The way Sri Lankan batters surrendered in front of the England bowlers on February 22 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Balagolla makes the Lankan legend Angelo Mathews perplexed. He took to his official ‘X’ account to express his disappointment right after the match.
On Sunday, Sri Lanka was up against England for their opening match of the Super 8 of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Sri Lanka, the co-host of the tournament, displayed top-notch cricket in the group stage and was the favorite to defeat England as well today.
Sri Lanka was the front runner to win the match
On Balagolla, England’s batting order collapsed in front of the home team’s bowling attack. Dunith Wellalage’s 3-wicket figure and Maheesh Theekshana and Dilshan Madushanka’s brace each restricted England to 146 runs in exchange for 9 wickets in 20 overs.
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As multiple Sri Lankan batters were in top form, and the target was looking insufficient to be protected, many cricket experts and fans believed that the cricket team of the island nation would outclass England with ease.
Momentum shifted once England went to bowl
Once the second innings of the match kicked off, things started to shape in a completely different way, proving most of the predictions wrong. Pathum Nissanka, who smashed a ton against Australia and is among the leading run scorers in the tournament, was dismissed cheaply.
Kusal Mendis, Dunith Wellalage, Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, and the other stars of the Sri Lankan batting combination come and go, without putting any notable efforts to save the team.
Captain Dasun Shanaka tried hard to hold one end of the crease, but his 30-run knock was not enough against England’s 146. As soon as Shanaka went out, all of Sri Lanka’s hope to win the match vanished within seconds. The island nation folded for only 95, and England won by 51 runs.
Terrible: Angelo Mathews
Former Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews couldn’t believe what he witnessed. Mathews, who is now working as a commentator and a cricket expert in the tournament, described the moment as ‘terrible.’ He slams the batters for not performing sensibly.
“OMG! No words! Pathetic batting by Sri Lanka. After bowling so well, no batter wanted to bat sensibly and get Sri Lanka home! “Terrible,” the former cricketer expressed himself.
OMG! No words! Pathetic batting by srilanka. After bowling so well and no batter wanted to bat sensibly and get srilanka home ! Terrible
— Angelo Mathews (@Angelo69Mathews) February 22, 2026
England all-rounder Will Jacks was named as the player of the match for his contribution both with bat and ball. With the bat, he added an important 21 off 14, and with the ball, he dismissed Kusal Mendis, Rathnayake, and Wellalage to claim the game.
“We played badly. All the bowlers on our side bowled well; it’s not that they (England) bowled really well. “We played some rash shots in critical intervals,” Dasun Shanaka, the Sri Lanka captain, said after the match.
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