England beats Sri Lanka by 51 runs to begin Super-8 campaign with a win

Pallekele February 22. England defeated Sri Lanka by 51 runs in the T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday. Chasing a target of 147 runs set by England at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, the entire Sri Lankan team was bundled out for just 95 runs in 16.4 overs.

The Sri Lankan batsmen surrendered easily before the English bowlers, losing wickets at regular intervals. Captain Dasun Shanaka was the top scorer for the side with 30 runs, but he could not receive support from the other batsmen. As per agency report, apart from Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis contributed 13 runs, while Dunith Wellalage scored 10 runs. In the bowling department for England, Will Jacks claimed 3 wickets by conceding only 22 runs in his 4 overs. Jofra Archer and Liam Dawson took two wickets each, while Adil Rashid also picked up 2 wickets giving away just 13 runs in 3.4 overs. With this victory over Sri Lanka, England has reached the top of the second group in the Super-8 stage.

Earlier, after losing the toss and coming out to bat, England did not have a good start. Jos Buttler was out after scoring just 7 runs, while Jacob Bethell returned to the pavilion with 3 runs. Tom Banton's disappointing performance continued in this match as well, and he was run out for 6 runs. Captain Harry Brook also could not perform well with the bat and returned to the pavilion after scoring 14 runs.

Sam Curran contributed 11 runs, while Will Jacks scored 21 runs off 14 balls. However, Phil Salt held one end firmly and played a powerful innings of 62 runs off 40 balls with the help of 6 fours and 2 sixes. Riding on Salt's innings, England managed to put 146 runs on the scoreboard for the loss of 9 wickets in 20 overs. For Sri Lanka, Dunith Wellalage performed brilliantly with the ball, taking 3 wickets for just 26 runs in his 4 overs, while Dilshan Madushanka and Maheesh Theekshana took two wickets each.