Sunday 22 / February / 2026
Pallekele: England produced a commanding all-round performance to secure a convincing 51-run win over Sri Lanka in the Super Eight clash in the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup on Sunday.
After being restricted to 146/9 in 20 overs, thanks to a valiant 62 from Phil Salt and late hitting from Will Jacks, England's bowlers bundled out Sri Lanka for just 95, with Jofra Archer, Will Jacks, and Liam Dawson leading the charge.
The victory also marked England's 12th consecutive win in T20I cricket, highlighting their continued consistency and depth in the shortest format.
Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bowl first, and their bowlers ripped out the heart of England's batting by removing Buttler (7), Jacob Bethell (3), Tom Banton (6), Harry Brook (14) and Sam Curran (11), reducing them to 94/5 in 13.2 overs. It was Salt's valiant 62 and a quick cameo of 21 in 14 balls, with four boundaries from Will Jacks that pushed England towards 146/9 in 20 overs.
Dunith Wellalage (3/26 in four overs) and Maheesh Theekshana (2/21 in four overs) managed to tame England against spin, a key weakness of theirs, while Dilshan Madushanka (2/25 in four overs) and Dushmantha Chameera (1/34 in four overs) also got wickets.
England opener Phil Salt surpassed Jonny Bairstow to become the Three Lions' fifth-highest run-getter in T20Is. Now in 57 T20Is, Salt has made 1,710 runs in 53 innings at an average of 36.38 and a strike rate of 166.50, with four centuries and eight fifties and a best score of 141*.
Bairstow had scored 1,671 runs in 80 matches and 72 innings at an average of 29.83 and a strike rate of 137.53, with 10 fifties and a best score of 90.
Chasing 147, Sri Lanka were off to the worst possible start as they lost their first five batters in the power play. Pathum Nissanka (9 off 8 balls, with two fours), Kusal Mendis (4 off four balls, with one four), Pavan Rathnayake (0), Kamil Mishara (6 off 11 balls, with one four), and Dunith Wellalage (10 runs off 10 balls, with two fours) had a dismal outing with the bat.
Speedster Jofra Archer and off-spinner Will Jacks were the top bowlers for England in the power play as Sri Lanka crawled to 34/5 in six overs.
Kamindu Mendis (13 off 11 balls, with one four and one six) couldn't convert his start after he was dismissed by Liam Dawson. Towards the end, captain Dasun Shanaka (30 off 24 balls, with one four and two sixes) tried his best, but the rest of the batters failed to support him as Sri Lanka were bundled out for just 95 in 16.4 overs, losing the contest by 51 runs.
It was a collective performance from England bowlers as Jofra Archer (2/20 in three overs), Will Jacks (3/22 in four overs), Liam Dawson (2/27 in four overs), Adil Rashid (2/13 in 3.4 overs), and Jamie Overton (1/13 in two overs).
With this victory, England clinched its 12th straight win in T20I cricket.
