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Cape Town — Sri Lanka produced a massive upset against hosts and favourites England in their Cricket World Cup match in Headingley in Leeds yesterday.

Lasith Malinga and Dhananjaya de Silva led Sri Lanka to a 20-run victory in Leeds.

Chasing 233, Malinga took 4/43 and De Silva 3/32 as England were bundled out for 212.

Ben Stokes scored an unbeaten 82 off 89 balls, but kept on losing partners around him and could not get his team over the line.

Earlier, Jofra Archer moved joint top of the World Cup bowling charts as England restricted Sri Lanka to 232-9.

The fast bowler took 3-52 — his fifth three-wicket haul in six matches this World Cup — to join Australia’s Mitchell Starc on 15 wickets.

Fellow quick Mark Wood followed up with 3-40.

Sri Lanka’s total of 232-9 represented something of a recovery after a collapse to three for two.

Angelo Mathews’ painstaking 85 not out helped them bat their full 50 overs after Avishka Fernando revived the innings with a dashing 49 in his first match of the World Cup.

Meanwhile, Former Proteas coach Ray Jennings says he does not believe that AB de Villiers made himself available for South Africa’s Cricket World Cup campaign 24 hours prior to the team being announced.

“AB is the most sincere person —definitely not selfish as a player. I’d put my life on the line so say that it’s rubbish that he would wait until 24 hours before the team announcement to make himself available. It’s nonsense,” Jennings said in an interview with Netwerk24.

It was earlier reported that De Villiers, who was in India at the time, had approached national captain Faf du Plessis and coach Ottis Gibson before the 15-man World Cup squad was announced, stating his intentions to play in the event.

The news was relayed to Cricket South Africa’s convenor of selectors Linda Zondi, but the decision was taken to deny De Villiers’ request to be fair to other players.

But Jennings feels there was more happening behind the scenes than the public was led to believe.

“I’d expect something like this from an arrogant Kevin Pietersen or Graeme Smith, but definitely not AB. I just know him too well to believe he’ll do something like this. There is another story behind the scenes that need to be told.”

De Villiers is yet to comment publicly on the matter himself.— Sport24.