Nottinghamshire duo Alex Hales and Samit Patel enjoyed a prosperous partnership in England Lions' second of three matches against Sri Lanka 'A' but defeat will make the third and final 50-over fixture on Monday a winner-takes-all affair.
Their opening stand of 85 inside 14 overs gave the innings solid foundations but Patel perished after a quick 50 and England had slipped to 139-6 by the time Hales was caught and bowled by Seekkuge Prasanna for 62.
The Lions were all out for 204 and the hosts surpassed the victory target despite Patel's haul of 2-45.
"After an excellent platform provided by Hales and Patel, batting exactly to plan, it was disappointing that a potentially powerful middle order caved so badly," said ECB performance director David Parsons.
"I think, though, that we’ve seen enough signs over recent matches that there is talent in this squad, and talent that is capable of taking the game away from Sri Lanka.
"We need to realise this potential to post the scores that these grounds require."