn't get the trajectory right on a shot to long-on, but Rajapaksa dives about a metre short of the ball in the field. 

3rd over: Another economical over from Theekshana, but England maintain the run rate required to chase down Sri Lanka's total. Looking confident as it stands.

2nd over: Hales hits two boundaries to the off-side and looks in complete control after that earlier near-miss. A tough opening over for Rajeetha.

1st over: Chance! Hales clips the ball behind to the wicketkeeper but Mendis can't hold onto it. A very tidy over from Theekshana, who gives up just three runs. 

START OF INNINGS: Buttler and Hales are England's openers and will be looking to get off to a strong start.

END OF INNINGS: It started so promisingly for Sri Lanka, but after a few key wickets they lost their confidence and aggressiveness.

A very chase-able total of 141 runs for England.

20th over: THREE WICKETS! Curran takes the catch off Rajapaksa's hook shot to begin a one-over capitulation.

Two balls later, Hasaranga is run out by Buttler as Sri Lanka scramble for every last run they can manage.

Then, Karunaratne skies a ball behind him and is caught on the boundary by Hale to round out the innings.

19th over: Just one boundary and eight runs off the over. Sri Lanka have well and truly lost their confidence. Six balls left of the inning.

18th over: WICKET! Sri Lanka are swinging at everything they see at the moment, and they've paid the price. Shanaka is dismissed for three runs after he edges a Wood delivery behind to wicketkeeper Buttler.

Hasaranga is in to try and rescue Sri Lanka.

17th over: Closing specialist Curran has the ball now, as England look to keep Sri Lanka quiet for the last four overs.

16th over: WICKET! Rashid gets a much-deserved reward for his bowling display, taking the crucial wicket of Nissanka. Substitute fielder Jordan - who came on for the injured Malan - takes the catch well at mid-on. 

Shanaka is in to bat.

15th over: A blow for England, as Malan appears to injure his groin whilst chasing a ball. Concerningly, he walked off the field as soon as he felt a tweak.

14th over: Rashid continues his brilliant performance with the ball. He has exhibited great control, only allowing 12 runs off his three overs thus far.

13rd over: A crafty four from Rajapaksa brings up the team century for Sri Lanka.

12th over: FIFTY! A brilliant knock from Nissanka, who has shown no fear so far. However, Sri Lanka's runs are really slowing down. England have absolutely taken control of this match after a frenetic opening. 

11th over: WICKET! Three wickets gone for Sri Lanka now, with Asalanka dismissed for just eight runs. He swung wildly at a Stokes delivery, and Malan was able to secure the high ball.

Rajapaksa is next up for Sri Lanka.

10th over: Chance! A mix-up between Sri Lanka's batters nearly causes a run-out, but they escape. However, the fracas has resulted in an apparent ankle injury to Nissanka. He will carry on though.

9th over: WICKET! There we go. Almost identical to the first wicket, De Silva is caught at the boundary by Ben Stokes. An inviting delivery from Curran, but the Sri Lankan batter falls just short of another six.

Asalanka is next at the crease.

8th over: The runs just keep flowing... Sri Lanka playing with some serious confidence at the moment.

7th over: More bowling variation for England, as Liam Livingstone provides some leg spin. It was an economical over before the all-rounder was hit for six off his last delivery.

6th over: Rashid is brought into the attack, and the spinner delivers a very tidy over.

5th over: A fourth bowler - Curran - is introduced for England. Despite the wicket, Sri Lanka's batters just keep swinging. Nissanka was nearly caught out at the boundary like his fellow opener, but it cleared the rope for six.

4th over: WICKET! Sri Lanka's audacity eventually backfires, with Mendis caught at the boundary. Livingstone takes a very clean catch, and Woakes picks up the wicket. 

De Silva is next up to bat for Sri Lanka.

3rd over: Mendis smacks Woods' first ball into the heavens, and it ends in the stands for a six. He then uses his confidence to scoop the next delivery over the English fielders for more runs. The over is capped off by another six from Nissanka, which just clears the boundary. 

2nd over: Woakes begins his spell and delivers a very tidy set of deliveries. Hales prevents an almost-certain boundary late in the over with an agile piece of fielding.

1st over: Stokes begins with the ball for England but is quickly hit for six by Nissanka. Plenty of variation in his deliveries, too.

We're underway at the SCG!

15 mins to start: Here are each team's XI for tonight's clash...

England: Buttler, Hales, Malan, Stokes, Brook, Ali, Livingstone, Curran, Woakes, Rashid, Wood

Sri Lanka: Nissanka, Mendis, De Silva, Asalanka, Rajapaksa, Shanaka, Hasaranga, Karunaratne, Theekshana, Kumara, Rajitha

30 mins to start: Sri Lanka have won the toss and elected to bat first.

1 hour to start: Hello, and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of this T20 World Cup match between Sri Lanka and England.

The match is scheduled to begin at 7:00 pm local time (8:00 am BST, 1:00 pm IST).

We're set for clear skies tonight at the Sydney Cricket Ground, with temperatures to hover around 18 degrees Celcius (64 degrees Fahrenheit).

England are deservedly favourites, and a win will guarantee them a spot in the semi-finals. 

Sri Lanka vs. England T20 World Cup full scorecard

Sri Lanka innings

England bowling

England innings

Sri Lanka bowling

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