England vs Sri Lanka 1st T20 Preview & Tips - Buttler to star as England secure T20 win over Sri Lanka

By Ben Darvill

13 Sep 2026

Ben Darvill 13 Sep 2026

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England face Sri Lanka in the first of three T20's
Sri Lanka have lost their last 12 T20's against England
Preview, stats & head to head

Jos Buttler of England (Getty Images)

England vs Sri Lanka 1st T20 Preview & Tips
Head To Head
England Form
Sri Lanka Form

England vs Sri Lanka 1st T20 Preview & Tips

England arrive on the back of four consecutive T20 wins after they blew India away 4-0 in their series across July.

Sri Lanka have been poor in the T20 game of late, with a single win coming across their last seven matches.

Jos Buttler scored 36, 8 and 131 in his last two T20 outings for England
England beat Sri Lanka by 51 runs in their last meeting in February

Head To Head

England have won their last 10 T20's against Sri Lanka with the last meeting ending in a 51-run win in the World Cup back in February.

England Form

England will hope that they can continue the good feeling that the Test side have created after their comfortable 3-0 win over Pakistan in the longest format.

Not to be outdone, England boast four wins in their last five ODI's, while they have won 13 of their last 15 in the T20 game. Their 4-0 series win over India back in July was the cherry on top of an impressive run in the shortest format, with the English currently ranked as the second best team in the world in the T20 game.

While Jos Buttler had a lean start to the year in T20's, he impressed against India, scoring 36, 8 and 131 in the final three matches. His ability to take the attack to the opposition will have Sri Lanka on red alert.

If Buttler can start well than England will likely post a big score. His ability to clear the ropes makes him one of the best white ball players in the world, and I predict that he will star in the opener.

Sri Lanka Form

Sri Lanka will be hoping to begin their tour of England with a statement win against a side they have not beaten in the T20 game since 2014.

In that time, Sri Lanka have lost 12 T20's to England in a torrid run of form. Also worrying is their run in the shortest format heading into this one. Six defeats in seven has seen Sri Lanka lose to Zimbabwe, England, New Zealand, Pakistan and the West Indies twice.

A solitary win over the Windies back in June has done little to convince me that they can end their awful run against England. Travelling to take on arguably the best T20 side in the world is never easy, and doing this without any positive form behind you is even harder.

I am backing against Sri Lanka in this one as they slump to a frustrating loss at the hands of their hosts.

Verdict

England v Sri Lanka 1st T20

I am backing Jos Buttler to start as he means to go on as he leads England to victory.

England

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