England took down Sri Lanka by 51 runs in the T20 World Cup 2026, and honestly it wasn’t even close by the end. England set a target of 147 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. Sri Lanka never really got going and collapsed for just 95 runs in 16.4 overs. Wickets fell left and right. Dasun Shanaka, the Sri Lankan captain, tried to hold things together with 30 runs, but nobody else stuck around long enough to help.
Kamindu Mendis chipped in with 13, and Dunith Wellalage added 10, but that was about it. England’s bowlers were on fire. Will Jacks picked up three wickets for just 22 runs in his four overs. Jofra Archer and Liam Dawson each grabbed two, and Adil Rashid kept it tight, picking up two wickets for only 13 runs in 3.4 overs.
This win puts England at the top of their Super 8s group. Earlier in the day, things didn’t look so hot for them with the bat. They lost the toss and had to bat first, but their start was rough. Jos Buttler fell for just 7. Jacob Bethell didn’t last long either, heading back after making 3. Tom Banton’s struggles continued and he was run out for just 6.
Harry Brooke, the captain, didn’t make much of a dent either. He scored 14 before getting out. Sam Curran added 11, and Will Jacks chipped in with a quick 21 off 14 balls. But Phil Salt was the real anchor for England. He smashed 62 from 40 balls, hitting six boundaries and two sixes, and basically carried the innings. Thanks to Salt, England managed to put 146 runs on the board for the loss of 9 wickets in their 20 overs.
On the Sri Lankan side, Dunith Wellalage bowled a great spell and scalped 3 wickets for 26 runs from his four overs. Dilshan Madushanka and Mahesh Theekshana took two wickets each, but in the end, it just wasn’t enough.
Brief Scores:
England -146/9 (Salt 62, Wellalage 3-26)
Sri Lanka- 95 (Jacks 3-22, Rashid 2-13, Dawson 2-27)
England beat Sri Lanka by 51 runs
