ICC Men’s T20 WC 2026 | Match 42: Sri Lanka vs England | Preview and Prediction

The second game of the Super Eight stage of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will see co-hosts Sri Lanka pit their wits against England, with both teams looking to start the new stage on a winning note.

Here, we present our preview and predictions for the game.

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 | Match 42: SL vs ENG | 15:00 IST, 22 February 2026

Just when it seemed like Sri Lanka were decently gathering steam following their stunning victory over Australia, they were brought crashing down to earth by Zimbabwe on Thursday.

The absence of Matheesha Pathirana was clearly felt in their bowling yesterday, as they were unable to stop the Zimbabwe batters from chasing what looked to be a challenging total of 178 in Colombo. Pramod Madushan looked to be off the pace, while leading spinner Maheesh Theekshana was also taken for plenty in his bowling spell, raising a couple of questions about the balance and overall quality of the Lankan bowling in the absence of Pathirana and Wanindu Hasaranga, who was ruled out after his hamstring injury in the game against Ireland early on in the competition.

Sri Lanka will also be a little concerned about the lack of runs from the middle order. Barring Pavan Rathnayake, who has been very effective in consecutive games, the likes of Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, and Kusal Mendis have put on few runs, with Mendis’ innings looking rather painstaking against Zimbabwe. Against an England side that boasts a significant amount of batting firepower in their ranks, it will be imperative for the Lankan middle order to step up to ensure a formidable total.

However, there have also been huge positives entering the Super Eights for the Lankans. Pathum Nissanka has been absolutely majestic up top with the bat. He followed up his sparkling hundred against Australia with another stroke-filled half-century against Zimbabwe and is currently second on the run-scoring charts with 199 runs. Kusal Mendis has also been in good nick — his last innings notwithstanding — having scored 182 runs. The bowling has also seen some disciplined performances from the likes of Dunith Wellalage and Maheesh Theekshana, and they will hope to continue the good work against England.

Speaking of England, while they will obviously be elated to make the next stage of the tournament, their performances have genuinely been below par. Three rather nervy victories against the associate nations, to go along with their loss to the West Indies, mean that they have more questions than answers at this point.

The opening pair of Phil Salt and Jos Buttler has not yet fired, with both having flattered to deceive in their four games together. Harry Brook and Jacob Bethell have been getting the bulk of the runs from the middle order, but the likes of Tom Banton and Jamie Overton have not been able to provide the finishing touches to their innings.

England’s bowling too has left a lot to be desired in terms of collective execution. With the exception of Sam Curran and probably Liam Dawson, who has been economical without taking too many wickets, the rest of the bowling attack has not been able to pull its weight. Adil Rashid, barring one good game, has been rather expensive. Jofra Archer was taken to the cleaners as well, while Jamie Overton has not been able to provide enough support or cover to his main bowlers.

The conditions in Sri Lanka will add another level of difficulty for the English batters. With most of them struggling against spin, it will be very interesting to see how they adapt to the conditions there. However, the upside to the spin-friendly conditions is that they can bring their part-time spinning options into play. The likes of Will Jacks and Jacob Bethell have not bowled much, but expect them to get into the game more.

Here are two sides with floundering batting orders and out-of-rhythm bowling attacks. The question going into this game will be: which side managed to find quality when required the most?

Interestingly, England hold a rather dominant head-to-head record against the co-hosts in T20 World Cups, having won five of the six games they’ve played against each other in the tournament, with Sri Lanka’s last win against England during their title winning season from 12 years ago.

While England do have the better head-to-head record, Sri Lanka have the home advantage. Add to the fact England’s discomfort with spin, that is enough for us to call Sri Lanka favourites in the contest, though England won’t be far enough.

Fantasy XI: Pathum Nissanka (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Kusal Mendis, Pawan Rathnayake, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Dunith Wellalage, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Dilshan Madhushanka, Maheesh Theekshana

Venue: Pallekele International Stadium, Balagolla
Winners Prediction: Sri Lanka