LONDON, June 13: England took their time in trademark style before some last-over fireworks by Ravi Bopara helped them post 293 for seven in their Champions Trophy Group ‘A’ match amid woeful Sri Lankan fielding at The Oval here on Thursday.

The tournament hosts, who will progress to the semi-finals with a win, have been criticised by commentators for their recent ponderous batting in the 50-over format but still beat Australia by 48 runs in their opening game.

This time they managed only 38 runs in the first 10-over powerplay when sides such as India, who have already reached the last four from Group ‘B’, have notched in excess of 60.

England are confident of defending totals around 270 despite 325 now being very possible in the explosive modern one-day game and it looked like they would be posting only a decent score before Bopara (33 not out off 13 balls) blasted 28 off paceman Shaminda Eranga’s final over.

Jonathan Trott scored 76 off 87 balls against a lacklustre Sri Lanka, who know defeat would eliminate them but failed to find significant movement under overcast skies. Tillakaratne Dilshan also dropped three awkward catches and wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara spilled a dropping ball.

Captain Alastair Cook was just as watchful as Trott with 59 but like so many England batsmen in recent times, both were trapped lbw by Rangana Herath when sweeping.

Joe Root, in the headlines after being hit by suspended Australia batsman David Warner in a bar, helped up the tempo in the closing overs with 68 off 55 deliveries before Lasith Malinga took two wickets in two balls.

Sri Lanka grabbed four wickets for five runs towards the end to make it 254-7 in the 48th over. But Bopara boosted the total with three sixes, two boundaries and a two off Eranga.

England were 249-3 in the 46th over when they lost three wickets at the same total, and another one five runs later, to allow Sri Lanka to bounce back in the match.

Malinga had Root caught on the square-leg fence and trapped Eoin Morgan leg-before off successive balls, before Nuwan Kulasekara removed Joss Buttler for no score. —Agencies

Scoreboard ENGLAND: A.N. Cook lbw b Herath 59 I.R. Bell c Perera b Eranga 20 I.J.L. Trott lbw b Herath 76 J.E. Root c Jayawardene b Malinga 68 E.J.G. Morgan lbw b Malinga 13 J.C. Buttler c Sangakkara b Kulasekara 0 R.S. Bopara not out 33 T.T. Bresnan b Eranga 4 S.C.J. Broad not out 7

EXTRAS (LB-10, W-3) 13 TOTAL (for seven wkts, 50 overs) 293 FALL OF WKTS: 1-48, 2-131, 3-218, 4-249, 5-249, 6-249, 7-254. DID NOT BAT: G.P. Swann, J.M. Anderson. BOWLING: Kulasekara 10-0-42-1; Malinga 10-2-58-2 (1w); Eranga 10-0-80-2 (2w); Mathews 6-0-28-0; Herath 10-0-46-2; Dilshan 4-0-29-0. SRI LANKA: Kusal Perera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews (captain), Lahiru Thirimanne, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Shaminda Eranga, Lasith Malinga.

UMPIRES: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and B.F. Bowden (New Zealand). TV UMPIRE: M. Erasmus (South Africa). MATCH REFEREE: J. Srinath (India).