Top 5 Sri Lanka vs England encounters

#2 Antigua 2007, Sri Lanka won by 2 runs

ICC Cricket World Cup Super Eights - England v Sri Lanka

Yet another occasion where the two sides battled but the outcome was a clear image of the sides' respective long-run fortunes in that period. In the Super-Eight match, England were still dealing with the consequences of 'Fredalo' and an eerie spookiness haunted their camp, while Sri Lanka were emerging to be secret contenders for the trophy, with their consistency and ability to fight back.

Batting first on the slow and low track of North Sound, Sri Lanka crawled to 235, Upul Tharanga and Mahela Jayawardene making half-centuries to guide their side to respectability. Even though England had the services of the fluent bats of Paul Collingwood, Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, Sri Lanka were not unfazed, well knowing of their own bowling prowess.

They proceeded to execute a classic strangle of the English line-up and had them at 6/133. But then Paul Nixon and Ravi Bopara orchestrated a good fight back to take England within a few good hits of victory but Dilhara Fernando's mastery at the death, an anthology of awkwardly pitched deliveries to choke England two runs short of the target.