Carnage at Southampton as England crush Sri Lanka

• First T20 International

SOUTHAMPTON: England fresh from a 4-0 drubbing of India started the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka in emphatic fashion with a crushing 119-run win at the Rose Bowl here on Tuesday to go 1-0 up. It was England’s 13th consecutive win against Sri Lanka in T20Is.  

The last time England played a T20I at this venue, Harry Brook and Jos Buttler shared a 233-run partnership, powering the hosts to 257 against India. Their partnership on Tuesday was worth 128 off 60 balls as the England’s Captain and his predecessor repeated the dose against Sri Lanka to set up a total of 254-4. England’s bowlers then clinically dismantled the Sri Lankan batting lineup for 135 to complete a comprehensive win.

Brook produced the headline act with his second T20I hundred, his unbeaten 114 coming off just 49 balls (10 fours, 6 sixes) while Buttler slammed a 44-ball 80 (8 fours, 3 sixes) 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.

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. England got to 134 at the halfway point.

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.

Sri Lanka, facing a daunting task, managed 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 Sri Lanka in deep trouble.

Wellalage delayed the inevitable with a 33-run blitz off 21 balls (4 fours, 2 sixes), but Jamie Overton struck twice, and Baker bowled Maheesh Theekshana with a fiery 148-kph delivery to finish with impressive returns of 3/12 as Sri Lanka’s innings ended at the end of the 19th over.

“It was a tough day out here for us because credit goes to, first of all, Harry Brook and Jos Buttler for their exceptional innings, and at the same time, I think we missed our plans and execution. England have been playing really good cricket recently, so all three departments must be spot on,” said skipper Asalanka. The second T20I takes place at Cardiff today.

Scores: 

England 254-4 (20) (Jos Buttler 80, Harry Brook 114*, Will Jacks 21; Wanindu Hasaranga 1/34) defeated Sri Lanka 135 (19) (Dasun Shanaka 24, Dunith Wellalage 33; Sonny Baker 3/12, Jamie Overton 2/20, Liam Dawson 2/23)