The Sri Lankan team delivered an impressive bowling performance which restricted England to a small score during their third T20I match at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in the England tour of Sri Lanka 2026. Dushmantha Chameera achieved his T20I career best performance by taking 5 wickets while allowing only 24 runs to score against him.
England captain Harry Brook chose to bat after winning the toss for the third consecutive match. The choice brought disastrous results because Sri Lanka bowlers used the weather conditions to their advantage and they never let England find their rhythm.
Chameera Runs Through England Batting
Dushmantha Chameera led Sri Lanka’s bowling attack with fast bowling and precise throws and complete control of his deliveries. He achieved an early breakthrough during the powerplay and returned later to dismiss batters in the final order. The right-arm pacer achieved his T20I cricket best performance by taking 5 wickets while giving away 24 runs in 4 overs.
Chameera ended England’s batting strength by removing Ben Duckett, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, and Jamie Overton from the match. The English batters struggled throughout the innings because he hit the hard length and created bounce which made it difficult for them to make contact.
Matheesha Pathirana took two wickets while Maheesh Theekshana removed Jos Buttler by using his effective off-spin bowling. England lost four wickets within the powerplay period which created permanent damage to their batting lineup.
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England Struggle After Early Collapse
English batting faced difficulties because they failed to establish a rhythm after their initial batting problems. Jos Buttler appeared to control his brief time at the crease when he scored 25 runs from 21 balls but his exit from the game caused further scoring problems for England. Captain Harry Brook lost his wicket for a low score while Ben Duckett received a golden duck dismissal.
Sam Curran represented England’s sole successful player who achieved 58 runs from 48 balls in his performance. He tried to rebuild the innings with attacking shots but he needed help from the other end. Liam Dawson scored 14 runs while the other batters failed to contribute anything meaningful.
England finished on 128 for 9 in their 20 overs, a total well below par on a decent batting surface. The bowlers from Sri Lanka maintained their discipline while they restricted the batters from scoring easy runs. The onus is now on the Lankan batters to chase the target and save the pride by ending the series with a win.
