Paceman Chris Woakes claimed on Saturday that England want to make a statement against Sri Lanka in Wellington, as they look to prove they can compete with "the big teams" at the Cricket World Cup.

After comprehensive defeats at the hands of co-hosts Australia and New Zealand, England recovered to defeat Scotland by 119 runs in Christchurch on Monday.

The next test for Eoin Morgan's side is Sri Lanka in Wellington on Sunday - the same venue where New Zealand destroyed England by eight wickets, bowling them out for just 123 in the 34th over.

But Woakes insisted on Saturday that there is no residual pain for England in returning to Westpac Stadium, claiming they are keen to show they can match the major World Cup contenders.

Sri Lanka finished runners-up  to India at the 2011 World Cup and have won two of their three matches so far this year.

"You know, obviously tomorrow is a big game having already lost two in the tournament already," Woakes said.

"Sri Lanka are a good side, so we know we've got to be on our game tomorrow. As you say, it is important that we do beat the big sides.

"We want to get through to the quarterfinals and you're going to have to beat big teams on the way. Tomorrow is obviously a big opportunity for us, and we're looking to win it."

When asked about how it felt to return to Wellington, Woakes said: "I think it's a good opportunity for us to put [the loss to New Zealand] completely behind us, and as I said before, show people what we can do and put in a solid performance."