Familiar foes, higher stakes in Pallekele

It's Sri Lanka versus England again in Pallekele, and this time it is for real. The two sides have already had their share of dress rehearsals at the same venue over the past few weeks. Those meetings even featured a couple of rain-affected contests, bringing the DLS method into play - something that could well resurface on Sunday. The results then were largely one-sided, with England sweeping the series 3-0, but heading into the Super Eights clash, the momentum has tilted towards Sri Lanka.

Barring a slip-up against Zimbabwe, the co-hosts have been clinical through the tournament, particularly in Pallekele where they dismantled Australia in emphatic fashion. They arrive for this contest high on confidence, despite being forced to cope with the loss of two key bowlers - Wanindu Hasaranga and Matheesha Pathirana - at different stages of the campaign.

England's route to the Super Eights, in contrast, has been far less assured. They have huffed and puffed their way through the group phase, with the batting unit in particular struggling for sustained fluency. The finishing power has surfaced often enough to get them over the line, but the top-order returns remain a lingering concern.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have built their campaign on clarity of roles and strong situational awareness. Their batting has been measured without being passive. Pathum Nissanka has been their brightest star, with Kusal Mendis, Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis and skipper Dasun Shanaka stepping up at different times. Their bowling - even with the personnel disruptions - has largely found ways to apply pressure at key moments.

Sunday shapes up as more than just another meeting between familiar opponents. Sri Lanka carry the sharper recent form and home comfort, while England bring tournament pedigree and the promise of a batting unit hoping to peak with the time now nigh. Which of those forces asserts itself in Pallekele could go a long way in shaping the Super Eights narrative for both sides.

When: Sunday, February 22 at 3:00 PM Local Time

Where: Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele

What to expect: The teams wrapped up their practice sessions on Saturday shortly before evening rain set in and developed into a thunderstorm. The forecast for Sunday suggests showers could arrive even earlier, raising the likelihood of a delayed start, interruptions and even a shortened contest, with the possibility of shared points also in play.

Head to head: England lead 13-4 in the 17 T20Is between the sides, including victories in each of the last 11 meetings (since 2016) - three of which came at this very venue in the lead-up to the tournament. England also lead 5-1 in T20 World Cups (including the 2010 semifinal), with Sri Lanka's only win coming at this venue in 2012.

Team news:

Sri Lanka

Dilshan Madushanka, who came in as Pathirana's replacement, featured in the game against Zimbabwe, as did Pramod Madushan. While Madushanka is set to get another game, Madushan is likely to make way for Dushmantha Chameera, who was rested for the last game.

Probable XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (wk), Pavan Rathnayake, Dasun Shanaka (c), Kamindu Mendis, Dunith Wellalage, Dushan Hemantha, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka

England

They are likely to stick with the same XI they have fielded in the last three matches. However, Harry Brook's side will be without Jacob Bethell's bowling services in spin-friendly conditions. The left-arm spinner, who injured his finger while fielding against the West Indies, will not be allowed to bowl with a protective covering, and the England captain indicated Bethell cannot take the field without it.

"The rule with the strapping on your finger isn't quite helping because he's got a decent cut on his finger so he'd have to have strapping. If there's some way we can get around that then we'd like to bowl him. But at the minute, I don't think it's possible," conceded Brook.

Probable XI: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (c), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid

Did you know?

- Jos Buttler's numbers against spin in T20Is have dipped sharply. From 2022 to 2024, he scored 519 runs against spin in 29 innings at an average of 47.18 and strike rate of 165.28, with 11 dismissals. Since 2025, he has managed 225 runs at an average of 18.75 and strike rate of 139.75, with 12 dismissals.

- Harry Brook's returns against spin have been modest as well - 24 dismissals to spinners compared to 15 against pace, while averaging 19.29 at a strike rate of 128.25 against the slower bowlers.

- Pathum Nissanka has contrasting records between the first and second innings in T20Is since January 2024. In run-chases, he has scored 1057 runs in 22 innings at an average of 58.72 and strike rate of 157.52, with two hundreds and eight fifties. In the first innings, he has managed only 481 runs in 24 innings, averaging 20.04 at a strike rate of 122.7, with just two fifties.

What they said:

"We obviously had a very good series against them here and on this particular ground as well, so we can take some experiences from that three-match series and hopefully use that in the game. They're obviously a strong side with a lot of confidence as well after a few very good wins and if we stick to our guns and play our best cricket there's no reason why we can't beat them" - Harry Brook, England captain.

"Whoever it is, when you're playing a Super Eight game, you will not play with the same freedom as you would do in a bilateral or a private league. So the pressure will be same for both teams. The teams which do the things correctly under pressure, the team which makes lesser mistakes is the team that is likely to go through" - R Sridhar, Sri Lanka fielding coach.