Dazzling Root & Brook tons lead England to ODI series win

Third one-day international, R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

England 357-3 (50 overs): Brook 136* (66), Root 111* (108), Bethell 65 (72)

Sri Lanka 304 (46.4 overs): Rathnayake 121 (115), Nissanka 50 (25); Jacks 2-43

England won by 53 runs; win three-match series 2-1

Scorecard

Joe Root and Harry Brook hit hugely contrasting, but equally brilliant, unbeaten centuries as England beat Sri Lanka by 53 runs to clinch a one-day international series win.

After a slow start from England, Root was a picture of calm on his way to a 20th ODI century, sharing a stand of 126 with Jacob Bethell, before Brook joined him in the 32nd over.

Just as Root brought up an elegant run-a-ball century, Brook kicked into gear and produced an astonishing onslaught to reach his hundred from 57 balls.

An broken stand of 191 took England to a commanding 357-3, comfortably their highest ODI total in Sri Lanka, with captain Brook finishing on an ODI best 136 and Root on 111.

The tourists were given a scare as Sri Lanka exploded out of the blocks in the chase, hammering 104 runs in the powerplay, albeit for the loss of three wickets.

Opener Pathum Nissanka got to 50 from 24 balls but picked out the fielder in the deep from his 25th and England gradually clawed the hosts back.

After low-scoring affairs in the first two matches of the series, the pitch in Colombo proved much better for batting but did slow up and offer more turn as the chase went on.

Pavan Rathnayake did his best to keep the hosts in contention with a fine maiden international hundred, from 104 balls, but if his was the Root-like knock, Sri Lanka found no Brook equivalent.

As wickets tumbled at the other end, Rathnayake attempted to cut loose after reaching his ton but he was the last man out, bowled by Sam Curran for 121 in the 47th over.

Victory sees England end Sri Lanka’s 12-series unbeaten run on home soil in the 50-over format and eases any lingering concerns that they may have to go through qualifying to reach the 2027 World Cup.

The two centuries could hardly have been more different.

Root all touch and timing, getting the tempo of his innings just right, on a low, slow turner.

He set the platform from which England could launch, and launch – time and again – Brook did.

For a team who have struggled so much in the format in recent times, this was something approaching a perfectly constructed 50-over innings with the two Yorkshiremen leading the way.

For much of the innings, batting looked tricky. Patience was the name of the game for England after Ben Duckett and Rehan Ahmed lost theirs, but Root produced a masterclass in it.

There was never any sense of panic in his flawless knock. There were 58 singles in his innings as he rotated the strike at will, finding the gaps, manipulating the field – this isn’t the exciting stuff but it is bedrock of what makes Root great.

Sri Lanka could not put him under any pressure as he scored freely off both front foot and back, and either side of the wicket, with nine boundaries and a six in his 108-ball knock.

It meant Brook had the freedom to take his time and adapt to conditions initially before rapidly moving through the gears.

He brought up his half-century from 40 balls with a six, going inside-out over extra cover. Seventeen deliveries later, he was celebrating his century.

Sri Lanka’s bowlers had no answer as Brook switched seamlessly between dancing down the track and going deep in his crease.

Whichever option he chose, the ball invariably flew to – or over – the boundary.

In total, Brook struck 11 fours and nine sixes in a timely reminder of his supreme natural talent.

After the last of those maximums flew over the rope, Brook and Root walked off together, a job well done and the series win well within their grasp.

Sri Lanka knew it was going to take a staggering effort to chase down 358 – it would have been not only a record chase at the R Premadasa Stadium but their highest successful chase in ODI cricket.

The first ball of the replay showed just how fine the margins were for Charith Asalanka’s men.

Nissanka showed his intent as he took on a short ball from Jamie Overton but almost picked out mid-wicket, where Ben Duckett flung himself into the air and nearly took a stunning catch.

Sri Lanka had to be aggressive, put the pressure on the England bowlers but not make mistakes.

A tough ask but they gave it a good go with Nissanka and Kamil Mishara getting them off to a flyer, and Kusal Mendis briefly joining the fun as well.

But by the time the powerplay was over, all three had fallen.

England’s bowlers held firm and when Adil Rashid removed Asalanka in the 15th over, they were able to settle things down.

The pitch began to slow and take more spin with England’s bowlers finding 3.7 degrees of turn, more than 40% more than the 2.6 degrees their Sri Lankan counterparts managed in the first innings.

Spinners Rashid, Liam Dawson and Will Jacks took two wickets each as the bowlers took control and managed to put the pressure back on the Sri Lanka batters.

Rathnayake did well to withstand the pressure and keep the scoreboard moving but, ultimately, he was left with too much to do.

England head into the T20 series – which begins on Friday, 30 January – on a high, having secured their first ODI series win overseas since March 2023 in Bangladesh and just their second anywhere since the start of 2024.