Buttler injury and Mendis century give Sri Lanka 16-run win to level ODI series

Sri Lanka beat England by 16 runs at Headingley on 24 September 2026 to level the second one-day international of the series. The victory combined Kusal Mendis’s 121 from 100 balls with a hamstring injury to England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler during a chase of 322.

A fast outfield and a true batting surface made this match markedly different from the opener 48 hours earlier, and England had appeared on course after a 143-run opening stand between Ben Duckett and Tom Banton. England reached 203 for four in the 29th over before Buttler’s aggressive response and a late collapse left them 305 for nine. The game will now be decided at the Oval on Sunday.

Kusal Mendis’s innings included 14 fours and three sixes and was described in the report as his first international century on English soil; he finished on 121. A top-edge on 17 presented a dropped chance when Gus Atkinson misjudged the ball, and Mendis later successfully reviewed a phantom nick behind on 99.

Sri Lanka’s middle order contributions and Kamindu Mendis’s 54 helped build a platform, with Atkinson eventually removing Kamindu Mendis to break a 137-run second-wicket stand. Dunith Wellalage’s left-arm spin then triggered a collapse of three for 14 in 23 balls that shifted momentum back toward Sri Lanka.

England’s chase featured strong starts from Duckett (67) and Banton (73), but Banton was stumped attempting a fourth six and Joe Root was out for 15 to Sachindu Colombage. Buttler had been on 66 and pulled up with a hamstring problem when the equation was 68 to win off 75 balls; he returned when 27 were needed off 14 but was unable to complete singles and perished in the final over.

Among the bowlers, Wellalage finished with three wickets and was praised for his death bowling, while Rehan Ahmed took two for 48 from eight overs and Atkinson was the pick of the England bowlers with two for 55 from his 10 overs. The pacemen Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue conceded runs, and Jamie Overton saw two chances go down off his bowling during Sri Lanka’s innings.

The stands at Headingley were half-full for much of the day, though the report noted Sri Lankan supporters were prominent in the crowd and that they had outnumbered Pakistan fans during recent Tests. The match was played on a surface and outfield that encouraged high scoring compared with the first ODI.

"It is always disappointing when you lose," said Harry Brook, having seen England stumble to 305 for nine. "I thought Sri Lanka played exceptionally well, especially the last 10-15 overs. They were electric in the field. They nailed every ball. "Jos being the player he is, getting injured at that moment isn’t ideal. You can’t dwell on that too much. I don’t think he ever had any doubt in his mind. It was a matter of when we were going to send him out really. "Tight games are always good games to watch and good games to be a part of. Having the opportunity to play in a decider will only benefit us."

The series now heads to a deciding match at the Oval on Sunday, a fixture Buttler will miss, with Sri Lanka arriving buoyant after their win.