Sri Lanka hammer England to level series

Sri Lanka's bowlers ripped through a fragile England batting line-up to win the second one day international at Chester-le Street by 157 runs to tie the five match series 1-1.

Tillakaratne Dilshan top-scored with 88 as Sri Lanka posed a respectable total of 256-8 from their 50 overs.

The total looked achievable for an England side who easily won the first ODI but they collapsed to 99 all out with Nuwan Kulasekara and Sachithra Senanayake taking seven wickets between them.

After winning the toss and electing to bowl first, England were frustrated by Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara who piled on the runs to take the visitors to 129-1.

Sangakkara, who signed a short-term deal with Durham earlier in the season in preparation for the tour, fell for 40.

England's fielding, an issue of late, was again sloppy with both Harry Gurney and Ravi Bopara dropping relatively routine catches as Dilshan continued his expertly controlled innings but he was eventually bowled by Chris Jordan just 12 runs short of an 18th ODI century.

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Matthews and Ashan Priyanjan shared a 66-run partnership for the fifth wicket as the visitors passed the 200 run mark.

England took four wickets towards the end of Sri Lanka's innings for just 23 runs, including the impressive Priyanjan (43) who became James Anderson's 250th ODI wicket.

England's reply got off to a steady yet unspectacular start before Michael Carberry, replacing injured captain Alastair Cook, was caught behind off the bowling of Kulasekara with England 19-1.

Kulasekara claimed a wicket in each of his next two overs with the dismissal of Ian Bell and Gary Ballance sandwiching Joe Root being clean bowled for a duck by Lasith Malinga as England crumbled to 29-4.

Bopara then became the first of Senanayake's four victims as he also accounted for Jordan, James Tredwell and Anderson.

Eoin Morgan top-scored for England with 40 before becoming the ninth victim as England finished with just two batsmen in double figures.​