England put up an all-round show and registered a comfortable 51-run win over Sri Lanka in the Super 8 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Played at the picturesque Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, the match witnessed England defend their low total with disciplined bowling and some hard work on the field as they kept their Super 8 campaign firmly on track in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 26.
Opting to bowl, Sri Lanka put England into bat and the home side scored 146 for nine in their allotted 20 overs. The innings was built around a fluent 62 off 40 balls from Philip Salt, the top scorer. Salt mixed controlled aggression with crafty placement, hitting six fours and two sixes to give England early momentum. With wickets tumbling at the other end, his partnerships kept England involved on a surface offering grip and turn.
Sri Lanka’s spinners then tied things up in the middle overs, as Dunith Wellalage and Maheesh Theekshana chipped in with five wickets between them to restrict England’s flow of runs. But late cameos from Will Jacks and Jamie Overton took England just beyond the 140 mark, a score that would ultimately prove more than enough.
In response, Sri Lanka floundered early on to England’s varied assault. Jofra Archer, England’s new fast-bowling wonder, made early inroads by dismissing both openers with pace and bounce, while Will Jacks claimed the key scalps of three wickets through canny off-spin. Sri Lanka continued to collapse in clumps and did not put up a serious challenge during the chase.
Dasun Shanaka provided some resistance with an aggressive 30 off 24 balls but Bangladesh kept striking at regular intervals to keep the asking rate rising. The likes of Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson worked over the left-arm-skewed lines that England’s spin bowlers can exploit, barring escape options as Sri Lanka collapsed to 95 all out in 16.4 overs.
The resounding victory underlined England’s ability to adapt to conditions favourable for spin, and demonstrated the depth of their bowling resources. The defeat revealed long-standing batting problems under pressure for Sri Lanka in the Super 8 phase. While England can take confidence from a ruthless performance as the tournament hots up, Sri Lanka have little time to find answers if they are to keep their World Cup prospects alive.
Learn More: Vignesh Puthur IPL Price || Virat Kohli Net Worth in Rupees