With the win, the England cricket team, led by Harry Brook, registered their 12th consecutive T20I victory over Sri Lanka cricket team.
Asked to bat first, England posted 146/9 in 20 overs, powered by a 62 off 40 balls from Phil Salt, which included six fours and two sixes. Will Jacks (21 off 14), Brook (14 off 7) and Sam Curran (11 off 11) also chipped in with useful contributions.
For Sri Lanka, Dunith Wellalage claimed three wickets, while Maheesh Theekshana and Dilshan Madushanka picked up two apiece.
In reply, Sri Lanka’s chase faltered early as they lost their top five wickets inside the powerplay. Captain Dasun Shanaka top-scored with 30 off 24 balls, striking two sixes to surpass Kusal Mendis for the most T20I sixes by a Sri Lankan. However, Shanaka was dismissed by Adil Rashid at a crucial stage to dent the hosts’ hopes.
Kamindu Mendis (13) and Wellalage (10) were the only other batters to reach double figures as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 95.
Jofra Archer, Liam Dawson and Rashid claimed two wickets each, while Jacks finished with three scalps.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Shanaka expressed disappointment but highlighted positives with the ball.
“It’s very disappointing, but at the same time, we had a lot of positives with the ball. I think we kept them at least 20 runs under par. The pitch played better under lights. We played badly and lost wickets at critical intervals,” he said.
He added that the team must quickly regroup. “It’s one bad game, which is not affordable in a World Cup, but we need to bounce back in the next couple of games.”
Sri Lanka will next face New Zealand national cricket team in Colombo on Wednesday, while England will take on Pakistan national cricket team at the same venue on Tuesday.
