England made quick work of defeating Sri Lanka by six wickets in the second Twenty20 in Cardiff on Thursday to take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in a three-match series.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Tom Banton top-scored with 52 not out off just 24 balls, including four sixes, as England reached a target of 146 with nearly eight overs to spare at Sophia Gardens.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Following England's 119-run rout of Sri Lanka in Tuesday's first T20 in Southampton, this was another lopsided contest.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Jos Buttler and England captain Harry Brook, fresh from their 80 and 114 not out respectively on Tuesday, got the home side's pursuit off to a typically dashing start, with England 79-3 in seven overs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Buttler struck 30 off 16 balls as he became the first player to compile 15,000 T20 runs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But it was England's performance in the field that laid the foundation for their 14th successive T20 win over Sri Lanka ahead of Saturday's series finale at Old Trafford.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sri Lanka, sent into bat by Brook, scored 56 runs inside the powerplay.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But the final over of the powerplay saw player-of-the-match Liam Dawson take two wickets in two balls on his way to 3-32.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Dawson had Lahiru Udara (21) caught by the 6ft 5in (1.95 metre) Jamie Overton at long-on when the ball might have cleared a shorter fielder and next ball the left-arm spinner held a return catch off Kamil Mishara.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Fast bowler Jofra Archer struck twice in the last over as Sri Lanka were held to a lowly 145-9, with opener Pathum Nissanka's 37 the top score of the innings.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Tonight was a special performance, very clinical," said Brook, who took a mere eight balls for his 23, at the presentation ceremony. "Sri Lanka got off to a flyer but the way we fought back with the ball was outstanding.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"The way Dawson reads the game was outstanding, too. He is an awesome bowler and a great bloke. He uses all of his nous.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Everyone bowled phenomenally and the way Banton hits different parts of the ground with the bat was great to see."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka made no attempt to hide his feelings ahead of a three-match one-day international series with England, saying: "It was a very disappointing performance. We were in the game in the powerplay but then gave wickets at regular intervals.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I think England were too good but we have to improve as we are not up to the mark."<\/p>\r\n", "image": "https:\/\/img.cricketnmore.com\/uploads\/2026\/09\/england-v-sri-lanka-2nd-t20i-2026.jpeg", "alt_img": "England vs Sri Lanka 2nd T20I 2026", "alt_title": "England Thrash Sri Lanka by Six Wickets to Seal T20I Series, Banton Stars", "image1": null, "video": null, "seo_title": "England Thrash Sri Lanka by Six Wickets to Seal T20I Series, Banton Stars On Cricketnmore", "seo_desc": "Tom Banton\u2019s unbeaten 52 and Liam Dawson\u2019s three-wicket haul powered England to a six-wicket win over Sri Lanka and an unbeatable 2-0 T20I series lead.", "seo_keywords": "England Vs Sri Lanka, Tom Banton, Liam Dawson, T20I Series, England Cricket, Sri Lanka Cricket", "tag": null, "tagging": "England Vs Sri Lanka,Tom Banton,Liam Dawson,T20I Series,England Cricket,Sri Lanka Cricket", "status": "1", "img_rpt": "0", "google": "1", "standout": "0", "edapps": "0", "pulse": "0", "no_index": "0", "feed": "0", "fixture": null, "slug": "england-thrash-sri-lanka-by-six-wickets-to-seal-t20i-series-banton-stars", "user_id": "0", "read_count": "1", "ians_date": null, "ians_time": null, "server_time": null, "trash": "0", "view_count": "12", "page_break": "0", "instant_articles": "1", "auto_link": "1", "created": "2026-09-18 08:07:24", "updated": "2026-09-18 08:07:24", "img_from": "England Thrash Sri Lanka by Six Wickets in 2nd T20I", "img_source": "Image Source: Google", "schedule_publish": null, "news_keywords": "England Vs Sri Lanka, Tom Banton, Liam Dawson, T20I Series, England Cricket, Sri Lanka Cricket", "livescore_text": null, "livescore_link": null, "btn_text": null, "resend_feed": "0", "google_feed": "0", "read_more": "1", "posted_by": "1", "jio_date": "2026-09-18 08:07:24", "scheduled": "0", "news_now": "1", "breaking_news": "1", "google_date": null, "featured": "0", "pred_match_id": "Select", "article_content_type": "Match Report", "england_cricket": "0", "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/cricket-news\/england-thrash-sri-lanka-by-six-wickets-to-seal-t20i-series-banton-stars-204406" }