England secured a comprehensive 51-run victory over Sri Lanka in their Super 8 Group 2 encounter of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, following disciplined batting and clinical bowling. After being sent in to bat by Sri Lanka, England posted a competitive total of 146/9 in 20 overs, with Phil Salt’s half-century anchoring the innings.
Sri Lanka’s reply collapsed under pressure, losing wickets at regular intervals. The visitors managed only 95 runs, falling well short of the target and suffering an early setback that proved too large to recover from.
Sri Lanka’s decision to field first appeared initially promising as Jos Butler fell cheaply for 7 off 14 balls, leaving England 16/1. Jacob Bethell followed soon after, departing for 3 runs with the score at 32/3.
Phil Salt remained resolute at one end, crafting a well-paced 62 off 40 balls and keeping England’s innings on track. Contributions from Will Jacks (21 off 14) and Jamie Overton (10*) in the final overs helped England reach 146/9.
Other batters, including Tom Banton and Harry Brook, struggled against disciplined Sri Lankan bowling, but Salt’s innings proved decisive.
Dunith Vellalage claimed 3 wickets for Sri Lanka, while Dilshan Madushanka and Mahesh Thikshana took 2 each. Dushmantha Chameera also chipped in with 1 wicket.
Sri Lanka’s chase began disastrously, with the opening pair of Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara dismissed for just 15 runs combined. Pavan Rathnayake was trapped for a golden duck, and the top order continued to tumble under pressure.
By the end of the powerplay (6 overs), Sri Lanka had lost 5 wickets for just 34 runs. Dunith Vellalage fell for 10, and none of the middle-order batters could stabilise the innings.
Kamindu Mendis (13 off 11) and Dasun Shanaka (30 off 24) offered brief resistance, but Sri Lanka were eventually all out for 95 in 16.4 overs. England’s bowlers were relentless, with Will Jacks taking 3 wickets, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, and Adil Rashid 2 each, and Jamie Overton 1.
