Hara-kiri at Pallekele! Sri Lanka batters surrender meekly after Phil Salt’s sublime 62; England win by 51 runs

Sri Lankan fans packed the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in full voice as England’s batters obligingly threw their wickets away. The noise, however, didn’t last long. What followed was an even more miserable spectacle from the home side, a collapse so poor that it briefly resembled a contest to produce the ugliest dismissal of the night.

After opting to bat first, England were still pinned down by a Sri Lankan bowling performance that, for all its discipline and variety, deserved far more than what was to come later. Despite recent injury concerns, it was close to a textbook T20 effort: left-arm pace from Dilshan Madushanka, loopy left-arm spin from Dunith Wellalage, mystery spin from Maheesh Theekshana, and raw, hostile pace from Dushmantha Chameera, who nailed his yorkers and exploited the around-the-wicket angle.

England scraped to 146 for 9, a total that felt at least 20 runs short on a slow, two-paced surface.

Then came the implosion. Sri Lanka’s chase unravelled almost instantly, wickets tumbling with numbing predictability. Shot selection was reckless, execution worse. After losing to Zimbabwe in their final group match, this crushing 51-run defeat in their opening game against England may not just damage their campaign; it could well bring an end to their semifinal hopes.

England’s innings was a study in contrast: the composure and clarity of Phil Salt set against a broader batting effort that unravelled once Sri Lanka’s spinners tightened the screws. On a surface offering just enough grip, with the outfield slowed by damp patches, England never truly escaped the chokehold, despite Salt’s fluent 62 off 40 balls while battling cramps in the humidity.

For Sri Lanka, the tone was set early by Madushanka, who found a hint of swing with the new ball.

He kept Salt and Jos Buttler quiet, conceding only four runs in his opening over and repeatedly probing the fourth-stump line. Buttler, under constant examination, struggled to settle. When Sri Lanka introduced Wellalage as early as the second over, the intent was clear: attack England with spin from the outset.

Salt momentarily broke the shackles, leaning back to loft Wellalage over extra cover for the first six of the innings, but the pressure rarely relented.

Madushanka continued to tease Buttler with full lengths and subtle changes of pace, conceding just three runs in a miserly over. The contest ended abruptly when Wellalage trapped Buttler in front, the England skipper departing for a scratchy 7 off 14.

Sri Lanka sensed an opening and doubled down with aggressive fields. Jacob Bethell walked into a leg slip and perished soon after, miscuing a slog to give Madushanka a sharp catch.

At the end of the powerplay, England were 37 for 2.

Spin dominated the middle phase. Wellalage and Theekshana bowled with control and imagination, varying pace and trajectory to force errors. The duo conceded 47 runs and shared five wickets. Harry Brook fell to drift and dip from Wellalage, while a needless run-out accounted for Tom Banton. At halfway, England were 68 for 4.

Salt kept England afloat, reaching a well-judged fifty off 36 balls.

A couple of clean strikes off Chameera lifted the tempo and brought up England’s 100, but support remained fleeting. Salt’s resistance ended when he failed to clear long-off against Wellalage, departing for a high-quality 62. Theekshana wrapped up the lower order, while Wellalage completed a three-wicket haul.

Sri Lanka’s chase unravelled in a blur as England ripped through the batting with a ruthless new-ball burst and a remarkable spell of part-time spin from Will Jacks.

Jofra Archer set the tone, testing Pathum Nissanka with sharp short balls. Nissanka briefly counterpunched before Archer induced a mistimed pull, safely taken by Jamie Overton.

England then went bang-bang. Kusal Mendis chipped one straight back to Will Jacks, before Pathan Rathnayake charged first ball and skied one to Tom Banton. Archer removed Kamil Mishara with a thick edge, Overton taking a sharp catch at fly slip.

Jacks struck twice more as Wellalage picked out Brook and Kamindu Mendis chipped Dawson straight down the ground. Chaos followed when Dushan Hemantha dragged a pull shot onto his own stumps. Sri Lanka’s last hope, Dasun Shanaka, fell after a fine relay catch by Jacks and Banton. Shanaka top-scored with 30 off 24 balls.

Sri Lanka were bowled out for 95 runs in 16.4 overs. For England, Jacks (3/22), Liam Dawson (2/27), Archer (2/20) and Adil Rashid (2/13) were the standout bowlers.