Kusal, Wellalage star as Sri Lanka defend 322 in Headingley thriller
Buttler hamstring injury proves pivotal as England’s challenge collapses against spin and swing strangle
Sri Lanka 321 for 6 (Kusal 121, Kamindu 54) beat England 305 for 9 (Banton 73, Buttler 69, Duckett 67, Jacks 52, Wellalage 3-49) by 16 runs
Seven years on from their last away ODI victory against England – also at Headingley – Sri Lanka repeated the trick, and kept the series alive, ahead of the decider at The Oval on Sunday with a hard fought 16-run win.
On a true surface that offered plenty of runs, Sri Lanka executed their plan A with the kind of gusto that has been sorely lacking across this tour. Kusal Mendis’ seventh ODI ton led the way, and he was sufficiently backed up by the likes of Pathum Nissanka (25), Kamindu Mendis (54), Pavan Rathnayake (48) and Janith Liyanage (32).
Then with the ball, Sri Lanka survived a potentially game-breaking opening stand, a Jos Buttler onslaught, and a Will Jacks rearguard salvo to snag what seemed at times a rather improbable win. Dunith Wellalage took many of the plaudits, with his 3 for 49 paving the way for Sri Lanka’s fightback with the ball, as did Asitha Fernando for a spell of exemplary death bowling.
Arguably the defining moment of the chase, however, came when Buttler had to retire hurt on 67 from 45 balls with what the ECB described as a hamstring “twinge”. Though he later limped back out to resume his innings, he was visibly hampered as he lasted just four more balls. In between whiles, a chase that had been cruising at 253 for 4 skidded off course. England had needed 68 off 75 at the moment of Buttler’s injury. They managed just 52 for 5 in the remainder of their innings.
The common consensus at the halfway point was that Sri Lanka’s 321 for 6 was par for the course, but considering it was their highest first-innings total against England in ODIs since 2018 – and just their third score of 320 or more since the start of 2024 – it was still cause for minor celebration.
Jos Buttler had to retire hurt with a hamstring twinge, England vs Sri Lanka, 2nd ODI, Headingley, September 24, 2026
Jos Buttler had to retire hurt with a hamstring twinge•Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images
The broadcaster’s win predictor at the start of the England chase – 70-30 in favour of the hosts – highlighted just what they thought of this type of surface, and the type of batting England possessed. That England had never actually chased a total this high against Sri Lanka mattered less so.
And once Ben Duckett and Tom Banton had blitzed 82 runs inside the opening powerplay – two fewer, incidentally, than Sri Lanka managed in their final 10 – on the way to a substantial opening stand of 143 off 119, the result all but seemed a formality.
The breakthrough came utterly against the run of play too, as Wellalage found a foothole outside the left-hander’s off stump and ripped one through bat and pad, as Duckett reached out in vain for the flashy drive.
Then, at the end of Wellalage’s next over, Banton waltzed right past another one that gripped on the surface as Kusal swiftly dislodged the bails. And just like that both openers were back in the pavilion.
Even so, Sri Lanka might not have dared believe, given how far ahead of the game England were at this point. But when Wellalage struck a third time in three overs, this time trapping their serial tormentor, Harry Brook, leg before – a decision upheld on review – the old muscle memory of spin-strangled chases under lights at the Khettarama in Colombo perhaps began to stir. Particularly with the pitch also beginning to exude some hallmarks of those dry Colombo pitches.
But, just as swiftly as Sri Lanka had thought about clawing their way back in, England reclaimed control of the chase. And they were led unerringly by Buttler. Across partnerships of 46 from 28 with Joe Root, and 51 from 56 with Will Jacks, Buttler was in utter command of the contest. But then, in the 38th over, his hamstring went, and after battling on for two more balls, he limped off.
At that point, the required rate was less than a run-a-ball with six wickets in hand. By the time he was forced to return to the middle, the equation had flipped to 27 needed off 14. In between whiles, Sri Lanka throttled like they’ve never throttled before, giving up just one boundary in the 60 deliveries between Buttler walking off and walking back on.
With England seven-down by this point, the odds had firmly shifted in favour of Sri Lanka, but with Jacks and Buttler both capable of knocking off the required runs with just a few swings, the game was still in the balance. A six to the end the 48th over proved as much. But that would be the last boundary of the game as Eshan Malinga and Dilshan Madushanka squeezed through the final two overs to complete a famous victory.
Sri Lanka (50 ovs maximum)
Batting R B M 4s 6s SR
Pathum Nissanka
lbw b Atkinson
25 33 39 3 1 75.75
Kamindu Mendis
c Brook b Atkinson
54 65 127 4 3 83.07
Kusal Mendis (c)†
c Banton b Rehan Ahmed
121 100 118 14 3 121.00
Pavan Rathnayake
run out (Root/†Buttler)
48 39 69 2 1 123.07
Charith Asalanka
c Atkinson b Rehan Ahmed
11 18 15 2 0 61.11
Janith Liyanage
c Root b Archer
32 26 38 4 0 123.07
Dunith Wellalage
not out 16 15 25 1 0 106.66
Sachindu Colombage
not out 3 4 8 0 0 75.00
Extras (b 1, lb 3, w 7) 11
Total
50 Ov (RR: 6.42)
321/6
Did not bat
Eshan Malinga,
Asitha Fernando,
Dilshan Madushanka
Fall of wickets
DRS
1-45 (Pathum Nissanka, 9.1 ov), 2-182 (Kamindu Mendis, 29.1 ov), 3-222 (Kusal Mendis, 35.5 ov), 4-236 (Charith Asalanka, 39.4 ov), 5-282 (Pavan Rathnayake, 44.4 ov), 6-312 (Janith Liyanage, 48.2 ov)
Bowling O M R W ECON 0s WD NB
Jofra Archer
10 0 68
1
6.80 23 4 0
Gus Atkinson
10 0 55
2
5.50 33 2 0
Josh Tongue
7 0 50 0 7.14 21 1 0
Will Jacks
5 0 33 0 6.60 13 0 0
Jamie Overton
10 0 63 0 6.30 25 0 0
Rehan Ahmed
8 0 48
2
6.00 21 0 0
England (T: 322 runs from 50 ovs)
Batting R B M 4s 6s SR
Tom Banton
st †BKG Mendis b Wellalage
73 62 93 7 3 117.74
Ben Duckett
b Wellalage
67 63 82 9 0 106.34
Joe Root
c Rathnayake b Colombage
15 17 38 1 0 88.23
Harry Brook (c)
lbw b Wellalage
1 6 6 0 0 16.66
Jos Buttler †
c PHKD Mendis b Madushanka
69 49 72 5 5 140.81
Will Jacks
c Liyanage b Malinga
52 61 100 4 2 85.24
Rehan Ahmed
c †BKG Mendis b Madushanka
0 5 8 0 0 0.00
Gus Atkinson
c Rathnayake b Malinga
16 28 34 0 0 57.14
Jamie Overton
c Asalanka b Fernando
2 3 5 0 0 66.66
Jofra Archer
not out 0 6 10 0 0 0.00
Josh Tongue
not out 1 1 5 0 0 100.00
Extras (nb 1, w 8) 9
Total
50 Ov (RR: 6.10)
305/9
Fall of wickets
DRS
1-143 (Ben Duckett, 19.4 ov), 2-153 (Tom Banton, 21.6 ov), 3-157 (Harry Brook, 23.3 ov), 4-203 (Joe Root, 28.1 ov), 4-254* (Jos Buttler, retired not out), 5-259 (Rehan Ahmed, 39.5 ov), 6-288 (Gus Atkinson, 46.5 ov), 7-295 (Jamie Overton, 47.4 ov), 8-303 (Will Jacks, 48.4 ov), 9-303 (Jos Buttler, 49.1 ov)
Bowling O M R W ECON 0s WD NB
Asitha Fernando
10 0 68
1
6.80 25 3 1
Dilshan Madushanka
9 0 54
2
6.00 26 4 0
Charith Asalanka
6 0 29 0 4.83 13 0 0
Eshan Malinga
9 0 50
2
5.55 31 1 0
Sachindu Colombage
6 0 55
1
9.16 14 0 0
Dunith Wellalage
10 0 49
3
4.90 34 0 0
