England struggle in Pallekele as Sri Lanka dominate — T20 Cricket World Cup

The t20 cricket world cup contest between England and Sri Lanka in Pallekele saw England collapse around one lone innings from Salt (62 off 40 balls), leaving the visitors precariously placed after Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field first.

England vs Sri Lanka in the T20 Cricket World Cup: early collapse

Salt (62 off 40 balls) was the only England batter to impress, while Buttler, Bethell & Banton were out for single-figure scores. England slipped to 135-9 at one stage, with the scoreboard recording Archer c Hemantha b Madushanka 0 (Eng 135-9) and Jacks c Wellalage b Madushanka 21 (Eng 135-8).

Madushanka’s powerplay spell turned the game

Dilshan Madushanka bowled beautifully in the powerplay for Sri Lanka and was on for the penultimate over of the innings. Commentators noted his impact: Dilshan Madushanka sends Will Jacks packing! and Having hit two boundaries already in the over, Jacks goes after a wider full toss this time but doesn't get proper connection.

Key moments: catches and missed chances

Two catches summed up the damage. It looked out from the moment it came off Jofra Archer's bat. There was a full length dive but it was the sort of catch you expect to take. He offers as easy a catch as any to Dushan Hemantha at mid-off. Jorfa Archer doesn't trouble the scorers. Dunith Wellalage makes ground before settling to take a good catch, and England at risk of getting bundled out here.

Salt the lone bright spot for England

Salt (62 off 40 balls) carried England's scoring while Will Jacks brought up a much-needed boundary through the covers at one point. Despite those efforts, the batting card shows how isolated those contributions were: Buttler, Bethell & Banton out for single-figure scores left Salt as the sole significant innings.

Broadcast notes and reaction from the commentary box

Listen to Radio 5 Live Sport commentary at top of page. Daniel Norcross, Test Match Special commentator on Radio 5 Sports Extra, reacted strongly on air: "I don't know what's happening. I think we're being gaslit by the England team who said they wanted to play with fearless intent!"

The fixture is listed under the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 banner in the live coverage header. It is unclear in the provided context what is next on the schedule.