England beat Sri Lanka by 53 runs in the third ODI at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Tuesday, January 27, to win the series 2-1. England posted 357 for 3 in 50 overs before bowling out Sri Lanka for 304 in 46.4 overs. Harry Brook smashed an unbeaten 136 off 66 balls while Joe Root remained not out on 111 off 108 deliveries.
The victory gave England their first away ODI series win since March 2023, when they beat Bangladesh. Sri Lanka lost their first home ODI series in five years, ending a 12-series unbeaten run at home. Root won the Player of the Series award for scoring 247 runs across three matches with one century and two half-centuries.
Brook reached his century in just 57 balls and went on to score his career-best ODI total. His knock included 11 fours and 9 sixes as he tore apart the Sri Lankan bowling attack. Root scored his 20th ODI century and batted through the innings to provide the base for England’s highest total against Sri Lanka in ODIs.
Brook Destroys Bowling in Final Overs
England captain Harry Brook came to bat with the score at 126 for 2 in the 21st over. He started slowly but exploded after reaching his fifty. Brook went from 50 to 136 in just 26 balls, showing incredible power hitting. He smashed 22 runs in the 49th over alone off Dunith Wellalage.
The last 10 overs of England’s innings produced 130 runs. Brook took complete control during this period with his brutal hitting. He cleared the boundary nine times and found the gaps for 11 fours. Every Sri Lankan bowler went for plenty as Brook refused to slow down.
Brook’s knock came after he paid a £30,000 fine for a nightclub incident in New Zealand back in October. The England captain answered his critics with the bat in front of around 4,000 travelling English fans who filled one section of the stadium. His innings turned what looked like a par total into a match-winning score.
Root Anchors Innings With Smart Batting
Joe Root played the perfect supporting role to Brook’s fireworks. Root came in at number four when England lost Ben Duckett for 7 and Rehan Ahmed for 24. The team stood at 40 for 2 in 11 overs when Root walked out to bat with Jacob Bethell.
Root and Bethell put on 126 runs for the third wicket to steady the innings. Bethell made 65 off 72 balls before getting out. Root then joined Brook for an unbeaten stand of 191 runs off 113 balls that took the game away from Sri Lanka completely.
Root reached his 20th ODI century and his third hundred at this ground. He scored 61 runs through singles, twos and threes, showing his ability to rotate strike. Root finished the series with 247 runs after scores of 61 and 75 in the first two matches. His average of 76 in ODIs played in Sri Lanka now stands from 15 matches in the country.
Sri Lankan Bowlers Cannot Stop Flow
Sri Lanka’s bowlers struggled to contain the England batters once Root and Brook got going. Asitha Fernando conceded runs at 8.55 per over while both Wanindu Hasaranga and Jeffrey Vandersay gave away 76 runs in their 10 overs each. Only Dunith Wellalage kept things tight with an economy rate of 4.9 runs per over.
The Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka could not find the right bowling changes. Even Wellalage got hit for 13 runs in the 45th over as Brook went after him. Tatenda Chimugoro took three wickets but went for 49 runs in his eight overs. England’s total of 357 for 3 became the highest ODI score at this venue since October 2018.
Sri Lanka needed early wickets when chasing such a big target. The bowling attack had no answers when England’s white-ball leadership under Harry Brook showed the team’s power. The home team paid for bowling too short and giving width to dangerous batters.
Nissanka Starts Chase Fast
Sri Lanka came out swinging in the powerplay. Pathum Nissanka smashed 50 runs off just 25 balls with five fours and three sixes. He reached his half-century in 24 deliveries, matching the quick scoring England showed earlier. Opening partner Kamil Mishara made 22 as Sri Lanka raced to 48 without loss.
The pair put on 104 runs in the powerplay, giving Sri Lanka hope of chasing down the target. Nissanka attacked from ball one and looked in brilliant touch. He hit Jamie Overton for two sixes in one over and kept finding boundaries regularly.
Overton got his revenge by dismissing Nissanka in the 10th over. The opener’s wicket changed the match completely. Kusal Mendis followed soon after for 20 runs. Sri Lanka slipped to 131 for 4 as the required run rate kept climbing. The early momentum from the powerplay disappeared quickly.
Rathnayake Fights Alone With Maiden Century
Pavan Rathnayake came in at number four, a new batting position for him in ODIs. The 23-year-old played in only his fourth international match but showed great skill. He used his feet well against the spinners and rotated strike when boundaries dried up.
Rathnayake reached his maiden ODI century off 115 balls with 12 fours and one six. He held the innings together as wickets kept falling at the other end. The young batter added 50 runs with Dunith Wellalage for the seventh wicket, but ran out of partners.
Sam Curran bowled Rathnayake through the gate for 121 in the 47th over. The leg stump went back as Rathnayake tried to push the scoring rate. His brilliant knock gave Sri Lanka respectability, but could not prevent defeat. Captain Charith Asalanka made only 13 while Janith Liyanage scored 22.
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England Bowlers Share Wickets
England’s bowling attack worked well as a unit. Will Jacks took two wickets for 43 runs while Jamie Overton finished with 2 for 48. Liam Dawson also grabbed two wickets and kept things tight with an economy of 4.80 runs per over.
Adil Rashid picked up two wickets to finish the series with seven wickets at an average of 19.85. The leg-spinner troubled the Sri Lankan batters throughout the three matches. Sam Curran got the important final wicket of Rathnayake to end Sri Lanka’s resistance.
Sri Lanka got bowled out for 304 in 46.4 overs, falling 53 runs short of the target. The middle order collapsed under pressure of the required run rate. England celebrated their second ODI series win in the last eight attempts after suffering a 4-1 defeat in the recent Ashes series.
Series Win Boosts England’s Confidence
England won the series after losing the first match. The team bounced back with victories in the second and third ODIs to take the trophy. This marks England’s first ODI series win on foreign soil since beating Bangladesh in March 2023, over two years ago.
The victory helps England’s chances of qualifying for the 2027 Cricket World Cup. Ranking points from bilateral series matter for automatic qualification spots. England needed this win after recent poor results in ODI cricket, where they won just one series in the previous seven attempts.
Sri Lanka’s 12-series unbeaten home run came to an end. The island nation last lost an ODI series at home in 2021 against India. The defeat exposes weaknesses in Sri Lanka’s bowling attack and middle order batting that need fixing before upcoming tournaments.
Both teams now prepare for a three-match T20 series starting Friday, January 30. The matches serve as preparation for the T20 World Cup 2026, which begins next month. Root will not play the T20 series as he heads back home, while Brook stays on to lead the team.
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