Tom Banton stars as England beat Sri Lanka to seal T20I series 2-0

England ended the T20I series against Sri Lanka with a match to spare after winning by six wickets in Cardiff. Tom Banton’s unbeaten 52 off 24 balls completed the chase in style as England followed up a 119-run victory at Southampton with another completely one-sided result.

Sri Lanka got off to a promising start after being asked to bat, racing to 55 for no loss in five overs. However, Liam Dawson and Jamie Overton helped England split the innings in the middle overs, with Sri Lanka eventually managing just 145 for 9.

ENG vs SL, 2nd T20I: MAIN

Pathum Nissanka provided most of the early spark, scoring 37 off 21 balls in his first substantial innings since returning from wrist surgery. But once Dawson struck twice in the Powerplay final, Sri Lanka struggled to maintain momentum and lost wickets regularly.

Dawson finished with 3 for 32 while Overton took 2 for 23 as Sri Lanka lost four wickets for just seven runs in the last three overs. Charith Asalanka 31 and Wanindu Hasaranga 27 offered some resistance but England were always in control.

England’s chase looked interesting briefly when Jos Buttler and Harry Brook fell in the Powerplay to leave them 79 for 3. However, Banton took charge alongside the middle-order to reach his fifth T20 half-century from just 24 balls to complete another comfortable chase.

BANTON LEADS ANOTHER ENGLISH SPEECH

England’s top order had already made a statement at Southampton, but Cardiff belonged to Banton. The opener attacked from the start and kept the required course comfortably in check even after Buttler and Brook departed.

Buttler had earlier reached 30 and moved to 15,000 runs in T20 cricket in the process. Brook, meanwhile, made 23 to score 311 runs in his last four T20I innings and continued his remarkable run despite falling relatively cheaply by his recent standards.

Banton eventually finished unbeaten on 52 off 24 balls, adding another brisk finish to his growing collection. His innings saw England reach 146 for 4 in just 12.1 overs with 47 balls still to spare.

PROMISING START FOR SRI LANKA FAMILA

Nissanka was the bright spot in Sri Lanka’s innings and showed the aggression that made him one of their key batsmen. Early on, he attacked Jofra Archer and became the only Sri Lankan batsman to use Cardiff’s shorter straight boundaries consistently.

But his dismissal for 37 triggered another collapse, with Sri Lanka unable to find enough momentum in the final overs. Dawson’s control, Overton’s pressure and Adil Rashid’s spells in midfield left too much space for the visitors to equalise.

The result gave England their tenth win in the last 12 completed T20Is at the Sophia Gardens and extended their record under Harry Brook to 22 wins from 25 completed matches.

England will now look to complete the series sweep when the two sides meet in the third T20I, while Sri Lanka will have one last chance to avoid a 3-0 defeat.

– The end

Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

18 Sep 2026 08:38 IST