Sri Lanka is hosting England for a three-match T20 series ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup. This is the final preparation for the co-hosts and the Three Lions just before the marquee event.
England defeated Sri Lanka
England won the second T20 match on Sunday and clinched the series. Affected by rain, the match was reduced to 17 overs, in which English Lions won the match by 6 wickets.
This is a warning sign for the Lankan Lions as they have failed to win a single series, this is just days before the T20 World Cup. The tension in Sri Lankan cricket has increased further as reports are coming in that fast bowler Ishan Malinga has suffered a shoulder injury during the second T20 match, which is likely to rule him out of the ICC T20 World Cup.
Who will replace Ishan Malinga?
Reports suggest that Ishan Malinga dislocated his shoulder last night and he is set to travel to Colombo for further scans as official confirmation regarding the injury is awaited and it is believed that Ishan Malinga will be out of action for four to six weeks. The report also states that left-arm fast bowler Dilshan Madushanka or Pramod Madushan are the two players in contention to replace Ishan Malinga in Sri Lanka’s squad for the major ICC tournament.
The 24-year-old fast bowler made his T20I debut in November 2025. Since then, Ishan has played eight matches and taken the same number of wickets in the shortest format of the game. Before the injury, Ishan Malinga had bowled only 1.2 overs in the match and given 6 runs before leaving the field. The selectors also have additional pace options to consider, including Binura Fernando and Asitha Fernando. They will take the final decision after the official report comes.
England have captured the series by winning on Sunday
Coming into the match after being invited to bat first, the home team scored 189/5, with the top four batsmen scoring good runs, and Pawan Rathnayake scored 40 off 22 balls, helping his team post a defendable total. England is chasing the target after losing two wickets in the powerplay. However, the experience of Jos Buttler and explosive unbeaten innings from Tom Banton (54*) and captain Harry Brook (32) ended the rain-affected match in favor of the visiting team with two balls to spare.
Sri Lanka A will face Oman in a practice match on Tuesday. On the same day, the senior team will face England in the third and final T20 match. The co-hosts will play their first match on February 8 against Ireland in Colombo. Playing on home soil, the Lankan Lions will be hoping to win the championship for the second time after winning the title in 2014
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