England needed a recovery act to get over the line in a 2nd T20I they had gone into as favourites, beating Sri Lanka by five wickets via the DLS method at a rain-hit Sophia Gardens in Cardiff to seal the three-match series 2-0 with one game left to play.
Sri Lanka were held to 111 for 7 in their 20 overs — fast bowler Mark Wood (2 for 18) and leg-spinner Adil Rashid (2 for 24) led a tight England bowling effort that conceded no boundaries in the powerplay. Chasing what looked a modest total, England instead slipped to 36 for 4 inside seven overs as Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Isuru Udana and Wanindu Hasaranga each struck once. A stand between Liam Livingstone and Sam Billings (24) steadied the innings before persistent drizzle interrupted play, revising the target down to 103 from 18 overs. Billings fell shortly before the finish, but Livingstone (29 not out off 26 balls) and Sam Curran (16 not out) saw England home by five wickets with 11 balls to spare.
The win gives England an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, meaning the result of the final T20I will not affect the series outcome, though Sri Lanka will still have a chance to avoid a whitewash.
England's headline stat is a series win, but the more telling number from Cardiff is 36 for 4 against a total of only 111 — a reminder that this batting group can still be knocked over by disciplined new-ball bowling even when the target is well within reach. Livingstone and Curran's finish will get the credit, and deservedly so given the conditions, but England will want a cleaner batting performance in the dead rubber before they take this form into the next assignment.
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