ENG vs SL 3rd T20I Live Commentary - Manchester (19 September 2026)

FOUR! Cleverly played. Malinga gets it very full, outside off. Buttler hangs low and reaches out with his hands. He opens the bat face of the blade and glides it past backward point. The ball skips across the turf and the deep third fielder stands no chance.

SIX! Sent into the crowd, and that brings up a FIFTY for Jos Buttler on his home ground. Malinga digs it in short, on middle. The ball gets a bit big on Buttler, but he stands tall and unleashes the pull over deep mid-wicket for a biggie. Jos had an underwhelming T20 World Cup earlier in the year, but ever since the IPL, he has found his mojo back and carried that form through.

Pitches it fuller, on off and middle. Jos Buttler tucks it with soft hands into the vast gap between deep mid-wicket and long on for a brace.

SIX! A biggie from Jos Buttler to finish things off in style. England beat Sri Lanka by 8 wickets and have extended their domination in the series with a clean sweep. Back of a length, outside off, from Eshan Malinga. Jos Buttler rocks back and pulls it away, but he ends up losing his bottom hand's grip while offering his shot. However, the ball carries on with the wind and loops over the deep square leg fence.

Full, on off, Harry Brook leans on it and flicks it to deep mid-wicket for one.

Short, around off, Jos Buttler punches it to wide long on for a brace.

Good-length delivery, on middle, Jos Buttler nudges it to mid-wicket for one.

Flat and much fuller, on off, Harry Brook jams it to cover. There's a slight mix-up between the batters for the single, but they ended up not taking the risk.

OUT! HARRY BROOK IS RUN OUT! Good piece of work by Wanindu Hasaranga. Flatter trajectory yet again from Hasaranga, pitching it much fuller, on off and middle. Harry Brook jams it toward the leg side with soft hands to get a quick single, but Hasaranga seems ready as he swiftly charges on it, picks it up, and has a shy at the bowler's end on the turn. It hits the stumps directly, and Harry Brook is found short of the crease.

Short and around off, Buttler makes room and slaps it to deep cover for a single. England need 17 more runs.

Hard-length delivery, around the hips of the batter. Harry Brook pulls it with control to deep square leg for one.

Just a shade behind the good length, angling just outside off. Jos Buttler punches it to mid off, but Dasun Shanaka, who is standing a bit wide, runs to his right and stretches his hand to make a half-stop. Only a single taken.

NO BALL! Dilshan Madushanka has overstepped, and a Free Hit is coming up next. Slower bouncer, around off, Harry Brook lets it travel to the keeper.

Full toss, just outside off, Harry Brook opens his stance and spanks it to the right of deep cover for a brace.

WIDE! Slower bouncer yet again, but sprays it beyond the tramline, outside off. Brook offers no shot at it.

CHANCE GOES DOWN! Lack of communication between the two men. Just a yard behind the good length, angling it just outside off. Harry Brook looks to heave it away, but slices it off the splice of the blade. It loops toward the vacant backward point region, where Kamil Mishara and Pathum Nissanka both have a chance at it, but neither commits and leaves it for the other. The ball ends up dropping right between them and the batters pick up a single.

Short, outside off, Jos Buttler nudges it to deep mid-wicket for one.

WIDE! Change of pace, on a good length, spaying wide outside off. Harry Brook leaves it alone.

FIVE WIDES! It is all going from bad to worse for Dilshan Madushanka. Dilshan bashes the hard length but overcorrects the line, it is down leg. Brook fails to lay any bat on the pull. Kamil Mishara dives to his left but in vain as the ball flies past him. 14 runs off the over already. England need 23 more runs.

On a nagging length, around off and middle. Harry Brook nudges it to deep square leg for a single.

That is a magnificent piece of fielding! Pitches it fuller, does Hasaranga, around off, Jos Buttler drives it from the outer part of his bat toward deep cover. The sweeper cover fielder sprints to his left, dives away and flicks it just before it touches the boundary cushion to save two runs for the team.

Short, on off, Jos Buttler drives it to long off for one.

Floated up, on middle. Brook flicks it to deep mid-wicket and crosses over.

Tossed up, fuller, on off, Jos Buttler pushes it to long on and gets across for one.

Appeal goes round for LBW, but that died down quickly. Fuller, on middle and leg, offers a googly. Harry Brook misses his flick and wears on the pad. The batters pick up a single as the ball goes wide of point. Given as a run, so there might have been an inside edge.

On a nagging length, on middle, Jos Buttler dabs it to cover.

FOUR! Hammered away! On a length, on off, right in the hitting arc. A clean swing of the arms and Buttler slams it back over the bowler's head for a four.

Wide! Pace off, well beyond the tramline. Jos leaves it alone.

On a hard length, on off. Buttler drops it in front of point and gets to the other end. The 50-run stand comes up between these two batters.

Slanting in at the hips, on a short of a good length. Brook lets the ball come on and nurdles it to the right of deep square leg for a brace.

Wide. Takes pace off and bowled into the deck, down leg. Brook misses out on the pull.

Fuller and sticks to the off-pace delivery, on middle. Harry wrists it to deep mid-wicket and turns the strike over.

FOUR! Nicely done. Malinga attempts another off-cutter but it comes out as a loopy full toss, on middle. Buttler takes a step back in the crease and waits for the ball to arrive before he whips it wide of mid-wicket. The deep square leg fielder stands no chance.

Wide! Sprays it beyond the tramline on off. Jos offers no shot.

Another slower one, on a good length, on middle. Buttler swipes it to deep square leg for a run. 16 runs off the final over of the Powerplay, 57 off the last 3. After 6 overs, England are 82/1.

FOUR! Up and over! The 50 is up for England in 4.1 overs. Flat and short, on off. Buttler presses onto the back foot quickly and opens up the front hip to launch it over extra cover for a boundary.

High but not long enough. Flighted up, on middle. Buttler puts his head down and swings through the line. He gets more height than distance on it as it is skied behind mid on. The ball plugs in the outfield and Dasun Shanaka is able to haul it in. Two runs taken.

FOUR! No need to run for that. Rinse and repeat of the first ball. A bit short, on off. Jos hangs on the back foot and stays beside the line of the ball. He gets under it before lofting it over cover with a high elbow for four more.

FOUR! Easy pickings. This is sprayed at the hips, on the shorter side. Jos uses the angle and hops inside the line. Shovels it wide of short fine leg and picks up another boundary.

With Tharindu Ratnayake being an ambidextrous bowler, he switches to his right hand. Bowls the off-break, on a good length. 

Wide! Down leg, Brook lets it go.

FOUR! Lovely shot. 20 runs off the over, 41 off the last 2. Flighted up, on off. Brook extends his hands into the lofted stroke and does not try to overhit this one. Goes inside out over cover for another boundary.

Thushara spills out a full toss, on off. Harry Brook just rolls his wrists and tucks it toward the right of mid on to get a single. 

Slightly slower one, on the back of a good length, around middle. Jos Buttler hops a bit and tucks it to square leg for another single.

SIX! Clears the fence! Change of pace from Nuwan Thushara, over off and middle. Harry Brook tries to pull it away, but after he notices the slowness of the delivery, he sort of checks his shot, but it still flies all the way over deep square leg for half a dozen.

FIVE WIDES! Bonus runs for England. Pitches it much fuller, angling down the leg side. Harry Brook misses his flick. Kamil Mishara dives to his left and gets a hand on it, but it is not enough to slow the ball down. It races away to deep fine leg.

FOUR! Oh boy, the runs are flowing fast enough, and the Lankans don't have enough to defend. Much fuller, just behind the yorker length, around the pads of the batter. Harry Brook glances it beautifully past the short fine leg fielder for another boundary.

FOUR! Crunched. Pitches it fuller, on the fifth stump. Harry Brook lunges halfway toward the delivery and powers the drive through the line toward sweeper cover for a boundary. 

Cutter, from Thushara, outside off, Harry Brook looks to spank it through cover, but gets beaten. 21 runs off the fourth over!

Tharindu Ratnayake gets into the attack and starts off with a short delivery, around off. Jos Buttler punches it from his back foot to long off for one.

FOUR! Nicely played! Ratnayake bowls it fractionally short, just outside off. Aneurin Donald opens the face of the bat before cutting it through point for four more runs.  

OUT! STUMPED! The change to bring on Tharindu Ratnayake has worked out well for the visitors. He offers a bit more flight to the delivery and drifts in, down the leg side, pitching it on a good length. Aneurin Donald predetermines and skips down the track to slog it over mid-wicket, but it gets into the gap between bat and pad, and the keeper, Kamil Mishara, does the rest of the job. The ball nearly popped out of the mitts, but Mishara managed to hold onto it before breaking the stumps. England are 22/1, chasing 125.

Not all that short, a hint of turn, around off. Brook guides it from the crease to backward point.

Misfield! This is full and fired in, on middle. Brook stays rooted to the crease and knocks it to mid on before hurrying to the other end. Dasun Shanaka charges forward and tries to pick the ball up with his right hand but lets it through. The ball deflects off his right boot and goes behind, allowing the batters to take the second run. A clean pick-up and a possible direct hit could have found Brook wanting.

Darted in on a good length, on middle. Harry hangs back and tucks it through mid-wicket for one.

Short of a length, angling outside off, Jos Buttler looks to cut it away, but gets beaten on the outside edge.

Hard-length delivery again, angling away from the right-hander. Jos Buttler tries to slap it away, but misses out once again.

On a nagging length, closer to the off stump. Jos Buttler pats it to mid off and gets a quick single.

Full-length delivery, on off, Aneurin Donald looks to cut it away, but ends up mistiming it to the leg side.

FOUR! SHOT! Back of a length, outside off, Aneurin Donald stands tall and flat-bats it down the ground to the right of mid off for a boundary.

FOUR! Aggressive intent from Donald! On a good length, around off. Aneurin Donald opens his stance and drags it across, over mid on for another boundary. 

A dot to begin with! Pitches it full, on middle, getting the ball to shape away late. Jos Buttler looks to defend it, but the ball hits the outer half of the bat and trickles towards cover.

WIDE! Full, angling down the leg side, Jos Buttler fails to connect his flick, and Kamil Mishara does well to dive to his left to gather it.

Hard-length delivery, on middle, not much movement on the delivery. Jos camps on his back foot and bunts it back to the bowler.

FOUR! A streaky way to get off the mark! Fuller in length, pitching it around off and nips it away just a shade. Jos Buttler tries to defend it straight, like he did on the very first delivery, but gets nicked off the outside edge and it races to the left of the diving short third fielder for a boundary. 

Just a shade behind the fuller length, around the pads. Jos Buttler flicks it to deep square leg for one.

Aneurin Donald opens his account as well! On the fuller side, attacking the middle stump. Donald works it to mid on and gets a single.

Low full toss, on middle, Jos Buttler flicks it to deep square leg and gets another single. 8 runs off the first over!