England, shot out for 111 after electing to take first strike, hit back to restrict Pakistan to 96-9 on a bowler-friendly pitch at the P. Sara Oval.
Danny Briggs, a 21-year-old left-arm spinner, claimed three wickets for 15 runs after being asked to open the bowling by England's captain Stuart Broad.
Seamer Jade Dernbach finished with three for 14 as Pakistan's batsmen faltered against both pace and spin. Asad Shafiq's 20 was the highest score as seven batsmen failed to reach double figures.
England had themselves failed with the bat, losing their last five wickets in the space of eight deliveries.
Luke Wright's 38 off 36 balls was the only notable contribution as off-spinner Saeed Ajmal grabbed four for 14 and Raza Hasan and Yasir Arafat took two wickets each.
England take on Afghanistan in their first Group A match at the Premadasa stadium in Colombo on Friday, before meeting India at the same venue on Sunday.
Pakistan will travel to Pallekele for their two group D games against New Zealand on Sunday and Bangladesh on Tuesday.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ