Harry Brook’s juggernaut T20 side racked up their 22nd win out of 25, as Jos Buttler – the man he replaced as captain – broke new ground on a one-sided night in Cardiff.
Thanks to a 24-ball half-century from Tom Banton, England raced to a six-wicket thrashing of struggling Sri Lanka with nearly eight overs to spare, to take an unassailable 2-0 lead going into Saturday’s series finale at Old Trafford. It’s hard to imagine they won’t complete a whitewash.
But it was Buttler who elbowed his way into the record books, becoming the first player to reach 15,000 runs in all T20 cricket – international and domestic – and leaving West Indian Kieron Pollard marooned on 14,999.
Buttler had given England’s chase a flying start by putting on 51 inside five overs with Swansea-born Aneurin Donald, who scooped his first ball for six but fell to Eshan Malinga’s slower ball for 21 at the ground he once called home.
And after Buttler departed for a 16-ball 30, top-edging Dushmantha Chameera high into the night sky to be caught by wicketkeeper Kamil Mishara, Brook continued the momentum, mowing leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga for three leg-side sixes in four balls before he was brilliantly held at deep square leg by Malinga aiming for a fourth.
That made it 79 for three, but any hope Sri Lanka had of clawing back a series-squaring win was snuffed out by Banton, who pummelled four sixes on a night when England outmuscled their visitors, clearing the ropes ten times to Sri Lanka’s two.
Jos Buttler became the first player to hit 15,000 T20 runs as England thumped Sri Lanka again
Sonny Baker impressed with the ball and is looking the part after tough debuts previously
Their batsmen had followed where their bowlers had led, with Sonny Baker – after a difficult debut in each of three formats over the past year – finding his feet, and his rhythm. He admitted after Tuesday’s win in Southampton, where he took three for 12 from four intelligent overs, that he had ‘almost wanted to do well too badly’ during his white-ball appearances last summer against South Africa and Ireland.
The first of those, an ODI at Headingley, produced figures of none for 76 off seven overs as Aiden Markram took him to the cleaners. In the second, a T20 in Dublin, he took none for 52 because he was ‘still probably trying to clutch back my ODI debut’.
But England have stuck with him, handing him a Test debut during the chaotic defeat by New Zealand at The Oval in June, when his match figures were an expensive three for 161, and now handing him new-ball duties.
He began with a maiden on Tuesday as the Sri Lankans set about the near-impossible task of chasing down England’s 254 for four, and finished his stint here with a wicket-maiden full of clever variations, and figures of one for 15, even outbowling Jofra Archer, who collected a couple of wickets as Sri Lanka’s innings dribbled to an underwhelming conclusion. Baker’s overall analysis in the two games so far is 8-2-27-4, which feels more Test match than T20.
Jamie Overton backed up his good work, bowling four overs off the reel mid-innings to finish with two for 23, while spinner Liam Dawson found himself on a hat-trick in his first over after Lahiru Udana failed to clear Overton at mid-on and Mishara provided a tame return catch first ball.
Dawson, who finished with three for 32 and the player of the match award, said: ‘We’ve had a settled side and we’ve got matchwinners throughout. Not many teams have that destructiveness in the batting. We’ve got some freaks in the team.’
Dawson’s double strike was the start of an alarming change of fortunes for the tourists after Udana and Pathum Nissanka had begun with a stand of 56 in 5.2 overs. From the remaining 14.4, they lost nine for 89, summing up a lack of confidence that this England side are more than happy to exploit.
‘Tonight was a special performance,’ said Brook. ‘It was very clinical. They got off to a flyer, and the way we dragged it back was outstanding with the ball. As for Jos, long may it continue. He’s been phenomenal for 15 years.’
‘They were too good,’ said Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka. ‘We have to improve a lot, honestly, because we are not up to the mark right now.’
