Jos Buttler scored an unbeaten 62 off 32 balls to lead England to an 8 wicket victory over Sri Lanka at Old Trafford in Manchester on 19 September 2026. The win secured a 3-0 T20I series sweep for England and restored the team to the No. 1 spot in the ICC T20I world rankings above India. England chased Sri Lanka’s total of 124 in just 9.4 overs, reaching 126-2 with 62 balls to spare. The result marked England’s 15th consecutive T20I victory against Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka Batting Collapse at Old Trafford
Sri Lanka lost all ten wickets for 124 runs in 18.5 overs. Opener Pathum Nissanka scored 36 runs off 24 balls. Middle-order batter Kamindu Mendis also scored 35 runs off 28 balls. Captain Charith Asalanka added 16 runs, Dasun Shanaka made 12 runs, and Lahiru Udara scored 10 runs. Sri Lanka collected 15 runs from the second over, which proved their highest-scoring over of the match.
Sri Lanka hit seven sixes during their innings, but the batters failed to sustain momentum between big hits. Only three overs containing sixes yielded ten or more runs. Furthermore, Sri Lanka lost a wicket shortly after clearing the boundary on two occasions. Sri Lanka’s final total of 124 represented the lowest first-innings T20I score at Old Trafford since 2018.
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England’s Dominating Bowling Performance
England’s fast bowler Sonny Baker earned the Player of the Match award after taking two wickets for 17 runs. Jofra Archer claimed two wickets for 23 runs, and off-spinner Will Jacks took two wickets for 31 runs.
Seamer Jamie Overton conceded just 15 runs while taking one wicket. Left-arm spinner Liam Dawson took one wicket for 17 runs and produced a direct-hit run-out during an impressive fielding effort. Leg-spinner Adil Rashid went wicketless while conceding 21 runs from his two overs.
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Buttler and Brook Aggressive Run Chase
England started their chase of 125-runs with opener Aneurin Donald, who scored 13 runs before off-spinner Tharindu Rathnayake dismissed him. Jos Buttler scored an unbeaten 62 from 32 balls. Likewise, captain Harry Brook scored 33 runs.
Buttler’s match-winning half-century followed another historic milestone earlier in the week. On Thursday, Buttler became the first batter in cricket history to pass 15,000 career runs in T20 cricket.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers conceded nine wide balls, including two that passed the wicketkeeper and reached the boundary for four extra runs. Rathnayake finished as Sri Lanka’s sole wicket-taker with figures of 1-33. England reached 126-2 in 9.4 overs to complete this victory.
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England Reclaim Top Ranking and Extend Record
The win returned England to the No. 1 spot in the ICC T20I world rankings, displacing India from the top position. Under the leadership of Harry Brook, England have won 23 of their last 26 completed T20Is. The result also extended Sri Lanka’s losing streak against England to 15 consecutive T20I matches.
England set the tone for the 3-0 sweep in the series opener at Southampton, where they defeated Sri Lanka by 119 runs behind an unbeaten 114 from Brook. Brook finished the three-match series as the top run-scorer and received the Player of the Series award.
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