Tom Banton steers England to six-wicket win in Cardiff to seal T20I series 2-0

On 18 September 2026 England beat Sri Lanka by six wickets in Cardiff to seal the T20I series 2-0, wrapping up the contest with a game to spare. Tom Banton's decisive late innings completed the chase and secured the series victory for the hosts.

England had begun the series with a 119-run victory in Southampton and continued their dominance in Cardiff after asking Sri Lanka to bat; the visitors raced to 55 without loss inside five overs. Pathum Nissanka provided most of the early spark, scoring 37 from 21 balls in his first substantial innings since returning from wrist surgery. That promising start for Sri Lanka was curtailed as England's bowlers tightened control through the middle overs.

Liam Dawson and Jamie Overton were central to the turnaround, with Sri Lanka eventually restricted to 145 for 9. Dawson finished with 3 for 32 and Overton claimed 2 for 23, as Sri Lanka lost four wickets for just seven runs across the final three overs. Charith Asalanka's 31 and Wanindu Hasaranga's 27 offered some resistance but were insufficient to shift the momentum.

Nissanka had attacked Jofra Archer early and became the only Sri Lankan batter to consistently exploit Cardiff's shorter straight boundaries, yet his dismissal for 37 triggered the collapse. England's bowlers — led by Dawson and supported by Overton and Adil Rashid — removed key partners in the middle overs and left Sri Lanka with too little momentum at the death.

England's chase briefly stumbled when Jos Buttler and Harry Brook fell inside the Powerplay, leaving the visitors 79 for 3. Buttler reached 30 and, in the process, moved to 15,000 runs in T20 cricket, while Brook made 23 to take his tally to 311 runs across his last four T20I innings. Tom Banton then took charge with the middle order and reached his fifth T20 half-century from just 24 balls.

Banton finished unbeaten on 52 from 24 balls, ensuring England reached 146 for 4 in only 12.1 overs, with 47 balls still remaining. The victory was England's 10th in their last 12 completed T20Is at Sophia Gardens and extended their record under Harry Brook to 22 victories from 25 completed matches.

England will now look to complete a series sweep when the two sides meet in the third T20I, while Sri Lanka will have one final opportunity to avoid a 3-0 defeat.