ENG vs SL 2026, ENG vs SL 2nd T20I Match Report, September 17, 2026

Consecutive thrashings in three days saw England take the T20I series against Sri Lanka with a game to spare. Thursday’s victory was just as one-sided as the opener at the Utilita Bowl, which they took by 119 runs; in Cardiff, Harry Brook’s side reached a lacklustre target of 146 with 47 balls to spare, with Tom Banton unbeaten on 52 off 24 for the conclusion as England took an unassailable 2-0 lead.

Brook was able to give his team their usual chasing privileges at Sophia Gardens. They punched their ticket once more for a 10th win in 12 completed T20Is at this venue. Their overall record has extended to 22 wins from 25 completed matches since Brook took over last June.

Sri Lanka’s stand-in skipper Charith Asalanka also wanted to bat second to make use of the shorter, straight boundaries, a fact Sri Lanka seemed to forget when setting a total. Their paltry 145 for 9 was baffling: barring Pathum Nissanka’s 37 from 21 and Kamindu Mendis’s 12 off 8, there was no urgency or attempt at ingenuity.

Nissanka lifted them to 55 for 0 after the first five overs, but they were held hostage for the final 15, returning 90 for 9. That included just seven runs from the final three overs, including a wicket-maiden in the 19th for Sonny Baker.

That initial burst of scoring was capped with a 17-run over off Will Jacks, who failed to hide the short, straight hit from the River Taff End. Liam Dawson then removed Lahiru Udara and Kamil Mishara in consecutive balls in the final Powerplay over.

That proved to be the end of Sri Lanka’s impetus, and this contest. Asalanka’s 31 and Wanindu Hasaranga’s 27 came in the face of an exceptionally professional middle-overs display from Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid and Dawson, who finished with 3 for 32 to earn player-of-the-match honours.

Aneurin Donald, as the hometown hero returning to his boyhood county, Glamorgan, had the crowd with him, managing to better his debut knock with 21 off 13 this time but struggled to get his timing right.

Buttler initially had no such issues, carrying over his form from the 80 struck on Tuesday. He wasted no time getting to 30, moving to 15,000 runs in all T20, reclaiming the outright lead, now one ahead of Kieron Pollard. That included taking 16 off the second over from left-arm seamer Dilshan Madushanka, brought into the XI with debutant Tharindu Rathnayake, as spinners Dunith Wellalage and Maheesh Theeskshana made way.

With Buttler removed, and Brook dismissed for the first time in four innings – his 23 today taking his aggregate in that stretch to 311 runs – there was a hint of jeopardy at 79 for 3 after seven overs. But with 69 required from the remaining 78 balls, England’s middle order could decided between themselves who was going to see it home with a score of note.

In the end, it was Banton, adding another finishing cameo to his catalogue. He ticked over a fifth half-century from 24 deliveries before a succession of no-balls and wides was followed by Jacks’s lame tuck into midwicket for an underwhelming finish.

More to follow…

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