Sports18 September, 20262 min read
England Beat Sri Lanka By Six Wickets In Cardiff To Clinch T20 Series 2-0
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
England chased 146-4 in 12.1 overs to win by six wickets, sealing series 2-0 Banton's unbeaten 52 anchored England's chase of 146
6 outlets told this the same way.
England seal T20 series
In Cardiff, Wales, England beat Sri Lanka by six wickets in the second Twenty20 International match to clinch the T20 series with a match to spare. Reuters said Jos Buttler became the first batsman to score 15,000 career T20 runs as Liam Dawson took a three-wicket haul in England’s 2-0 series win. England chased down a target of 146 after winning the toss and opting to bowl at Sophia Gardens, reaching it with 7.5 overs to spare.
The BBC’s scorecard showed Sri Lanka made 145-9 in 20 overs, with Nissanka top-scoring on 37, before England reached 146-4 in 12.1 overs. England’s Tom Banton then anchored the chase with an unbeaten 52 from 24 balls as the hosts secured their 14th consecutive win in T20 matches against Sri Lanka.
Quotes and match turning points
After the chase, Brook said, "Tonight was a special performance, very clinical," and added, "Sri Lanka got off to a flier but the way we fought back with the ball was outstanding."
Reuters also quoted Brook on Dawson, saying, "The way Dawson reads the game was outstanding, too."
The BBC described how Sri Lanka’s momentum was checked when Liam Dawson took two wickets in the final over of the powerplay, with the tourists reaching 55-0 from their first five overs before losing momentum.
In the same Cardiff match, the BBC said England’s chase began with Jos Buttler and Aneurin Donald racing to an opening stand of 51 in 4.3 overs before both fell in the space of four balls for 30 and 21 respectively.
Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka said, "They were too good. We have to improve a lot, honestly, because we are not up to the mark right now," as England completed the series win with a match to spare.
Old Trafford and series outlook
With the series already secured, the final T20 of the three-match series is at Manchester’s Old Trafford on Saturday, after England’s 14th consecutive T20 win over Sri Lanka. The BBC said the series concludes at Old Trafford on Saturday and is followed by three one-day internationals, while Reuters set the context that England had already won Tuesday’s first T20 in Southampton by 119 runs. In the Cardiff match, the BBC noted that captain Harry Brook needed to score 49 to break Tilak Varma’s record of 336 T20 international runs without being dismissed, and it said he was caught by a diving Eshan Malinga.
“The final T20 of the three-match series is at Manchester's Old Trafford on Saturday.”
England’s dominance was also framed statistically in the BBC report, which said Brendon McCullum’s side have now won 22 of their past 25 completed T20s since the start of last summer, a win percentage of 88%. For Sri Lanka, the BBC highlighted frustration from the innings as their openers reached 55-0 from the first five overs before Dawson took two wickets in the final over of the powerplay and the middle order failed to recover.