England Lions Secure Rain‑Interrupted Warm‑Up Victory Over Sri Lanka

England Lions 76 for 1 (Walter 34*) beat Sri Lanka 156 for 9 (Mishra 31, Crane 2-20) by nine wickets (DLS method)

The second T20 warm‑up at Beckenham saw England Lions clinch a nine‑wicket triumph over Sri Lanka thanks to a rain‑interrupted DLS target chase. Sri Lanka posted 156 for nine, with Kamil Mishra top‑scoring 31, while England’s Paul Walter remained unbeaten on 34 and hit a huge six to seal the win. England’s target was adjusted to 73 from eight overs after rain curtailed their innings, and they reached it with ten balls to spare.

The match was played with 13‑aside teams, allowing a maximum of eleven batters. After losing the toss, Sri Lanka looked to set a competitive total, reaching 70 for one before the powerplay. The first wicket fell when Pathum Nissanka was caught by Mason Crane off Saqib Mahmood for 23. Mishra added 31 runs before holing out to Crane, earning a catch at the boundary by Ben Mayes.

The middle order collapsed quickly. Lahiru Udara made 13 before being caught by Crane off James Coles, while Kamindu Mendis contributed just two before sweeping to Tom Hartley. Dasan Shanaka was trapped by Hartley after a lofted shot, and Janith Liyanage was caught by Walter for five. Captain Charith Asalanka followed for 23, caught by Walter off Henry Crocombe. Tharindu Ratnayake briefly revived the innings with 22, striking two sixes in the 19th over, but was later caught and bowled. Dunith Wellalage was run out in the final over by wicket‑keeper Joe Moores for ten, leaving Maheesh Theekshana (1) and Dushmantha Chameera (0) not out.

Rain began to fall after Sri Lanka’s innings, and when play resumed England started at 43 for zero after 3.4 overs. The target was further reduced to 27 runs from four overs. England lost Ben McKinney (caught by Eshan Malinga off Theekshana for 19), but Ben Mayes contributed ten runs off seven balls. Paul Walter completed the chase with a towering six over backward square, securing the win.