The last time England played a T20I, Harry Brook and Jos Buttler shared a 233-run partnership, powering the hosts to 257 against India in Southampton. Their partnership on Tuesday was worth 128, but England’s captain and his predecessor repeated the dose against Sri Lanka to set up a total of 254 at the same venue. Their bowlers then clinically dismantled the Sri Lankan batting lineup to complete a 119-run win, putting the hosts 1-0 up in the three-match series.
Brook produced the headline act with his second T20I hundred, his unbeaten 114 coming off just 49 balls while Buttler slammed a 44-ball 80 as the duo rendered Sri Lanka’s bowlers clueless. England lost the toss, but that was just about all they got wrong as they activated sixth gear from the outset. Debutant Aneurin Donald showed what the hype around him was all about in the very first over, taking a six and a four off Maheesh Theekshana before Buttler hit Dushmantha Chameera for four successive boundaries. Donald couldn’t convert his start, but the real carnage began once Brook entered the arena.
Of the 90 runs that England pillaged in the Powerplay, 30 came in the fifth over bowled by Dunith Wellalage. Brook was front and centre of the onslaught, reeling three sixes and as many fours off it, before Eshan Malinga speared a few wides too many in an 18-run sixth over. Buttler was given a lifeline on 45, which he soon converted to a fifty and just as Sri Lanka enjoyed a 12-ball phase without conceding a boundary, he clobbered two boundaries off Chameera as England got to 134 at the halfway point.
The runs kept coming before the partnership was broken by Wanindu Hasaranga, who had Buttler holing out to sweeper cover. But there was no stopping Brook, who had earlier got to a 20-ball half-century. He was particularly severe on Wellalage, before tearing into Dasun Shanaka too, eventually bringing up his hundred off 42 balls. Will Jacks chipped in with two sixes in his cameo but fell off the final ball of the innings in an anticlimactic finish as Malinga bowled a seven-run last over. The damage was long done though as Brook fittingly walked off unbeaten.
Sri Lanka’s already daunting asking rate spiked further after managing just six runs off the first two overs, with Sonny Baker’s pace proving too hot to handle. Pathum Nissanka broke free with a six, but perished in the fourth over as Jacks induced a mishit. Jacks was also guilty of shelling a chance though, putting Kamil Mishara down at short third man. But a dual-strike from Baker in the final Powerplay over ripped the wheels off the chase – he first cleaned Mishara up with sheer pace, before Lahiru Udara scooped a length ball to short fine leg. Captain Charith Asalanka failed to make a mark on his comeback T20I and while Shanaka struck consecutive sixes off Adil Rashid, he nicked behind off the very next ball to leave the visitors in deep trouble.
It was a procession thereafter, even as Wellalage delayed the inevitable with a 33-run blitz. Jamie Overton struck twice, first deceiving Hasaranga with a slower one before accounting for Wellalage, while Baker bowled Theekshana with a fiery 148-kph delivery to finish with impressive returns of 3/12. Malinga struck a six and a four, but Chameera was bowled by Liam Dawson with the curtains coming down on Sri Lanka’s innings at the end of the 19th over.
Brief Scores: England 254/4 in 20 overs (Harry Brook 114*, Jos Buttler 80, Will Jacks 21; Wanindu Hasaranga 1-34) beat Sri Lanka 135 all out in 19 overs (Dunith Wellalage 33; Sonny Baker 3-12, Jamie Overton 2-20, Liam Dawson 2-23) by 119 runs.
