Dunith Wellalage stood up when it mattered the most as the spinners took and squeezed England. Wellalage picked up 3 wickets while Madushanka picked up 2 and Theekshana also picked up 2 wickets as Sri Lanka kept chipping away and kept England down to under 150 as the Three Lions got to 146/9 in 20 overs. Philip Salt was the shining light for England with his 62 while Will Jacks scored 21 in the end. But all in all, a below par score by the visitors on this track.
Disciplined Sri Lanka strikes twice to peg England back in powerplay.Â
Put into bat first, Philip Salt and Jos Buttler came out to open the batting for England while Dilshan Madushanka had ball in hand for Sri Lanka. Madushanka bowled a decent first over. Dunith Wellalage had ball in hand from the other end. Salt took on Wellalage and slapped it over wide long-off for the maximum. Madushanka continued and bowled another tight over.
Wellalage continued and he got rid of Buttler whose struggling stay came to an end as he fell for 7 off 14 balls to Wellalage trying for the reverse sweep and was trapped in front. Buttler walked away and decided not to review. Jacob Bethell came out to bat next and got off the mark as well. Salt broke the shackles a bit as he hung back and slapped it past deep extra cover for a boundary.
Madushanka continued as Salt got a lucky boundary away as the leading edge that went past short third man and away it went to the fence. Salt got another boundary as he opened the bat face and sliced it away past backward point for a boundary. Maheesh Theekshana came into the attack next to bowl the last over of powerplay. He removed Bethell straightaway for 3 off 4 balls as the batter went for the heave across the line and got a top edge towards the right of backward point who took a good catch. Tom Banton came out to bat next and joined after the Drinks Break.
Banton got off the mark after the break. At the end of the powerplay, England were 37/2 with Banton unbeaten on 2 off 2 balls and Salt was with him unbeaten on 24 off 16 balls.
Philip Salt scores fighting fifty but Sri Lanka plug away at the wickets in the middle overs to push England on back foot.Â
Dushan Hemantha came into the attack after the powerplay. Salt got a full toss and punished it by going down on one knee and sweeping it to deep square leg for a boundary. Dushmantha Chameera came into the attack next. Sri Lanka got another wicket as Banton tried to steal a risky single as Dasun Shanaka knocked down the stumps at the bowler’s end as Banton went for 6 off 7 balls. Captain Harry Brook came out to bat next.
Hemantha continued as Brook managed to get a risky brace and overthrows gave away extra runs to the batting side. Wellalage came back into the attack as Brook broke the shackles a bit by stepping down the track and launched it over the non-striker’s head for a boundary that beat long-on. Wellalage hit back a few balls later as he got rid of Brook for 14 off 7 balls with a boundary to his name pinged in front. The review was taken by the England captain and on replays it was seen Umpire’s call on hitting the stumps. Sam Curran came out to bat next with England at 68/4 in 10 overs at the halfway stage of the innings.
Hemantha came back into the attack as Salt went on the front foot and launched it with a booming drive inside out over extra cover for a boundary. Maheesh Theekshana came back into the attack and bowled a decent over. Hemantha continued as Salt got to his fifty in 36 balls as it was a hardworking fifty for the right-handed opener. This was his 8th T20I fifty and second in World Cups.
Curran took on Hemantha as he is down on one knee and hit the slog sweep over midwicket as the ball cleared the midwicket fielder for the maximum. Chameera continued and he broke through as he removed Sam Curran for 11 off 11 balls with one six to his name as Curran mistimed the lofted shot to long-on who took the catch. Drinks was taken at this stage at 94/5 in 13.2 overs after which Will Jacks came to the crease next. Jacks got off the mark soon.
Salt then punched the ball through deep cover as the fielder made a meal of it and allowed the ball to go away to the fence. Salt then took on Chameera as he swivelled across the line and cleared deep backward square leg for the maximum. The 100 came up for England in 14 overs. Wellalage came back to bowl another over.
Wellalage removed the tired looking Salt for 62 off 40 balls with 6 fours and 2 sixes to his name as the batter looked to free his arms back on the back foot and mistimed the ball down to Hemantha who made no mistake. Liam Dawson came out to bat next. Wellalage ended a terrific over and a great spell as well. England were 106/6 in 15 overs with Dawson unbeaten on 0 off 4 balls and Jacks unbeaten on 2 off 3 balls.
Sri Lanka kept chipping away to keep England down to 146/9 in 20 overs.Â
Maheesh Theekshana came back into the attack as Jacks shuffled on the off-side and lofted the ball inside out over extra cover for a boundary. Dushmantha Chameera came back into the attack as Jacks sat deep in his crease and cleared his front leg and slapped it over wide mid-off for a boundary. Theekshana came back into the attack and removed Dawson for 6 off 11 balls as he was holed out at cover region.
Jamie Overton came out to bat next. Theekshana bowled a good over. Madushanka came to bowl the 19th over as Jacks reached out and belted the ball past extra cover for a boundary. Jacks then sliced the ball over covers as the ball went away to the fence. Madushanka had the last laugh as he removed Jacks for 21 off 14 balls with 4 boundaries to his name as he sliced the low full toss to deep backward point fielder. Jofra Archer came out to bat next.
Archer came and went for a golden duck as he miscued the ball to mid-off fielder to go for a golden duck to Madushanka. Adil Rashid came to bat at 11. Chameera bowled the final over of the innings. Overton took on Chameera and pumped the ball over the bowler’s head for the maximum. Chameera executed his yorkers well as England have been restricted to 146/9 in 20 overs. Overton remained unbeaten on 10 off 10 balls while Rashid remained unbeaten on 1 off 1 ball. 5 extras given by the fielding side.
Dunith Wellalage was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka with figures of 3/26 in 4 overs. Dilshan Madushanka finished with2/25 in 4 overs. Maheesh Theekshana finished with 2/21 in 4 overs. Dushan Hemantha finished with 0/38 in 4 overs. Dushmantha Chameera finished with 1/34 in 4 overs. This meant that Sri Lanka’s target was 147 runs in 20 overs.
Who’s Winning, England or Sri Lanka?Â
England have a below par score on this wicket as Sri Lanka bowled good lines and lengths and will be the happier side at the interval. 147 is gettable on this track but the Lankans have to bat well to get this target down. England needs early wickets to make a match out of this.
Let’s see how the chase unfolds from here.
Also Read: ICC T20 WC 2026: Sri Lanka Break Back Of England’s Batting Line Up