England Clinical all-round performance to defeat Sri Lanka Defeated by 51 runs in Super 8 Group 2 match ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 At Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. After scoring 146/9 in 20 overs, England’s bowlers bowled out Sri Lanka for just 95 runs in 16.4 overs to register a spectacular win. will jacks Was named Player of the Match for his impressive contribution with both bat and ball.
Phil Salt takes charge of England’s innings amid regular setbacks
England, who came to bat first after Sri Lanka won the toss, had a slow but cautious start. Phil Salt Standing at the top of the order, he played a composed innings of 62 runs in 40 balls, hitting six fours and two sixes. While Salt showed fluency, wickets kept falling at the other end.
jos buttler Could score only seven runs while struggling for rhythm jacob bethel And tom banton Failed to convert his start. harry brook A quickfire 14 off seven balls provided some momentum, but Sri Lanka’s disciplined bowling ensured England were never in trouble.
Jack added 21 runs from 14 balls, hitting four brilliant fours, while making late contributions Sam Curran And jamie overton Pushing England to 146/9 at the end of the innings.
Sri Lankan bowlers held the position throughout. Dunith Village Was particularly impressive, taking three wickets for 26 runs in his four overs. Mahesh Theekshana Took two wickets for just 21 runs and Dilshan Madushanka Also struck twice to keep England under pressure.
See also: T20 World Cup 2026 – Dasun Shanaka’s bullet throw removes Tom Banton in SL vs ENG Super 8 showdown
Will Jacques will destroy Sri Lanka’s target
Chasing 147 runs, Sri Lanka never found stability in their innings. Early successes from jofra archer And Liam Dawson The top order got a shock. Pathum Nissanka And Kusal Mendis Failed to build momentum, and Sri Lanka ran into trouble inside the powerplay.
Dasun Shanaka Tried to counter-attack by scoring 30 runs in 24 balls including two sixes. Kamindu Mendis Scored 13 runs. However, routine wickets halted any hopes of a comeback.
Jacques changed the game decisively with the ball, taking three wickets for 22 runs in his four overs. His magic destroyed Sri Lanka’s middle order at a crucial juncture. adil rashid Was equally effective, taking two wickets for only 13 runs in 3.4 overs, while Dawson and Archer took two wickets each. Sri Lanka were eventually bowled out for 95 in 16.4 overs, giving England a massive 51-run win.
Here’s how fans reacted
🎯🔥Will Jacques will turn the game around like England! 💥 Match-changing magic with the ball earns him the Player of the Match award 🏆👏 Amazing performance when it matters most! motiv🏏#T20WorldCup2026 #ENGvsSL #viljax pic.twitter.com/8VnWW4VHR0
– CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) 22 February 2026
England have had bad wins so far in this World Cup. A bunch of their big guns are misfiring. Guys like Will Jacques, Sam Curran and Liam Dawson are getting them out of trouble. The question is whether they will be successful in the next few matches.
– Melinda Farrell (@melindafarrell) 22 February 2026
Will Jacques has already won three Player of the Match awards in this T20 World Cup. Man is playing a memorable tournament. pic.twitter.com/bzDfnihg0v
– Ratneesh (@LoyalSachinFan) 22 February 2026
Will Jacques wins his third Potam Award for the 2026 T20 World Cup 🏏 #SLvsENG #T20WorldCup2026 #ENGvsSL pic.twitter.com/JuBcQrK9gG
– ViratKoisa (@ViratKoisaAxom) 22 February 2026
Will Jax has a day to remember in Kandy! 👑
🇱🇰8️⃣2️⃣-8️⃣#T20WorldCup
– England’s Barmy Army 🏴Ԡ emotional 22 February 2026
Saved with the bat against Nepal
Saved the bat against Italy.
The ball helped him in his comeback against Sri LankaWill Jacques is a troublemaker for England in this T20 World Cuppic.twitter.com/rzHKit2rJQ
– peterparker🐉 (@helioseid) 22 February 2026
Will Jacks has been a revelation for this English team in the T20 World Cup 2026. He hasn’t put a foot wrong so far and has almost single-handedly carried this struggling team forward.
He scored important runs when the team looked weak, he took wickets when no one was giving him a real chance. he is… pic.twitter.com/Er8Hafhbyc
-Akshat (@akshatgoal1408) 22 February 2026
Will Jacques is saving England most of the time.
– Silly Point (@FarziCricketer) 22 February 2026
When did Will Jack turn into Fife?
-Andrew Moon (@mrandrewmoon) 22 February 2026
will jacks mvp
— | +LY10+ | (@MagicalWrists) 22 February 2026