Root and Brook smash centuries as England beat Lanka in final ODI to claim series

Contrasting centuries from Joe Root and Harry Brook powered England to a 53-run victory over Sri Lanka in Colombo on Tuesday to secure a 2-1 victory in their one-day international series.

After choosing ‍to bat, ‌England were on the back foot when Ben Duckett (7) and Rehan Ahmed (24) ‍fell inside the opening 11 overs.

But Root and Jacob Bethell stepped in to steady the innings, compiling a controlled 126-run stand for ‍the third wicket.

Bethell’s assured 65 came to an end when Jeffrey ‍Vandersay struck, but Root found a perfect partner in captain Brook as the pair shifted the innings into a higher gear. Their unbeaten 191-run stand from 113 balls turned England’s total from competitive to imposing.

Brook plundered an ODI career-best 136 off 66 deliveries, ‌smashing 11 fours and nine sixes, as Root made a ‍composed unbeaten 111 off 108 balls to guide England to a commanding 357-3.

Sri Lanka began their chase with intent.

Kamil Mishara contributed 22, and ​Pathum Nissanka hammered five fours and three sixes in a 24-ball fifty before his dismissal by Jamie Overton checked the momentum.

Captain Charith Asalanka (13) and ​Janith Liyanage (22) ‍fell cheaply as England applied sustained pressure with disciplined bowling.

The ‌hosts slipped to 202-6 in the 32nd over, and although Pavan Rathnayake (121) kept Sri Lanka afloat with a composed maiden ODI century, wickets continued ​to fall ‌around him.

Rathnayake’s resistance ended when Sam Curran breached his defence with a full delivery that knocked back his leg stump, and Sri Lanka were bowled out for 304.

Sri Lanka had won the first ‌ODI by 19 runs before England levelled the series with a five-wicket victory.

The sides will now turn their attention to a three-match Twenty20 series starting on Friday.

Brook finished unbeaten on a brutal 136 off 66 balls in an exhibition of clean hitting that left the home attack gasping for air, and the 4,000-strong English contingent of supporters in raptures.

Brook’s 11 fours and nine sixes was power hitting with a surgeon’s precision -- a blend of muscle and timing that turned the contest into a one-sided affair.

Brook had walked into the series under the microscope following revelations that he was fined £30,000 after a nightclub altercation in New Zealand last October.

But he looked to have put the incident behind him in posting his third ODI hundred. The platform was laid by an unbroken 191 run stand with former skipper Joe Root for the fourth wicket, a partnership that gave England total control.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s women’s team is set to travel to the West Indies for a six-match white-ball tour spanning late February to early March.

The itinerary features three One-Day Internationals and three T20 Internationals, scheduled between February 20 and March 3.

All fixtures will take place at the Grenada National Stadium in Grenada. The ODI leg begins on Feb.20, with the remaining matches on February 22 and 25. Attention then shifts to the T20Is, starting on Feb. 28, followed by games on March 1 and 3.

The T20I contests carry added significance, as both sides step up their preparations for the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup, to be held in the UK later this year. The West Indies and Sri Lanka are grouped together in Group 2, alongside England, New Zealand, and two teams yet to qualify.

“The Sri Lanka National Women’s Team will tour the West Indies during February–March 2026 to play a three-match ODI series and a three-match T20I series.

Agencies