England Vs Sri Lanka: England complete 51-run win in ICC T20 World Cup 2026
In a decisive showing in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, england vs sri lanka ended with England winning by 51 runs after restricting Sri Lanka to 95. The match combined a standout Salt innings, an incisive bowling display and a dramatic top-order collapse from Sri Lanka.
by Mike Peter, Adwaidh Rajan & Pollie Starkie
England Vs Sri Lanka: match report and scoreline
England posted 146 and then bowled Sri Lanka out for 95 to complete a 51-run victory. Phil Salt was the main batting contributor for England with 62 off 40 balls and was the only England batter to pass 21. Jos Buttler, Bethell and Banton all fell for single-figure scores.
Bowling performance: Jacks, Archer, Dawson and Rashid
Bowling shaped the game for England. Jacks finished with figures of 3-22, which included taking two wickets in two balls. There were also two wickets apiece for Archer, Dawson and Rashid. Rashid finished the job by bowling Madushanka to make Sri Lanka all out for 95.
Sri Lanka batting collapse and key moments
Sri Lanka’s innings was defined by a severe top-order failure: the top four were dismissed for single figures. Dushan Hemantha’s hit-wicket dismissal was a particularly notable moment that summed up Sri Lanka’s evening. Only Dasun Shanaka reached double figures beyond the low scores of the rest of the top four; Shanaka finished with 30, the only Sri Lankan score higher than 13.
Captain reactions: Harry Brook and Dasun Shanaka
England captain Harry Brook described the win as a “beautiful birthday present, ” saying the team adapted well to a slow pitch that was hard to time. He noted the spinners made use of the surface and praised the dressing-room discussion and adaptation before play. Brook singled out Phil Salt’s innings as exceptional while saying there was no concern over Jos Buttler’s form, calling Buttler a longstanding white-ball powerhouse who was temporarily short on confidence and likely to finish the competition strongly.
Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka called the result very disappointing but highlighted positives from the bowling, saying his attack had kept England to a score 20 runs less than par and that he had expected better from his batters. On the collapse he pointed to a combination of factors: the slow, settling pitch, poor batting and good bowling from the opposition, plus rash shots at critical intervals. Shanaka also outlined a World Cup strategy that has relied on five main bowlers, describing it as a useful option to restrict opponents to lower scores. He warned that one bad game is unaffordable in the tournament and said the team must bounce back, noting confidence in the top order given recent form.
Further reading and what’s next
A separate report by Matthew Henry examines how England pulled off the 51-run victory despite scoring only 146. Coverage will continue with India v South Africa in Ahmedabad, previewed as a high-profile contest between two tournament favourites.
Note: match detail timings and additional context were unclear in the provided context.
