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Brook, Buttler, Baker star as Sri Lanka slump to 119-run rout
Harry Brook led from the front with his second and fastest T20I century as England sent Sri Lanka swirling down the Utilita Bowl with victory by 119 runs in the first T20I.
The limited-overs skipper’s 42-ball effort – quicker than every Englishman bar Phil Salt’s 39 baller almost a year ago to the day against South Africa – took England to 254 for 4, compelling former Test captain Ben Stokes to wax lyrical on social media.
Stokes’ post sounded as confused as Sri Lanka’s bowling plans. But the underlying sentiment was that Brook’s unbeaten 114 showed he possesses more genius than Kevin Pietersen.
It is a sketchy claim. But perhaps tonight, England’s new mentor will happily cede to the 27-year old after his third white-ball century of the year, and second in T20Is after his maiden effort against Pakistan at the T20 World Cup. In reply, Sri Lanka mustered just 21 more than Brook’s new career-best between them, bowled out for 135 with an over to spare.
England’s first innings fell three runs short of the total they made in their last T20I against India on this very ground. The similarities between this evening and that July afternoon included the opposition skipper – on this occasion, Charith Asalanka – inserting England after winning the toss.
Shreyas Iyer had made that mistake two months earlier, and likewise, he was also made to pay by Brook and Jos Buttler, who this time had to settle for 80 from 44 deliveries, rather than consecutive hundreds.
Captain and former captain combined in a stand of 128 from 60 deliveries, the first part of which included England’s second-highest powerplay of 90 for 1. That was kicked off by a breezy 12 from 5 for debutant Aneurin Donald, who became the first Glamorgan product to feature for England since Simon Jones in 2005.
Things were getting away from Sri Lanka as early as the fifth over when Dunith Wellalage was taken for 30 by Brook. And when Buttler was dropped on 45 three overs later, by Eshan Malinga – over-running a sliced heave down the ground at long off – it was clear, not even a quarter of the way through, that this match was only going one way.
England’s superior power and fitness was never going to be matched. More impressive than their total of 19 fours and 12 sixes were the number of twos. Brook did most of the running; nine of his own along with 12 for his three partners.
Sri Lanka’s chase began with a maiden, bowled by Sonny Baker who went on to take 3 for 12. After struggling on debut across all three formats – including a Test bow earlier this summer against New Zealand – the 23-year old polished his overall numbers with his first limited-overs dismissals at his home ground.
The Hampshire quick got off the mark with a 90mph rasper that beat opener Kamil Mishara, before adding Lahiru Udara four deliveries later when the right-hander’s attempted scoop found Adil Rashid at short backward square. A return from the Pavilion End then saw a 92mph delivery nip away and knock back Theekshana’s off stump.
All six of England’s bowlers registered in the wicket column, feasting on a line-up that – barring Wellalage’s 33 from 21 at No.8 – were all utterly woeful.
In Aneurin Donald, England may well have their answer to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi when it comes to monster strike-rates. Perhaps the quirkiest aspect about that is Donald, as the follower, is technically old enough to be Sooryavanshi’s father.
The 14-year age gap speaks to a difference of cultural attitudes towards the game, particularly in the T20 format: more venerated in India, reluctantly accepted over here. At the age of 29, Donald is England’s oldest T20I debutant in nine years, and was playing his first international match after 112 regular T20s.
With Phil Salt out injured, Donald had big boots to fill, but Brendon McCullum believed he had found the right understudy when watching Donald carve a remarkable 31 from eight deliveries for England Lions at Chelmsford in Sri Lanka’s first warm-up.
The man who capped his assault then – Wellalage – did so here for a more contained 12 off 5. Donald, though, had done his job in his first four balls, closing the the first over of the match by smashing Maheesh Theekshana’s offspin over the midwicket fence, then through cover, and setting England on course for a mammoth score.
The Utilita Bowl is the most criticised of England’s international venues, and it has come under greater scrutiny with the “hows” and “whys” of its allocation of an Ashes Test next year at the expense of Headingley (or anywhere else north of Nottingham).
It is not the easiest ground to get to. And visiting players note how quickly it has aged since opening in 2001. But if there is anyone who will espouse its virtues, it is Buttler.
Following his 131 against India, Buttler now has 211 runs across his last two T20I innings, both in Southampton. By comparison, he had managed a grand total of 212 runs across his first 14 innings in the format at the start of the year.
That run included a torturous T20 World Cup campaign, the kind that made many wonder if we were in the end days for one of English cricket’s most gifted batters.
This time, Buttler was closed to his devastating best. The four boundaries off Dushmantha Chameera to end the second over – the usual stride-and-thwacks over the bowlers’ heads and the trademark wristy, top-spin carve through cover off wide yorkers – were all very familiar.
Buttler turned 36 this time last week. But, as the team around him continues to push the envelope, the chance to focus on his own game, at his own pace – which today meant bringing up 50 from 29 deliveries as the anchor! – should ensure he and England get the most out of what time he has left.
Sri Lanka lacking Plan B
Everyone’s got a plan until they get Brook-ed and Buttler-ed in the face. And unfortunately for Sri Lanka, the plan thumped out of them was leaning on Theekshana to close out a chaotic innings
Few bowlers, let alone slow ones, take as much pride as Theekshana in their thankless tasks in the powerplay and at the death. But after Donald got hold of his first over, and then Buttler found 13 from his second, Asalanka seemingly forgot about the 26-year-old.
You could understand why the stand-in captain would look beyond someone conceding 13.5 an over. The problem, however, was his attempt to make up the difference proved more expensive. Wellalage’s last over (the 14th) went for 16, and Dasun Shanaka’s (17th) 19.
Wellalage looked particularly wayward, his slowness through the air – whether deliberate or not – left him exposed on an ugly surface that skidded rather than gripped. His economy rate of 17 from three overs was comfortably the worst of his career.
Scores:
England 254 for 4 in 20 overs (Jos Buttler 80, Aneurin Donald 12, Harry Brook 114*, Tom Banton 10, Will Jacks 21; Dushmantha Chameera 1-53, Dunith Wellalage 1-51, Eshan Malinga 1-41, Wanidu Hasaranga 1-34) beat Sri Lanka 135 in 19 overs (Pathum Nissanka 12, Kamil Mishara 10, Charith Asalanka 10, Dasun Shanaka 24, Dunith Wellalage 33, Eshan Malinga 13*; Sonny Baker 3-12, Josh Tongue 1-25, Will Jacks 1-21, Liam Dawson 2-23, Adil Rashid 1-31, Jamie Overton 2-20) by 119 runs
[Cricinfo]
A total of 146 players will be competing for 27 available slots in the WPL 2027 mini auction on October 28 in Kochi. Of these, England batter Sophia Dunkley and Australia captain Sophie Molineux are the only two players who have listed themselves at the maximum base price of INR 50 lakh.
The auction pool has 119 Indian players, including 22 capped and 97 uncapped players, with 20 slots available for Indian players. The overseas pool has 27 players – 14 capped and 13 uncapped – including six from Associate teams, with seven slots available.
G Kamalini (released by Mumbai Indians), Kiran Navigre (released by U P Warriorz), Heather Graham and Jess Jonassen have registered at the second-highest base price of INR 40 lakh, while a total of 30 players have registered at INR 30 lakh.
Among the notable absentees are West Indies allrounder Deandra Dottin, who was released by UPW, and Australia legspinner Alana King, who was released by Delhi Capitals. Lizelle Lee, who was DC’s highest run-scorer last season, has also not listed herself after being released by the franchise.
What the teams look like going into the auction
Only two English players – Dunkley and Kira Chathli (INR 10 lakh) – have registered for the auction, with several others, including Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Alice Capsey, Dani Gibson, Lauren Filer and Linsey Smith opting to skip the WPL next year.
Cricinfo has learned that England are likely to play three T20Is in Sri Lanka in early February, which will clash with the final week of the WPL. While the ECB is likely to allow players to stay in India to complete the tournament, most players have instead chosen to prioritise their international commitments ahead of the Champions Trophy later that month.
The relatively low salaries on offer at the WPL are also understood to be a factor in many English players deciding not to register, with most internationals earning significantly more to play in the Hundred (up to £190,000 last year) than the highest permitted base price in the WPL of INR 50 lakh (£40,000 approx).
Molineux was part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru [RCB] title-winning squad in 2024, and had bagged 12 wickets in ten games at an economy rate of 7.31. She was retained by RCB for the 2025 season but a knee injury ruled her out of the season. Dunkley, meanwhile, played for Gujarat Giants [GT] in 2023 before opting not to register for the 2024 season. She went unsold in the 2025 auction.
Among the premier internationals who have listed themselves for INR 30 lakh are Australia allrounder Grace Harris (released by RCB), Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu, South Africa left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba and South Africa allrounder Chloe Tryon.
UPW, who released nine players, will go into the auction with the biggest purse of INR 3.75 crore.
[Cricinfo]
Pakistan withstood a middle-order counterattack from Pavan Rathnayake and Janith Liyanage to see off Sri Lanka by 37 runs. In the first match of a tri-series that also includes England, the pair appeared to have put Sri Lanka on course with a 119-run fifth wicket partnership, with the visitors well in front and requiring just 55 from the last seven overs. Liyanage’s wicket, however, saw the bottom fall out of the side, with Sri Lanka losing their last five wickets for 15 runs to allow Pakistan to breathe a sigh of relief.
The win had been set up by Salman Agha, who marked his return to the Pakistan side with his fourth ODI hundred to hold off a collapse and steer the hosts past 300. By the 22nd over, Pakistan had lost four wickets, and looked vulnerable with a relatively long tail. However, Salman’s 90-ball 107 navigated Pakistan expertly out of danger with sizeable partnerships with Hasan Nawaz and Arafat Minhas.
Sri Lanka deprived Shaheen Afridi’s side of a big finish, though, with Eshan Malinga and Asitha Fernando striking multiple blows in the death overs to ultimately bowl Pakistan out for 305. Those runs they had left on the table looked set to cost them dear at the climax of the context. The dew had set in, and Rathnayake and Liyanage were beginning to reverse Pakistan’s early dominance that had seen them skittle Sri Lanka’s top four with few dents made to the chase.
Afridi rotated his cast of bowlers, but aside from Naseem Shah, there appeared no remedy to the free flow of runs. Haris Rauf, Minhas, Saim Ayub and Afridi himself were all worked over, particularly by Rathnayake, who was especially methodical in the way he timed his innings to dance in tune to the required rate. Afridi was sensationally blown out of the attack with a pair of pulled sixes off the hips, in stark contrast to Pakistan’s own struggles against the short ball.
A pair of tight overs from Faheem Ashraf finally induced Rathnayake into a false stroke as he spooned one to Salman at short cover, only for Dasun Shanaka to pick up the slack. But with 53 runs to go, Liyanage chipped Rauf to long-on, and Pakistan blew the house down. Afridi prised Shanaka out the following over, and though the tail limped on briefly, it was only a matter of time.
Pakistan will look back fondly at their dominance in the first 25 overs, which closely mirrored Sri Lanka’s own success in the first innings. Sri Lanka’s top order was ineffective in keeping pace with the asking rate, and Naseem bowled a tidy spell up front, which included the wicket of Avishka Fernando. Ashraf took a sharp catch after Saad Baig dropped the skier, the allrounder showing good reflexes to scoop the ball up. It was, all told, a difficult evening behind the stumps for the debutant, and, in truth, a poor day out for Pakistan’s fielders throughout the innings.
Sri Lanka’s fortune with the toss had carried over to the ODI series, and they inserted Pakistan in Rawalpindi. There was early swing on offer, but it was the extra pace from Dilshan Madushanka that accounted for both openers. Ayub and Fakhar Zaman were both undone by the short delivery, leaving Babar Azam and Baig to rebuild.
The duo put on 74 and were beginning to get the asking rate ticking upwards. However, Babar’s frustrating recent knack of giving away auspicious starts reared its familiar head once more. Malinga was Sri Lanka’s quickest bowler through the innings, and he landed one short that rushed onto Babar, who was late on the pull just five shy of a half-century. Soon after Baig, who had shown promise as well as a willingness to pull rather than back away from bouncers, miscued one himself, holing out to deep fine leg.
It was precisely the sort of situation Salman – dropped from both the Test side and T20 captaincy in the last two months – thrives in, rebuilding during the middle overs of an ODI. He did so flawlessly, halting Sri Lanka’s momentum while staying on top of the run rate, keeping the strike ticking along, and adeptly covering for Nawaz, who had made a more sluggish start. He capitalised when Sri Lanka erred by turning prematurely to Kamindu Mendis’ spin, taking 11 off the 25th over to turn momentum around.
Sri Lanka began to look more toothless with the ball through those middle overs as Salman’s comfort grew. He dominated the stand and brought up his half-century off 48 balls. Nawaz had begun to loosen his shoulders too, illustrated by a six off legspinner Sachindu Colombage, but Asitha rooted him out the following over, ending the fifth-wicket stand ay 97. Salman played a similar shepherding role with Minhas for the sixth wicket, the pair putting on 64, with Salman once again taking on the lion’s share.
Twenty-six runs came off the 44th and 45th overs, but just as Pakistan looked for a big finish, Sri Lanka’s bowlers hit back. Minhas and Salman fell trying to hit sixes, and Pakistan’s lower order soon followed, with Malinga getting rid of Ashraf and Naseem off successive balls. A pair of lusty blows from Afridi allowed Pakistan to scratch past 300.
For long stretches of Sri Lanka’s chase, it appeared as if Pakistan’s unproductiveness in those death overs would cost them. Instead, on a dewy early autumn night in Rawalpindi, Pakistan’s pace attack – which shared nine wickets between them – ensured Salman’s efforts would not be wasted.
Brief scores:
Pakistan 305 in 49.5 overs (Babar Azam 45, Salman Agha 107; Eshan Malinga 4-46, Asitha Fernando 3-59, Dilshan Madushanka 2-67) beat Sri Lanka 268 in 48.1 overs (Kamindu Mendis 44, Pavan Rathnayake 79, Janith Liyanage 60; Shaheen Shah Afridi 3-55, Naseem Shah 2-43, Haris Rauf 2-48, Faheem Ashraf 2-49) by 37 runs
[Cricinfo]
An estimated 550,000 people took part in demonstrations across France today to protest against teaching conditions in schools, rising fuel prices and the cost of living.
Marches were largely peaceful and took place in several major French cities, including Paris, where 110,000 people attended.
“We just want to study, we just want a future” one student taking part in the protest in the capital told BBC News, while another said they were ” just trying to make things change”.
But French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said some groups “at the margins of these protests” caused the situation to “degenerate”.
According to the French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, 1200 people were arrested. Officials also reported looting in cities such as Marseille, where masked 8ntruders also entered the city hall. In Lyon, the tourist office was set on fire and shops were damaged.
French President Emmanuel Macron said any vandals and looters would be “prosecuted and punished”, while Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of left-wing party La France Insoumise, said demonstrations had been calmly mobilised.
Meanwhile, firefighters are continuing to battle a blaze at Limoges City Hall after a reported break-in and arson inside the 19th-century building during protests there.
(BBC)
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