Joe Root and Harry Brook scored brilliant centuries as England beat Sri Lanka by 53 runs in Colombo on Tuesday, sealing a 2–1 win in the one-day international series.
England failed to get good start
After opting to bat, England failed to get a good start as Ben Duckett went back to pavallion after scoring seven runs and Rehan Ahmed followed soon after for 24 to put England in a spot of bother.
Joe Root shifted the momentum of the game
Joe Root then took control of the innings alongside Jacob Bethell. The pair batted sensibly and added 126 runs for the third wicket, helping England recover. Bethell looked confident during his knock but was dismissed for 65 when Jeffrey Vandersay struck.
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Root soon found strong support in captain Harry Brook, and the momentum quickly shifted England’s way. The two batters attacked with freedom and confidence, putting together an unbeaten 191-run partnership off just 113 balls.
Brook was at his destructive best, smashing an ODI career-high 136 from only 66 balls, including 11 fours and nine sixes. Root played the perfect supporting role, finishing unbeaten on 111 from 108 deliveries. Their efforts lifted England to an imposing total of 357 for three.
Sri Lanka's chase
Sri Lanka began the chase positively. Kamil Mishara made 22, while Pathum Nissanka came out firing, racing to a half-century off just 24 balls. However, his dismissal by Jamie Overton slowed the scoring.
England kept tightening the screws as Charith Asalanka and Janith Liyanage were dismissed cheaply. The hosts slipped to 202 for six in the 32nd over, and the chase looked out of reach.
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Pavan Rathnayake tried to shift the momentum
Pavan Rathnayake tried to keep Sri Lanka in the contest with a calm and well-made maiden ODI hundred. But with little support from the other end, the pressure kept mounting.
His resistance ended when Sam Curran bowled him with a full delivery that knocked back the leg stump. Sri Lanka were eventually bowled out for 304, falling short by 53 runs.
Sri Lanka had won the opening ODI by 19 runs before England bounced back to level the series with a five-wicket win in the second match. Both teams will now face each other in three matches T20I series which is scheduled to start from January 30.