Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka won the toss and opted bat first against Harry Brook’s England in match 42 of the 2026 T20 World Cup on February 22 (Sunday) at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka. While Sri Lanka made two changes bringing in Kamil Mishara and Dushmantha Chameera in places of Kusal Perera and Pramod Madushan respectively. England remained unchanged.
Sri Lanka vs England T20 World Cup 2026: Playing 11
Sri Lanka Playing 11: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Pavan Rathnayake, Dasun Shanaka (c), Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka and Dushmantha Chameera.
England Playing 11: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler(w), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook(c), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid.
Sri Lanka enters with momentum after dismantling Australia earlier in the tournament, while Harry Brook’s England is looking to hit their peak after a shaky group stage.
Sri Lanka may have vanquished Australia in Pallekele on Monday, but England have an entirely different recent history at this venue.
Sri Lanka vs England Match LIVE BLOG
Previously, In January, England played three T20Is in Pallekele where they had easily defeated Sri Lanka in all three games. It had been a low-scoring series, but the likes of Tom Banton, Phil Salt, Harry Brook and Sam Curran all have recent history of producing good innings at this venue, while Adil Rashid has been effective with the ball.
Sri Lanka vs England Match Preview: The stakes
Sri Lanka has looked formidable at home, powered by a resurgent top order and disciplined spin. However, they face a massive blow as pace sensation Matheesha Pathirana has been ruled out of the tournament with a calf strain. Left-armer Dilshan Madushanka has been called up as his replacement.
England, meanwhile, “scraped” into the Super Eights after a narrow win against Nepal and a loss to the West Indies. They’ll be leaning heavily on the blistering form of Jacob Bethell and the record-breaking strike rate of Will Jacks to silence the Pallekele crowd.
Sri Lanka vs England Pallekele Weather Forecast, T20 World Cup 2026
Rain is going to be the game-changer once again as there are huge chances of rain from 3:00 pm IST onwards at Pallekele in Kandy, where the match is scheduled. The venue has already seen a washout in the Ireland vs Zimbabwe game at the group stage.
Head-to-Head (T20Is)
In terms of head-to-head T20 clashes, England maintains an almost overwhelming advantage over the Lankan side. However, given the English player’s recent troubles in the T20 World Cup the much anticipated super 8 clash promises to be a high voltage affair.
Total Matches: 17
England Wins: 13
Sri Lanka Wins: 4
England has won the last 11 consecutive T20Is against the Lankans.
SL vs ENG Pitch Report, T20 World Cup 2026
Pallekele is known for being batting-friendly with good pace and bounce, though the overcast conditions predicted for Sunday might offer some early assistance to the likes of Jofra Archer and Dushmantha Chameera.
The battle between Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka and England’s Jofra Archer will be a must-watch for all cricket fans. Nissanka is the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer, but Archer’s raw pace on a bouncy Pallekele track will be his toughest test yet.