ENG vs SL: England defeated Sri Lanka by 119 runs in the first T20I. Captain Harry Brook was named Player of the Match with an unbeaten 114, while Jos Buttler also made a strong impact with an 80. Batting first, the English team scored 254 runs, and in response, the Sri Lankans were bowled out for just 135. All six English bowlers took at least one wicket.
Harry Brooke scored century in 42 balls
With the bat, Jos Buttler wreaked havoc, scoring 80 runs off 44 balls. Meanwhile, Harry Brook reached his fifty in the first 20 balls and the remaining fifty in the next 22. He reached his century in just 42 balls, the second-fastest for England in T20 Internationals. Phil Salt holds the record for the fastest century for an English team (39 balls). Brook remained unbeaten on 114 runs off 49 balls, hitting 19 fours and 6 sixes in his innings.
Thanks to those vicious knocks from Buttler and Brook, England posted 254 in the first innings. This is the fifth-highest T20I total in 2026. When Sri Lanka came out to chase the record target of 255, Sonny Baker devastated the Sri Lankan top order. Half the team was back in the pavilion by 69. Eight wickets fell for 97. The last two wickets added 38 runs, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Sri Lanka from suffering a massive 119-run defeat.
This is the second-largest victory by a team in 2026 among ICC Full Member nations. England also holds the record for the largest victory this year, having defeated India by 125 runs in July. England now has a 1-0 lead in the series, and the second T20I will be played in Cardiff on September 17th. The series will consist of three matches, and will conclude in Manchester on September 19th. The two teams will then play three ODIs.
Brief Scores: England 254/4 in 20 overs (Harry Brook 114*, Jos Buttler 80, Will Jacks 21; Wanindu Hasaranga 1-34) beat Sri Lanka 135 all out in 19 overs (Dunith Wellalage 33; Sonny Baker 3-12, Jamie Overton 2-20, Liam Dawson 2-23) by 119 runs.
For more news & updates, follow The Crichub on Instagram, X and YouTube
