Sri Lanka's Collapse as Dawson and Overton Shine
Sri Lanka cruised to 56 without loss. Then, in the space of a few chaotic overs, their innings buckled.
What had looked like the perfect platform in the powerplay turned into a collapse of 4 for 33, as England’s change bowlers Liam Dawson and Jamie Overton shredded the top order and seized control.
Dawson lights the fuse
Lahiru Udara and Pathum Nissanka had done the hard work early, steering Sri Lanka to 56-0 and silencing any early English optimism. The ball skidded on, the field spread, and Sri Lanka looked set.
Then Jos Buttler turned to Liam Dawson for the final over of the powerplay, and the game’s rhythm changed in an instant.
Udara, on 21, went for the statement blow, trying to lift Dawson over mid-on. He picked out Jamie Overton instead, the tall seamer barely needing to move as he cupped the chance with those “bucket hands”. From comfort to concern in one misjudged swing: 56-1.
Dawson wasn’t done. Next ball, Kamil Mishara, promoted earlier in the series but shuffled down today, punched his first delivery straight back at the bowler. A simple return catch, a second wicket in two balls, and suddenly the left-arm spinner stood on a hat-trick with visiting captain Charith Asalanka striding out under real pressure.
Dawid Malan, watching on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, summed up the moment: Dawson was “very good again”, and Mishara, a left-hander undone by a left-arm spinner sliding it across him, would be “disappointed” with that shot. Sri Lanka, who had been cruising, now staggered to the end of the powerplay at 56-2, their early dominance wiped away by one over of sharp, disciplined spin.
Overton turns the screw
The powerplay ended, but the squeeze did not. Jamie Overton took the ball and went to work.
His first over after the field went out was tight rather than spectacular: a wide and four singles, with one slower-ball full toss awkwardly fended away by Nissanka. It was the same type of delivery that had brought him a wicket in Southampton, a reminder that his variations carry real threat.
Sri Lanka tried to reset. Singles ticked along, Asalanka carving Dawson through cover point for four to move SL to 70-2 and briefly ease the tension. But the pressure never really lifted.
On 37, Nissanka finally blinked. Overton had given him nothing easy: five singles from the first five balls of the over, the scoreboard beginning to feel sticky. The opener went for the pull, looking to muscle his way out of the strangle. He only managed to mis-time it straight to Harry Brook at mid-on. A simple catch, a vital wicket, and Sri Lanka slipped to 75-3.
The collapse gathered pace. Kamindu Mendis arrived and initially countered with invention, reverse-sweeping Adil Rashid’s first over for four past the keeper, then scampering a pair of sharp twos down the ground, one of them run hard enough to test Jos Buttler’s arm. For a moment, it looked like resistance.
Then Overton returned, and the pattern repeated. Mendis, having just cut a wide-ish ball for four, went back to the same shot. This time he chopped on. Bowled for 12, Overton’s second wicket, and Sri Lanka sank to 89-4.
From 56 without loss to 89-4: the numbers told the story. Four wickets for 33 runs, the early freedom replaced by hesitation, misjudgment and England’s bowlers dictating terms.
Sri Lanka had started as if they owned the evening. By the time Overton knocked back Mendis’ stumps, they were fighting just to keep the innings alive.
