England began their Super 8 journey at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 with a clinical victory over Sri Lanka at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, producing a disciplined all-round performance to secure a comfortable win.
After winning the toss, Sri Lanka opted to bowl first and produced an encouraging effort with the ball to restrict the strong England batting line-up to 146 for 9 in their allotted 20 overs. The bowlers kept things tight throughout the innings, striking at regular intervals to prevent England from running away with a big total.
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Opening batter Phillip Salt anchored the innings with a well-compiled 62 off 40 deliveries, laced with six fours and two sixes. His knock provided the backbone of England’s total as the rest of the batting unit struggled to gain full momentum against a disciplined Sri Lankan attack.
Left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage was the standout performer with the ball, finishing with impressive figures of 3 for 26. He was well supported by Dilshan Madushanka and Maheesh Theekshana, who claimed two wickets apiece to keep Sri Lanka firmly in the contest at the halfway stage.
However, the chase never gained traction as Sri Lanka’s batting line-up faltered under pressure. Wickets fell at regular intervals and the hosts were eventually bowled out for just 95, handing England a comprehensive victory.
Skipper Dasun Shanaka was the lone bright spot for Sri Lanka with a fighting 30 off 24 balls, which included one boundary and two sixes, but he received little support from the rest of the batting order.
Off-spinner Will Jacks played a decisive role in England’s win with a match-turning spell of 3 for 22, breaking the backbone of the Sri Lankan middle order and ensuring there was no way back for the hosts.
With this dominant performance, England made a strong statement to begin their Super 8 campaign, while Sri Lanka will need to regroup quickly and address their batting concerns ahead of their next fixture which will be against New Zealand on the 25th February at R. Premadasa Stadium.
Result
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Salt | c Dushan Hemantha b Dunith Wellalage | 62 | 40 | 6 | 2 | 155.00 |
| Jos Buttler | lbw b Dunith Wellalage | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Jacob Bethell | c Dilshan Madusanka b Maheesh Theekshana | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 75.00 |
| Tom Banton | run out (Dasun Shanaka) | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 85.71 |
| Harry Brook | lbw b Dunith Wellalage | 14 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 200.00 |
| Sam Curran | c Kamil Mishara b Dushmantha Chameera | 11 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 100.00 |
| Will Jacks | c Dunith Wellalage b Dilshan Madusanka | 21 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 150.00 |
| Liam Dawson, | c Dasun Shanaka b Maheesh Theekshana | 6 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 54.55 |
| Jamie Overton | not out | 10 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 100.00 |
| Jofra Archer | c Dushan Hemantha b Dilshan Madusanka | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Adil Rashid | not out | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Extras | 5 (b 0 , lb 2 , nb 0, w 3, pen 0) |
| Total | 146/9 (20 Overs, RR: 7.3) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dilshan Madusanka | 4 | 0 | 25 | 2 | 6.25 | |
| Dunith Wellalage | 4 | 0 | 26 | 3 | 6.50 | |
| Maheesh Theekshana | 4 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 5.25 | |
| Dushan Hemantha | 4 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 9.50 | |
| Dushmantha Chameera | 4 | 0 | 34 | 1 | 8.50 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathum Nissanka | c Jamie Overton b Jofra Archer | 9 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 112.50 |
| Kamil Mishara | c Jamie Overton b Jofra Archer | 6 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 54.55 |
| Kusal Mendis | c & b Will Jacks | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Pavan Rathnayake | c Tom Banton b Will Jacks | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Dunith Wellalage | c Harry Brook b Will Jacks | 10 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Kamindu Mendis | c & b Liam Dawson, | 13 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 118.18 |
| Dasun Shanaka | c Tom Banton b Adil Rashid | 30 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 125.00 |
| Dushan Hemantha | hit-wicket b Jamie Overton | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 62.50 |
| Dushmantha Chameera | b Liam Dawson, | 6 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 46.15 |
| Maheesh Theekshana | not out | 10 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 125.00 |
| Dilshan Madusanka | b Adil Rashid | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Extras | 2 (b 0 , lb 0 , nb 0, w 2, pen 0) |
| Total | 95/10 (16.4 Overs, RR: 5.7) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jofra Archer | 3 | 0 | 20 | 2 | 6.67 | |
| Will Jacks | 4 | 0 | 22 | 3 | 5.50 | |
| Liam Dawson, | 4 | 0 | 27 | 2 | 6.75 | |
| Adil Rashid | 3.4 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 3.82 | |
| Jamie Overton | 2 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 6.50 | |
