England VS Sri Lanka Match ball by ball Commentary

Signing off - After completing his chat with Michael Atherton, Harry Brook walks over to collect the trophy before joining his teammates for the photographs. It was not much of a contest between the two sides in this series, but Sri Lanka will hope to put up a better showing in the ODI leg. With the ODI World Cup coming up next year, the 50-over format carries greater significance at the moment, with teams across the globe beginning to build towards the tournament. The first of the three ODIs will be played at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday, 22nd September, with the first ball scheduled to be bowled at 11.30 am GMT. As always, you can join us early for the build-up. See you then. Cheers!

The captain of England - Harry Brook is the PLAYER OF THE SERIES for scoring 170 runs at a strike rate of 217.94. Brook also receives the award for T20I Player of the English Summer. Harry begins by expressing immense pride on behalf of his squad after securing the number one position in the ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings. Evaluating the collective team performance, the skipper praises the entire squad for stepping up throughout the series, giving special credit to the fringe players who delivered despite having limited game time leading into the matches. On Sonny Baker, the skipper applauds his performance and emphasises that he really set the tone for them, striking early by picking up crucial wickets during the Powerplay phase. Harry praises the rest of his bowling attack, noting that standard-bearers like Jofra Archer also performed exceptionally well throughout the series. Looking forward to future challenges, the skipper emphasises that the team's primary strength lies in their adaptability, specifically their capacity to quickly assess conditions and play a brand of cricket tailored to whatever the pitch demands. He finishes on a personal note, expressing his deep passion for representing his country and his desire to keep contributing on the international stage for as long as possible.

The captain of Sri Lanka - Charith Asalanka says it has been a very disappointing series for Sri Lanka across both games, particularly as they could not even post 150 in either match. He calls it an eye-opener for the team, showing them where they stand against some of the best sides in the world. Asalanka says it is now time for the group to get together, identify the problems and find solutions. Charith says losing captain Kusal Mendis to injury was a setback, but is hopeful of him joining the team for the ODI series. He adds that these are the best 15 players available at the moment and, as a team, they now need to put this series behind them and prepare for the ODIs. Asalanka stresses that next year's ODI World Cup is hugely important and says the talent is there, pointing out that Sri Lanka have played good ODI cricket. He feels the focus now has to be on getting the best out of the group and finding the right solutions ahead of the tournament.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Sonny Baker has been given the award for his impressive showing with the ball, returning figures of 2/17 from 3.5 overs. Baker says he is really happy with his performance, particularly after the ball swung a lot in the previous two games. He says there was not as much movement today, so adapting to the conditions was important. Baker jokes that it took him around 25 minutes to properly select the ball, but it did not affect his bowling, and being able to swing it both ways gave him that extra margin. On his biggest takeaway from the series, Baker says it has been about being himself. He admits it sounds like a cliche, but describes himself as a high-energy player and says allowing himself to show that has been a more accurate reflection of where he is at.

Time for the presentation ceremony...

Recap of the first innings - After being asked to bat first, Sri Lanka could never really get on top of England with the bat. Pathum Nissanka and Kamindu Mendis got out in the 30s, but the tourists needed much more from them. Sri Lanka faded away in the latter half, losing 5 wickets for 41 runs and failing to bat out the full 20 overs. The effort with the ball was tidy from the home side, who bowled to the conditions and backed it up with some sharp work in the field. Harry Brook rotated his bowlers well, and they did not disappoint, with contributions coming from across the board.

Over in a flash - 124 was never going to be enough against an England side that packs plenty of punch through the order. The chase was effectively put to bed in the Powerplay itself, with 57 runs coming in the last 3 overs of that phase. Harry Brook and Jos Buttler, two men who seem to be enjoying batting together at the moment, got down to business and made light work of the chase.

England complete the clean sweep - With this resounding win, England climb to the top of the T20I rankings. India and England have been switching places at the summit in recent times, and England now move back to No. 1 after wrapping up a 3-0 series victory. It was a win set up by the bowlers and finished in a canter by the batters. A15th straight defeat for Sri Lanka against England in this format, and they simply could not turn up across the three games. It has been a series to forget for the Lankans.