The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 keeps exciting and now that the group stage is over, the Super 8s are here, and Sunday’s got two big games lined up. First up, Sri Lanka faces England in Pallekele. Both teams seem fired up for this one.
Sri Lanka playing on home turf at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium wants to kick off their Super 8 run with a bang. England’s hoping for the same thing, especially after a shaky group stage. With Harry Brook leading the way, they’re looking to turn things around.
These two teams have been crossing paths in T20 Internationals for a while, though not as often as one think. Since 2006, they have only played 14 times. England has the upper hand, winning 10 matches, while Sri Lanka’s taken 4.
Looking back at the group stage, some teams looked unstoppable, while others had a rougher ride. England finished second in Group C, grabbing three wins out of four. Sri Lanka did the same in Group B, right behind Zimbabwe, also winning three out of four. Both teams have a lot to play for and both want to start this next chapter on the right foot.
Majority stadium pitches in Sri Lanka help spinners and Pallekele is no different. Sure, pace bowlers get a bit of swing early on, but once that shine fades, spinners really take over, especially in the middle overs. If a batter hangs around long enough, though, they can still rack up a big score. Usually, if the team batting first puts up around 170 here, that’s a solid effort.
England Predicted XI: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (c)
Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid
Sri Lanka Predicted XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Pawan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Mahesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka
