England have won their first match on tour in Sri Lanka with a five-wicket victory via the Duckworth–Lewis method.

A rain-affected game saw the Sri Lankans make 242-8 from a revised tally of 35 overs, before England reached their target of 236 with eight balls remaining.

Kumar Sangakkara (63) and Lahiru Thirimanne (62 not out) stood out with the bat for Sri Lanka, while Tillakaratne Dilshan (23) and Angelo Mathews (37) also made significant knocks at the crease.

Chris Woakes took three wickets for England, with Chris Jordan, Steven Finn, Ravi Bopara and Joe Root also doing some damage with the ball.

England started their run chase positively, though they lost their first wicket in the 12th over when Alastair Cook was dismissed for 34 thanks to the bowling of Dhammika Prasad.

Moeen Ali (58) and Alex Hales (27) kept the scoreboard ticking over with some dynamic play at the crease, but disappointing scores from Bopara (6) and Eoin Morgan (1) threatened to derail their progress heading into the final 12 overs.

However, an explosive partnership between Root (48 not out) and Jos Buttler (55 not out) saw England over the line to make it 2-1 to Sri Lanka with four matches left to play.