Harry Brook, captain of England, highlighted the team’s recent success at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, where they will face Sri Lanka on February 22 in a Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup 2026.
England had a clean sweep in a previous three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka at the same venue, despite the low scoring in those matches. Key contributions came from players like Tom Banton, Phil Salt, Harry Brook, and Sam Curran. Adil Rashid excelled in the spin-friendly conditions, playing a crucial role.
This match against Sri Lanka is the first of two Super Eight games for England at Pallekele, with the second match scheduled against Pakistan on February 24. Brook sees this as a significant match, and he believes playing in familiar surroundings gives his team a mental edge.
Brook stated: “We can take a lot of confidence having played here and experienced this surface and this ground. We had a very good series against them here, so we can hopefully take that experience and use it in the game tomorrow.”
He acknowledged that Sri Lanka has strengthened since their earlier encounter this year, particularly noting Pathum Nissanka’s impressive century against Australia at the same stadium.
Harry added: “Some of their batters are batting really well. So hopefully we can get a few wickets in the powerplay. And Nissanka is on a bit of a heater at the minute, so it would be ideal if we can get him out early.”
While England has previously won at Pallekele, they are still searching for their best form in this World Cup. They narrowly escaped against Nepal but faced a heavy loss against the West Indies. Recent victories against Italy and Scotland came thanks to important innings from their lower-order batsmen, including Will Jacks.
As they enter the Super Eight stage, England aims to regain their performance consistency and build momentum at the venue where they recently triumphed over Sri Lanka.
