Buttler’s unbeaten 62 seals England’s 3-0 sweep and the T20I top ranking from India

England chased down 125 in 9.4 overs at Old Trafford to complete a 3-0 sweep of Sri Lanka and take the No 1 place in the men’s T20I rankings back from India

Jos Buttler finished unbeaten on 62 from 32 balls as England won the third T20I by eight wickets with 62 balls to spare, a win that turned a one-sided series into a statement.

Harry Brook had put Sri Lanka in, and his bowlers dismissed them for 124 all out in 18.5 overs. England answered with 126 for 2 inside ten overs, the chase over before the halfway point of the innings.

The result carried England to the top of the ICC men’s T20I team rankings, the position India had occupied, and left Sri Lanka without a win over them in the format in 15 attempts.

A bright start that led nowhere

Sri Lanka began with intent, Pathum Nissanka slog-sweeping the first ball of the match for six, and closed the powerplay at 47 for 2.

Nissanka made 36 from 24 balls before Brook caught him at the end of a Will Jacks over, and the innings never regained that tempo.

Kamindu Mendis matched him with 35 from 28 balls, but no one else passed 20. Captain Charith Asalanka was run out for 16 and the last pair fell with seven balls of the innings unused.

Wickets shared around

England did not need a spell of destruction because the wickets came from everywhere. Sonny Baker took 2-17 from 3.5 overs and was named player of the match.

Jofra Archer finished with 2-23 and Jacks, the off-spinner, with 2-31. Jamie Overton conceded 15 runs from his four overs.

Sri Lanka’s own discipline went the other way: they sent down nine wides in a total that never looked defensible on a true Manchester surface.

Buttler ends it in the eighth over

Aneurin Donald was stumped for 13, and that was the only early encouragement Sri Lanka received. Buttler and Brook then put on 85 in 39 balls.

England were 82 for 1 at the end of their powerplay, already two-thirds of the way to the target. Brook made 33 from 21 balls before he was run out by Wanindu Hasaranga.

Buttler reached his fifty from 30 balls with a six and finished the match with another, ending with seven fours and two sixes. He had passed 15,000 career T20 runs earlier in the series.

Back to No 1 at India’s expense

The sweep was enough to lift England above India at the head of the T20I table, a swap that matters ahead of a crowded international calendar.

"Being back at world No 1 in T20s is an amazing achievement and everyone should be really proud of it," Brook said, before noting how hard the position is to hold: "We probably don’t play as much T20 as other nations, especially India."

He was as pleased with the manner of it as the margin. "I think everybody stepped up in this series. Every game has been slightly different and we’re playing the conditions extremely well," he said. Brook was the leading run-scorer across the three matches and was named player of the series.

A tour that has gone badly wrong

Sri Lanka lost the first T20I by 119 runs, the second by six wickets and the third by eight, and were beaten in every phase of the series.

"A very disappointing series for us in both departments, batting and bowling," Asalanka said, calling the tour "an important eye-opener for us."

The sides now move to a three-match one-day series, which begins on Tuesday at Chester-le-Street and continues at Headingley and The Oval.

Scorecard: Sri Lanka 124 all out in 18.5 overs (Nissanka 36, Kamindu Mendis 35; Baker 2-17, Archer 2-23, Jacks 2-31); England 126 for 2 in 9.4 overs (Buttler 62*, Brook 33). England won by eight wickets.

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