"This is the highest run chase for us for victory and this is not easy against a side like England. The main reason is the team effort because out of the 11 there are 7-8 performers, which was lacking for us as a team. And hopefully it will continue," said Shashikala after her team chased down England's competitive score of 238 with a last ball six.
It was Sri Lankan women's first-ever victory over England in any format of the game as they scored their highest total against the three-time winners in the ODIs.
"When we played against them in 2010 we lost by five runs, so against them we always had the faith that the bowling and fielding would live up to expectations," said the Lankan skipper, adding her team wanted to restrict England to under 200, which did not happen.
A visibly distraught England captain Charlotte Edwards conceded it was not the ideal way to defend their title which they won in Australia in 2009.
"We are bitterly disappointed, it is not the perfect start to the World Cup, I think lot of credit has to Sri Lanka and how they have played. We had a decent score and we let it slip in the end with a couple of drop catches. It is not all bad cricket from us but the credit has to go to Sri Lanka," she said. MORE
