England crush Sri Lanka to seal T20 series win

England continued their dominant T20 form by thrashing Sri Lanka by six wickets in Cardiff to secure the bilateral series with a match to spare. Tom Banton's unbeaten 52 ensured the hosts made light work of a below-par target of 146, reaching 146-4 in just 12.1 overs.

Sri Lanka had started brightly through openers Pathum Nissanka, who top-scored with 37 from 21 balls, racing to 55-0 after five overs. However, a momentum shift arrived when Liam Dawson claimed two crucial wickets in the final over of the powerplay, triggering a collapse where the tourists lost 9-90.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

Captain Harry Brook contributed a rapid 23 off eight balls, including three sixes, before being caught by Eshan Malinga. Banton then took charge, striking four sixes in his 24-ball knock to keep Brendon McCullum's side unbeaten in the shortest international format this summer.

Dawson finished with bowling figures of 3-32, while Jamie Overton took 2-23 and Sonny Baker delivered a miserly 1-15. McCullum's squad have now triumphed in 22 of their past 25 completed T20 fixtures, maintaining an 88% success rate since the start of last summer.

The series will conclude at Old Trafford on Saturday, followed immediately by a three-match one-day international series.

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