England's white-ball side picked up where it left off this summer, hammering Sri Lanka by 119 runs in the first of three Twenty20 internationals at Southampton's Utilita Bowl on Tuesday.

Captain Harry Brook was the story of the night, cracking an unbeaten 114 from just 50 deliveries — his hundred came up in 42 balls, the second-fastest by an Englishman in T20 internationals. Only Phil Salt's 39-ball century against the West Indies at Old Trafford last year beats it. Brook found the boundary eight times and cleared the rope six, including a brutal over of 30 runs off left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage.

He had company. Jos Buttler, back in the runs after stepping down as captain, smashed 80, and the pair added 128 in ten overs. It echoed their 233-run stand against India at the same ground in July, when Buttler made 131. England finished on 254-4; Sri Lanka's reply never left the dressing room. Pathum Nissanka fell early to Will Jacks, and Hampshire quick Sonny Baker, playing at his home ground, clean-bowled Kamil Mishara on his way to 3-12 as the tourists collapsed to 135 all out.

There was a fresh face in the dugout too. Kevin Pietersen has joined England's white-ball coaching setup as a 'special mentor', working alongside Brendon McCullum — making this his first match in the role. If he was looking for a statement performance, he got one.

For cricket fans planning a late-summer trip around the series, the timing is handy. The second T20 is at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Thursday, with the decider at Old Trafford in Manchester on Saturday. Both are city-centre-adjacent grounds — Sophia Gardens sits by the River Taff a short walk from Cardiff Central station, while Old Trafford is a tram ride from central Manchester — so you can pair the cricket with a proper weekend away: Cardiff's castle, arcades and bay on one side, Manchester's music venues and food scene on the other.

England, second in the T20 world rankings, look in ominous form. If the remaining games are anything like the first, anyone holding tickets at either venue is in for a treat — and neutral travellers could do worse than chasing this series across the border for a whistle-stop Wales-and-north-England double.