We were beaten by a better side: Strauss

COLOMBO: A dejected England captain Andrew Strauss admitted to be "thoroughly" defeated by a better side after their 10-wicket crushing defeat to Sri Lanka in the World Cup quarterfinals here Saturday.

It looked a defendable total when England, after electing to bat, scored 229/6 in their 50 overs. But Sri Lanka propelled by the centuries of Upul Tharanga (102)and Tillakaratne Dilshan (108) reached the target in 39.3 overs.

"In the beginning, we thought were 30 runs short but soon it looked we are 50 short. We thought pressure was a factor if we could get early wickets but we couldn't do it. We've been thoroughly beaten by a better side today. They were able to bowl a lot of dot balls at us to build pressure," Strauss said.

Strauss said England have not been their best throughout the tournament but hoped the side to regroup once they are home.

"We weren't able to take advantage of the platform. But we have to be honest; we haven't been good enough during the tournament. This was a step too far. We will go home now, will regroup and comeback," he said.


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It looked a defendable total when England, after electing to bat, scored 229/6 in their 50 overs. But Sri Lanka propelled by the centuries of Upul Tharanga (102)and Tillakaratne Dilshan (108) reached the target in 39.3 overs.