Two-time champions England will start their Super 8s campaign in the T20 World Cup 2026 against co-hosts Sri Lanka at the Pallekele International Stadium on Sunday.
Both teams are in Group B with 2009 champions Pakistan and New Zealand.
Only the top two teams from the group will move on to the semi-finals.
This will be the 18th T20I meeting between England and Sri Lanka. England have the upper hand, winning 13 of the previous 17 matches, while Sri Lanka have won just four.
England have also been stronger in T20 World Cups, winning five of the six matches against Sri Lanka. The Lankans haven’t beaten England in a World Cup match since 2012, and they will hope to end that 14-year wait on Sunday.
England recently toured Sri Lanka for a white-ball series, which included three ODIs and three T20Is. England won the ODI series 2–1 and swept the T20I series 3–0, giving them a big confidence boost ahead of the World Cup clash.
The weather at Pallekele for the match day is expected to be warm, with temperatures around 29°C. There may be some cloud cover and a chance of light rain, so conditions could be a bit humid and possibly slightly wet.
Players and fans should be prepared for changing weather, but overall, it looks like a good day for cricket with no heavy rain expected.
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Total matches: 17
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England wins: 13
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Sri Lanka wins:4
England: Harry Brook (c), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid,Phil Salt, Josh Tongue Luke Wood
Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka(c), Charith Asalanka, Dushmantha Chameera, Dushan Hemantha, Dilshan Madushanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Perera, Janith Liyanage, Pathum Nissanka, Pramod Madushan, Pavan Rathnayake, Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage
Get the latest ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 updates, including the full schedule, teams, live scores, points table, and key series stats such as top run-scorers and wicket-takers.
