PALLEKELE, Sri Lanka (AP):

Fast bowler Lasith Malinga grabbed a career-best 5-31 as Sri Lanka knocked out defending champions England from World Twenty20 with a 19-run win in the Super Eights yesterday.

Malinga dismissed Luke Wright (12), Jonny Bairstow (two) and Alex Hales (three) in the space of his first five balls and then removed Jos Buttler (eight) and top scorer Samit Patel for 67 to restrict England to 150-9 in their last group match.

Sri Lanka had posted a decent 169-6, with Mahela Jayawardene, who surprisingly handed over the captaincy to Kumar Sangakkara for the match, top-scoring with 42 off 38 balls and England captain Stuart Broad picking up 3-32.

Sri Lanka topped the group with six points from three wins. West Indies, which also defeated England, also qualified for the semi-finals after their thrilling victory in a one-over eliminator against New Zealand.

"Lasith [Malinga] is unbelievable, both with the new ball and with the old ball," Sangakkara said. "It would be fantastic if we can win it [the tournament], but the focus is to keep our feet on the ground."

Patel tried to revive the chase with Eoin Morgan (10) after Malinga's three-wicket burst with a 55-run stand, before the latter attempted a reverse sweep off Akila Dananjaya and was trapped leg before wicket with the total on 73.

Big lessons

Buttler was well caught at deep fine leg by Ajantha Mendis as England rallied at 93-7 when Stuart Broad became Dananjaya's (2-26) second victim.

Graeme Swann hit 34 off 20 balls and gave a glimmer of hope to Broad's team by hitting Malinga for three fours in his return over and added 51 off 28 balls before both fell in space of three runs.

Patel's stumps were knocked by Malinga and Swann was bowled by Kulasekara in the last over. Patel, who got little support from the other end, hit eight fours and two sixes in his 48-ball run knock.

"We've learned a huge amount from this," Broad said. "We need to keep wickets in hand ... (but) we fell short at the top of the order."

The other two semi-finalists will be decided today after Group 2 matches between Pakistan and Australia, and India and South Africa.

Sri Lanka will meet the runner-up of Group Two in the first semi-final on October 4, while West Indies will take on the winner of Group Two on October 5.