England finished Sri Lanka 3-0 to return to the top of the T20I rankings
Brief scores: England 126/2 (Buttler 62*) beat Sri Lanka 124 (Nissanka 36, Mendis 35; Baker 2/17, Archer 2/23, Jacks 2/31) by eight wickets
England wrapped up the T20I series 3-0 in Sri Lanka at Old Trafford on Saturday with another completely one-sided performance as they raced to 125 in just 9.4 overs to return to the top of the ICC T20I rankings.
Sri Lanka never got enough runs after being bowled out for 124. England’s bowlers kept the pressure on throughout the innings and when Jos Buttler and Harry Brook got going, the chase was little more than a formality.
Buttler finished unbeaten on 62 off 32 balls and got England over the line with 6 over square leg. Brook made 33 before being run out, but not before the pair put together an 85-run stand from just 39 balls.
England were already 82 for 1 at the end of the over and passed 100 in the eighth over. With the required rate barely a factor, Buttler was able to finish the job in style.
The replacement of the England captain was another reminder of his importance to the side. Buttler brought up 15,000 T20 runs in the second match of the series and carried that form into the final, regularly finding boundaries as England shortened the chase.
Sri Lanka’s batting offered little resistance earlier in the evening. Pathum Nissanka provided the only real spark at the top of the order, scoring 36 off 24 balls, while Kamindu Mendis fought his way to 35 off 28.
However, once the two were separated, the shift lost its shape. England kept picking up wickets and Sri Lanka struggled to put together any meaningful partnerships.
Sonny Baker continued his encouraging run with the ball to finish with 2/17. Jofra Archer also claimed 2/23 after recovering from an expensive start, while Will Jacks took 2/31.
Jamie Overton was particularly economical, conceding just 15 runs from his four overs and taking a wicket. England also produced some sharp work in the field, with Liam Dawson’s direct strike providing one of the highlights.
Sri Lanka’s decision-making with the bat did not help their cause. Despite a strong breeze across the ground, they were unable to use the shorter side consistently and kept losing wickets while threatening to build momentum.
Their 124 is unlikely to ever trouble an England batting line-up that has remained formidable even without the injured Phil Salt and Jacob Bethell.
The win was England’s 23rd in the last 26 completed T20Is since Harry Brook took over as captain in 2024. More importantly, it moved back to the No. 1 position in the ICC T20I rankings, with India slipping from the top spot.
For Sri Lanka, the defeat extended a miserable run against England. They have now lost 15 consecutive T20Is against them.
England will now switch formats, with a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka starting in Durham on Tuesday. The series will be the next step in their preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
– The end
Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
19 Sep 2026 23:02 IST