In the end, everything went as expected. England first put up a show with their otherworldly batting. Then they took the field, only to get a close sight of a young Sri Lankan lineup crumbling like a deck of cards. This remained a recurrent motif throughout the three-match series that England clean-swept without stern challenge.
The hosts rode on a 105-run opening stand between Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow to post 180/6 in 20 overs. In reply, Sri Lanka were skittled out for 91, with no one crossing 20.
Malan came on the back of a string of low scores. His place in the overly resourced England’s batting order has been under scrutiny for quite some time, even more so after scores of 7 and 4 in the first two games. Bairstow, meanwhile, opened the innings again after Buttler was ruled out of the game.
The duo started cautiously. The first boundary came only after two overs, off a mishit from Bairstow. In the next over, Malan hit his trademark pick-up shot that sailed over the ropes. They completed the fifty-run partnership in 6.1 overs.
Bairstow struggled to break free, as evident from his strike rate of under 120. He made a 43-ball 51 before being bowled by Isuru Udana. Malan, however, looked in rhythm and amassed 76 off 48 before getting out in the 19th over. Two boundaries in the last over, by Chris Jordan, propelled England to 180/6 in 20 overs.
If the first innings had a shade of flamboyance written all over it, a sense of agony and suffering prevailed in the second. Someone should have pressed the panic button and set free the Sri Lankan soul from the wretchedness of life. Thankfully, it did not last all 20 overs.
None put up a price on their wicket. Danushka Gunathilaka emphatically punished the half-volley but edged the next ball to Malan at second slip. Chris Woakes, whose sabbaticals last longer than his workdays, flung a half-volley to Kusal Perera, who chose to nick it to Bairstow.
Binura Fernando’s 20 was the highest score of the innings. Other than him, only Oshada Fernando and Niroshan Dickwella touched double digits. Woakes was parsimonious, conceding just nine from his quota of four overs. David Willey picked up three wickets and Sam Curran two. Moeen Ali took his first wicket, Dushmantha Chameera, to wrap the visitors up for just 91.
Brief scores: England 180/6 in 20 overs (Malan 76; Chameera 4-17) beat Sri Lanka 91 in 18.5 overs (Fernando 20; Willey 3-27) by 89 runs. Player of the Match: Dawid Malan.
England won the series 3-0. Player of the series: Sam Curran.