DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA - DECEMBER 25: Chris Woakes of England looks on during England nets and training session at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead on December 25, 2015 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

English fast bowler Chris Woakes claims that if England loses to Sri Lanka in their final Super 12s game, worrying about net run-rate permutations at the T20 World Cup will become "irrelevant".

The only way England can advance to the semi-finals and place in the top two of their group is if they defeat Sri Lanka and pray that Australia does not reverse their lower net run rate against Afghanistan.

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Woakes maintained that winning is the only thing that matters since England shouldn't be thinking about what might happen after suffering a shocking loss to Ireland.

"At the end of the day, we don't go through if we don't win this game; two points is the most important thing - I think we all realise that," Woakes told AAP.

If Australia defeats Afghanistan on Friday, England might need to do more than just win, but they will already be aware of what is necessary because they play the following day.

Even though England has an outstanding record against Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup, with four wins out of five games featured in the tournament's history, Woakes remains cautious ahead of the clash.

"You can look at net run rates all you like, but it's irrelevant if the points aren't there. We're entirely focused on the fact that Sri Lanka will be a tough challenge," he said.

"We've already seen in this tournament and experienced that if you're not quite on your game, a team will take advantage of that and can easily knock you over.

"I don't think we feel we deserve or have the right to win World Cups because we have a good side. It's all about how we perform in these crucial moments and games."

England has improved their net run rate by defeating New Zealand by 20 runs. They will be the first team to unify the limited-overs World Cups if they can string together another three victories.

Woakes, a significant component of the England team that won the 50-over competition in 2019, said that having experience winning tournaments could be essential in the upcoming few weeks.

"T20 can sometimes be unpredictable, but it's also a game with much momentum, so let's talk about that," Woakes added.