Key events
9th over: Sri Lanka 71-3 (Asalanka 5, Mendis 15) Jacks whistles through a quick over for seven runs including a Mendis pull for four. Here comes Jamie Overton to bowl his middle overs splice crunchers.
8th over: Sri Lanka 64-3 (Asalanka 3, Mendis 10) Rashid sends down a mixture of googlies, skidders and flighted leggies. His over is ruined off the last ball as Mendis dances down and launches over long on for SIX. Eleven off it.
7th over: Sri Lanka 53-3 (Asalanka 2, Mendis 1) Kamindu Mendis joins his captain with work to do. England’s white ball wizard Adil Rashid is coming on to bowl. Good luck.
WICKET! Pathum Nissanka c Brook b Jacks 36 (Sri Lanka 52-3)
Jacks continues, Nissaka plays a lovely in-to-out lofted cover drive for four to bring up Sri Lanka’s fifty.
GONE! Great catch by Harry Brook at short midwicket as dives to snare a powerfully hit pull shot, Nissanka is gutted, it was there to be clattered but he hit it too close to the lightning reflexed Brook. That’s a big wicket.
6th over: Sri Lanka 47-2 (Nissanka 32, Asalanka 1) Shot! Nissanka slog sweeps Baker and nails it for SIX! Shades of Mal Loye v Brett Lee in that one. Baker responds with a dot and some sharp work by Brook at mid off saves a certain boundary next ball. That’s the end of the PowerPlay, it’s been a decent start from both teams.
5th over: Sri Lanka 39-2 (Nissanka 22, Asalanka 0) Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka joins Nissanka, Sonny Baker is going to change ends for his third over.
WICKET! Kamil Mishara c Overton b Jacks 2 (Sri Lanka 39-2)
Brook sticks with spin and introduces Will Jacks. The outfield at Old Trafford is pretty slow after heavy morning rain. Jamie Overton and Nye Donald pull off diving saves in the deep to save a couple of runs to powerfully hit shots that would have usually gone for four…
GONE! Mishara dances down and tries to launch a six over long on but he can’t bet the hulking frame of Jamie Overton who doesn’t have to move to take the catch.
4th over: Sri Lanka 33-1 (Nissanka 22, Mishara 2) Harry Brook turns to Liam Dawson for some early spin… BOSH! Nissanka slog sweeps his first ball into the stands for SIX! Nissanka is a dangerous player, if he gets in and going then he is one of the few in Sri Lanka’s line up that could really hurt England. Dawson responds well though, just three singles off the rest of the over.
3rd over: Sri Lanka 24-1 (Nissanka 12, Mishara 1) Mishara is the new batter. Sonny Baker is on the money and Broad is full of praise for him on the comms. I like Baker’s little hop at the start of his run up, apparently it comes from bowling indoors where there wasn’t enough room for his full run. Just two singles off the over and the wicket.
WICKET! Lahiru Udara c Buttler b Baker 10 (Sri Lanka 22-1)
A top edged skier and Buttler just about clings on with the gloves! Baker has England’s first.
2nd over: Sri Lanka 22-0 (Nissanka 11, Udara 10) Archer’s first two balls are cut away on the off side by Udara! Too much width from Jofra and it gets worse for him as a top edged hook from Nissanka does indeed sail away on the breeze for SIX! Decent start from Sri Lanka as the tv camera zooms in on Fleming, McCullum and Southee on the England boundary. What’s the collective noun for Kiwis?
1st over: Sri Lanka 7-0 (Nissanka 5, Udara 1) Nissanka tries a big booming drive to the first ball and connects only with fresh air. Baker strays down the leg side and is then glanced away nicely wide of slip for four by Nissanka. Sri Lanka’s six hitting has been way behind England’s in this series, nine big ones compared to England’s 22. They might fancy getting a few away on the wind today.
That man Sonny Baker is going to start off with the new ball. Pathum Nissanka and Lahiru Udara will open up for the visitors. Play!
Right then, the players are heading out at Old Trafford, blue skies and a strong breeze blowing across the square. Can Sri Lanka put a decent score on the board to at least challenge England? Let’s find out.
Sky Sports are showing a nice chat between Sonny Baker and Stuart Broad. “Everything about him reminds me of Darren Gough” says Nick Knight afterwards.
Taha met the exuberant 23 year last year.
The cricket regulator is still investigating though…
Teams:
England 1 Jos Buttler (wk), 2 Aneurin Donald, 3 Harry Brook (c), 4 Jordan Cox, 5 Tom Banton, 6 Will Jacks, 7 Jamie Overton, 8 Liam Dawson, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Sonny Baker.
Sri Lanka 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Lahiru Udara, 3 Kamil Mishara (wk), 4 Charith Asalanka (c), 5 Kamindu Mendis, 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Tharindu Rathnayake, 9 Eshan Malinga, 10 Dilshan Madushanka, 11 Nuwan Thushara
England win the toss and will “chase”
The pitch looks a belter and Harry Brook is confident of chasing down whatever Sri Lanka set them. He confirms England are unchanged. For Sri Lanka, Dushmantha Chameera is rested and replace by Nuwan Thushara.
Preamble
James Wallace
Hello and welcome the final T20I in the series between England and Sri Lanka from Old Trafford. Harry Brook’s side are gunning to be the number on side in the world in the shortest format (they currently sit in second place) and will be going all out for a 3-0 series win today.
They will be watched today by Stephen Fleming, the new head honcho of the Test side who is at Old Trafford and has been speaking to the media this morning. He’s already been spied on the outfield with his England sweater on chatting away amiably to predecessor Brendon McCullum and new boy Kevin Pietersen. Decent top three that.
Plenty to get stuck into then as well as the action on the field. The captains are out there to toss up, let’s do this.
Play starts at 2.30pm. Drop us a line here.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2026/sep/19/england-v-sri-lanka-third-mens-cricket-t20-live
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