England extended their extraordinary hex over Sri Lanka to a 14th game, with the tourists looking as out of their depth as the balls that were repeatedly deposited into the River Taff as their opponents cantered to an increasingly and deliciously customary victory. More than a dozen years have passed since Sri Lanka, crowned world champions in the format a month earlier, beat England by nine runs at the Oval. They have lost every meeting since and with this one also another series, and while much about this game contrasted with Tuesday’s first encounter in Southampton – starting with England winning the toss and choosing to chase – the outcome did not.
This emphatic home win was sealed in the end in slapdash style: no-ball, wide, single, wide, single, muted celebration. Ryan van Niekerk, the Sri Lanka bowling coach, estimated a par score on this pitch at 200; England’s target was just 146, and they got there with 47 balls remaining to win by six wickets. Not that Sri Lanka are alone in finding this side too hot to handle, with this England’s 19th win in 21.
It was the six-hitting that most obviously illustrated the disparity in batting quality and power between the sides. Only two Sri Lankans managed to clear the boundary, and none more than once. Tom Banton doubled their collective tally on his own on his way to his fifth and fastest 50 in T20s; Harry Brook managed three sixes, and he only faced eight balls.
We’ve got some freaks in our team.” For Charith Asalanka, the Sri Lanka captain, this was another chastening encounter. After five overs Lahiru Udara, bumped up a spot to open, and Pathum Nissanka had scored 55. The team managed 90 for nine off the remaining 15.
It was Dawson who initially derailed them. Udara, having scored 21 off 20, drove high to mid-on, where any fielder but the 6ft 5in Jamie Overton would have clawed at thin air but this one nonchalantly plucked it out of the sky. Kamil Mishara promptly miscued his first ball back to the bowler.
Sri Lanka attempted to rebuild but instead they crumbled. The last four overs of their innings were simply dismal: they scored only 12, for the loss of four wickets. Sonny Baker bowled two of those, his last a wicket maiden, to continue his fine form from the series opener.
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