England wins rain-hit 2nd T20 against Sri Lanka by 6 wickets to clinch series ahead of World Cup

PALLEKELE, Sri Lanka (AP) — Tom Banton hit 54 not out off 33 balls and England won the second T20 against Sri Lanka by six wickets with two balls remaining under the DLS method on Sunday to clinch the series.

England has a 2-0 lead in the three-match series ahead of cricket's T20 World Cup, which starts Saturday.

Banton hit three sixes and four fours as England successfully chased down the revised target of 168 in 17 overs. It finished with 173-4 in 16.4 overs. Jos Buttler scored 39 runs off 29 balls, with six fours.

Sri Lanka lost the toss and had earlier reached 189-5 in 20 overs, with Pavan Rathnayake top-scoring for his team with 40 off 22 balls.

A short burst of rain meant the game was reduced to 17 overs a side.

Sri Lanka was beaten by 11 runs in a rain-affected series opener on Friday, also at Pallekele. The final T20 will be played at the same venue on Tuesday.

Pathum Nissanka scored 34 off 22 balls with two sixes and added 56 off 33 with Kamil Mishara (36) for the first wicket.

Jofra Archer (2-42) got the breakthrough in the sixth over, bowling Nissanka. Kusal Mendis then added another 50 off 33 balls for the second wicket with Mishara.

Mendis hit 32 off 17 deliveries, with four fours and a six, as Sri Lanka kept up a good scoring rate before losing three quick wickets.

Will Jacks had Mishara dismissed in the 11th over. Eight balls later, Liam Dawson sent back Mendis, while Adil Rashid trapped Dasun Shanaka lbw for 1 in the 14th over.

Rathnayake helped rescue the side from 131-4, sharing a stand of 56 runs off 36 balls with Charith Asalanka, who scored 28 not out off 22 balls and four fours.

It seemed a tough target for England, which had reached 57-2 in 7.2 overs — behind the DLS par score — when rain intervened.

Opener Phil Salt fell for 1, caught off Matheesha Pathirana (2-47), while Jacob Bethell was out for 13.

Rain and a wet outfield held up play for around 75 minutes before resuming with an adjusted target.

Buttler provided support to Banton, who powered his way to a half-century off 29 balls.

The duo added 43 off 28 deliveries before Buttler fell to Dunith Wellalage in the 10th over.

Banton added another 49 off only 20 balls with skipper Harry Brook (36), and then another rapid 43 off 25 with Sam Curran (20 not out off 14 balls) to win the match.

Brook smashed four sixes off 12 balls to bring the target within reach, before he was caught off Pathirana.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

England's Jos Buttler, left, celebrates with England's Phil Salt after hits a boundary during the second T20 cricket match between England and Sri Lanka in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Feb, 1. 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lanka's Pavan Rathnayake plays a shot during the second T20 cricket match between England and Sri Lanka in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Feb, 1. 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lanka's Dasun Shanaka celebrates the dismissal of England's Jacob Bethell during the second T20 cricket match between England and Sri Lanka in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Feb, 1. 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

England's Tom Banton celebrates his fifty runs during the second T20 cricket match between England and Sri Lanka in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Feb, 1. 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lanka's Janith Liyanage unsuccessfully attempts a run out as England's Tom Banton successfully completes a run during the second T20 cricket match between England and Sri Lanka in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Feb, 1. 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Alex Condon scored 25 points, Thomas Haugh added 22 and No. 19 Florida handled 23rd-ranked Alabama and Charles Bediako 100-77 on Sunday.

Florida’s fifth consecutive victory in the series came a little more than a week after Gators coach Todd Golden said “we’re gonna beat ’em anyways” in response to a judge’s decision to allow Bediako to return to college.

This one was so one-sided that 7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux, the world's tallest teenager, played the final minute and scored Florida's last basket.

Boogie Fland chipped in 15 points, eight assists and a career-high eight steals for the defending national champion Gators (16-6, 7-2 Southeastern Conference). Fland dominated his matchup against the league’s leading scorer, Labaron Philon. Fland's eight steals matched the program record set by Clifford Lett in 1989.

Philon, who entered the game averaging 22 points, finished with 14. Aden Holloway led the Crimson Tide (14-7, 4-4) with 19 points.

Florida’s frontcourt was the difference. Condon, Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu combined for 61 points, 29 rebounds and five blocks. The Gators outscored Alabama 72-26 in the paint. Chinyelu finished with 14 points and 17 boards.

Bediako, a 7-footer who is suing the NCAA in an attempt to regain college eligibility despite leaving school and entering the NBA draft, played his third game with Alabama and first on the road. Florida’s student section taunted him with chants of “G League dropout” when he entered the game and touched the ball. Bediako finished with six points and seven rebounds before fouling out with 2:10 to play.

Florida used a 13-2 run late in the first half to help build a 10-point lead at the break and turned the Top 25 matchup into a lopsided affair by scoring the first 12 points coming out of the locker room.

The stat of the game: Alabama had 18 turnovers to Florida's two.

Alabama hosts Texas A&M on Wednesday night.

Florida gets a midweek bye before playing at Texas A&M next Saturday.

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Alabama forward Amari Allen (5) goes up to shoot against Florida center Rueben Chinyelu (9) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Noah Lantor)