SEP.19 (Mirror Sports) - England crushed Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the third T20I at Old Trafford to complete a 3-0 series sweep and reclaim the top spot in the men’s T20 international rankings.
England’s bowlers restricted Sri Lanka to 124 all out in 18.5 overs before the hosts raced to 126-2 in just 9.4 overs, sealing victory with 62 balls to spare.
Jamie Overton led the bowling effort with an economical spell of 1-15 from four overs, while Sonny Baker continued his impressive progress with figures of 2-17. Jofra Archer also claimed two wickets for 23 runs, while Will Jacks finished with 2-31.
Pathum Nissanka top-scored for Sri Lanka with 36 off 24 balls, while Kamindu Mendis contributed 35 off 28 deliveries. However, England’s disciplined bowling and sharp fielding kept the visitors under pressure throughout their innings.
Jos Buttler powered England’s chase with an unbeaten 62 off 32 balls, while Harry Brook added 33 from 21 deliveries. The pair shared an 85-run second-wicket partnership after Aneurin Donald fell for 13.
Brook was run out before Buttler sealed the victory in style with a six, completing a dominant win for the hosts.
The victory marked England’s 23rd win in 26 completed T20 internationals since Brook took charge in 2024. The clean sweep also saw England move ahead of India to return to No. 1 in the world rankings.
England will now turn their attention to the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, which begins in Durham on Tuesday, as they continue preparations for the 2027 Cricket World Cup in southern Africa.
Crookit Saturday, 19 September 2026 05:53 PM
3 T20s England Runs : 526 (RR 12.67) Overs : 41.5 Wickets lost : 10 Sri Lanka Runs : 404 runs (RR 6.85) Overs : 59 overs Wickets lost : 29 Right combination or wrong mindset?
Jude Saturday, 19 September 2026 06:29 PM
On you go Sunday, 20 September 2026 07:10 AM
Jude Sunday, 20 September 2026 02:25 AM
The SL players lost the focus because most of these players coming from rural areas, the big money they make will attract car dealers, real estate agents etc. makes basic financial literacy beyond their scope. Then the game get suffer because players are not focused on game of cricket.
Pol Buruwa Sunday, 20 September 2026 03:04 AM
Congratulations Boys. You have done country proud by making a record of loosing consecutively 15 times to the same country in the same format. What for the telling, boat is going sixty sixty.
Jude Sunday, 20 September 2026 04:18 AM
Most SL players are from rural areas. They lack confidence and committment.
Dasa Sunday, 20 September 2026 09:08 AM
The biggest problem with our players is that they lack mindfulness. You can observe when a batsman is in the crease not looking firm, no focusing on the ball delivery. As a result they lose their wickets even to very ordinary bowlers. Time SLC have some sessions on developing Mindfulness in them. This lack of concentration we observe on our roads where people drive, could be talking on phone device in the ear or no concentration on the road. Thus many accidents each day.
Peter Perera Sunday, 20 September 2026 04:34 AM
Continue playing Dasun an all rounder who bowls 1 over every 5 matches and scores a 50 every 50th match and we will continue to loose. His average is 20 and SR 135 and it’s shocking how he continues to play and to add insult to injury he is in the ODI squad.
R Navaratnam Sunday, 20 September 2026 01:06 PM
This is an opportunity to look at Sri Lankan cricket administration behaviour. Also find ways to eliminate Government control for the benefit of country which includes the economy.
Ylg Sunday, 20 September 2026 10:21 PM
I can imagine these village kids in England. Playing against white guys. We need whatmore like coach to give them a new mindset. No point coaching to bat. Strange! This was the conversation during our world cup winning days. Whatmore and company tirelessly worked in their minds. What has changed Now?
S P Sunday, 20 September 2026 11:22 PM
Wow! A lot of advices. Everyone has a theory. Including the cricket board. What happened to the Jaffna stadium? Under water eh!
cricket fan Tuesday, 22 September 2026 03:36 AM
In the past school cricket was dominated by cricketers from Colombo Kandy and Moratuwa who have represented the country in a big way. . In the recent past for some reason or other the majority of cricketers seem to hail from the southern parts of Sri Lanka from schools in Galle and Matara which could be the reason why Sri Lanka cricket currently has hit a new low ..
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