Sri Lanka yet again failed miserably at the hands of England losing by 51 runs in their opening Super 8 game of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup game in Pallekele yesterday (22) thus making it the 12th loss in a row against the inventors of the game. Their total of a paltry 95 hit a record for the lowest team total in the tournament.
Sri Lanka’s last win against England in T20’s came in 2014. Their last win in a T20 World Cup was in 2012.
Two changes were made for yesterday's clash: Dushmantha Chameera and Kamil Mishara came into the side in place of Pramod Madushan and Kusal Janith Perera. It was also a special day for skipper Dasun Shanaka as he capped his 125th T20 international. A special presentation was made in the middle as head coach Sanath Jayasuriya handed over the milestone jersey.
Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bowl first at Pallekele and the co-hosts were over the moon when they restricted the visitors for 146 not knowing what was to come. Opener Phil Salt stole the limelight with a magnificent 62 off 40 balls to take his team to a respectable total. England lost 3 wickets before reaching 50. Dunith Wellalage bagged 3 wickets whilst MaheeshTheekshana who failed in the last encounter had a strong comeback to scalp two along with Dilshan Madushanka.
Chasing a modest target of 147, Sri Lankan batting attack and the home fans got the shock of their lives as the English bowling department completely demolished the hosts. Pathum Nissanka, the island nation's biggest hope, was the first victim with the scoreboard reading 15/1. Then the Lankan batters fell like a pack of cards which orchestrated the now infamously known ‘Perahera of falling wickets’. The fans were treated to a miserable performance with the opening five wickets falling for just 34 runs. Dushan Hemantha faced a rare phenomenon in cricket, a hit wicket which sent him back to the pavilion.
Skipper Dasun Shanaka was the only player to get a decent score of 30. All hope was lost when he was dismissed when Lanka were at 82/8. Man of the Match England's Will Jacks ran riot with the ball as he rattled the Sri Lankan batting attack. Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson were also phenomenal with their bowling which totally dismantled their opponents.
Brief scores
England 146 for 9 (Salt 62, Wellalage 3-26) beat Sri Lanka 95 (Shanaka 30, Jacks 3-22) by 51 runs
Here are some interesting facts on yesterday's SL-ENG game,
'Hit wickets' in T20 World Cups:
David Obuya (Kenya) - 2007
Nasum Ahmed (Bangladesh) - 2021
Hardik Pandya (India) - 2022
Zane Green (Namibia) - 2026
Muhammad Arfan (UAE) - 2026
Dushan Hemantha (Sri Lanka) - 2026
SL Batters to be dismissed via Hit-Wicket:
🔹 Dinesh Chandimal vs. AUS (2011)
🔹 Kusal Mendis vs. AUS (2022)
🔹 S Samarawickrama vs. AFG (2024)
🔹 Dushan Hemantha vs. ENG (2026)
Lowest Total Defended by ENG in T20I
126 vs. SL (Pallekele, 2026)
129 vs. PAK (Abu Dhabi, 2012)
142 vs. AFG (Delhi, 2016)
146 vs. SL (Pallekele, 2026)**
150 vs. PAK (Dubai, 2012)
When SL last defeated ENG in a T20I
- Ian Bell was playing T20Is
- Jason Roy hadn't played International Cricket
ENG vs. SL till 2014 (wins)
ENG 2-4 SL
Eng vs. SL since 2016 (wins)
ENG 12-0 SL