Root masterclass drive England to level series
On a slow R. Premadasa surface that exposed every flaw in technique and temperament, England’s senior pro Joe Root delivered a masterclass in control to level the three-match ODI series 1-1 with a 5-wicket win, dragging Sri Lanka into a high-pressure decider on Tuesday. This was Root at his most authoritative, his dominance evident as he guided England in chasing 220 to keep the series alive.
Player of the Match, Root followed up an excellent 2 for 12 in just 2.3 overs with a brutal finishing act –his second successive half-century (75) –removing any doubt about who owned the contest. He batted with clarity, leaving Sri Lanka chasing shadows in a game that slipped away long before the result was sealed.
England lost Rehan Ahmed early, Dhananjaya de Silva’s inswinger crashing into the stumps in the sixth over, but that was as good as it got for the hosts. Root walked in, shut the door, and bolted it. Alongside Ben Duckett, he added a decisive 68 for the second wicket, guiding the chase through method rather than muscle. Root’s fifty came off 52 balls, with five boundaries, zero panic. Duckett, fresh from a fluent 62 in the opener, threatened again before Jeffrey Vandersay skidded one through his attempted cut to bowl him for 39. Jacob Bethell’s innings was brief. Stepping out to drive at 19.3 overs, he misjudged de Silva’s delivery, chipped it to cover, and departed for 6 from 14 balls.
But it changed nothing. Root barely blinked. He continued to bleed the bowlers dry, manipulating gaps, killing pressure and exposing Sri Lanka’s lack of ideas on a surface that should have been their ally. He had the support of young captain Harry Brook, playing his maiden series on the Island, as they slowly but steadily marched forward.
Root was eventually trapped leg before by Asitha Fernando for 75 off 90 balls, flicking a full yorker off his boot at 40.3 overs, ending a commanding innings that had anchored England’s chase. He had shared an 81-run partnership for the fourth wicket with his captain. Vandersay trapped Brook lbw for 42, a few balls later, but the outcome was never in doubt as Jos Buttler (33n.o.) and Will Jacks (8n.o.) completed the chase with 22 balls to spare.
Earlier, Sri Lanka’s batting folded without authority. Bowled out for 219 with three balls to spare, they squandered a pitch that demanded discipline rather than daring. On a ground where timing is everything, Sri Lanka misread the exchange rate.
The innings never truly settled. Kamil Mishara scratched around before gifting Jamie Overton a catch at cover. Pathum Nissanka’s dismissal at 58 for 2 was the turning point. Adil Rashid lured him into a loose lofted drive, and England sensed the collapse. Kusal Mendis never found rhythm, and when Dhananjaya de Silva’s laborious 40 ended at 134 for 4, safely taken by Root at midwicket off Liam Dawson, the slide became inevitable.
Janith Liyanage’s tame dismissal to Rashid summed up the middle-order paralysis. Charith Asalanka fought for 45 off 64 balls, but even that resistance felt cosmetic. A predictable slog-sweep straight to deep midwicket ended his stay, Rashid once again cashing in on indecision. The end was meek. Dunith Wellalage and Asitha Fernando fell to Root in successive deliveries in the final over, Sri Lanka bowled out with three balls to spare. That alone underlined the collapse.
England’s bowlers operated with purpose. Overton hit the deck hard. Rashid controlled the middle overs. Dawson and Jacks squeezed relentlessly. Root cashed in. Collectively, England’s spinners bowled 40.3 overs–a record for England in ODI cricket.
At 219, Sri Lanka posted a total that asked questions but offered no threat. England answered clinically. The series is level, but the balance has now shifted. Sri Lanka must now respond under pressure, because right now, Joe Root is not just winning games–he is setting the terms.
| Scoreboard | |
| Sri Lanka (Toss/Elected to bat) Pathum Nissanka c Jacks b Rashid 26 (Plenty of flight, ball drops short of where batsman anticipated, lofts, gives a simple catch) Kamil Mishara c Duckett b Overton 05 (Full and wide, looks to play big, hit high off the bat and caught at mid-wicket) Kusal Mendis run out 26 (Cuts, and sets off blindly before being sent back by non-striker) Dhananjaya de Silva c Root b Dawson 40 (Slower delivery, punched out of full length, scrapes to midwicket, and caught) Charith Asalanka c Duckett b Rashid 45 (Good delivery, slog-sweeps and caught at deep midwicket) Janith Liyanage c Rashid b Overton 12 (Flighted, angled delivery down the leg, steps across and caught at deep backward square) Pavan Rathnayake c Dawson b Jacks 29 (Plays a wild shot to a delivery high into the off, ballooned over between mid-off and cover) Dunith Wellalage c Curran b Root 20 (Plays a lofted drive on the charge, finds fielder at long on) Pramod Madushan st Buttler b Ahmed 08 (Charges on a leg-break that turns away and misses, to fall short of the crease) Jeffrey Vandersay not out 01 Asitha Fernando c and b Root 00 (Batter backs away and clips, sliced straight up back to the bowler) Extras (lb2, w5) 07 Total (all out; 49.3 overs) 219 Fall of wickets: 1-16 (Mishara, 4.3ov), 2-58 (Nissanka, 14.1ov), 3-68 (Mendis, 17.1ov), 4-134 (De Silva, 32.4ov), 5-151 (Liyanage, 35.3ov), 6-179 (Asalanka, 41.4ov), 7-193 (Rathnayake, 44.6ov), 8-213 (Madushan, 48.2ov), 9-219 (Wellalage, 49.2ov), 10-219 (Fernando, 49.3ov) Bowling: Jamie Overton 5-1-21-2, Sam Curran 4-0-16-0, Liam Dawson 10-1-41-1, Will Jacks 10-0-47-1, Adil Rashid 10-0-34-2, Jacob Bethell 3-0-20-0, Rehan Ahmed 5-0-26-1, Joe Root 2.3-0-12-2 England Rehan Ahmed b de Silva 13 (Quick inswinger with perfect length, attempts to cut, and hits stumps) Ben Duckett b Vandersay 39 (Drifts across, big turner from wide of off stump, attempts to cut and misses) Joe Root lbw b Fernando 75 (Full yorker, attempts to clip on the leg, misses and hits on the boot, batter reviews, but decision upheld) Jacob Bethell c Asalanka b de Silva 06 (Floated up, steps out to drive, but scoops, caught at cover) Harry Brook lbw b Vandersay 42 (Fuller length, kneels to sweep and misses) Jos Buttler not out 33 Will Jacks not out 08 Extras (lb1, w6) 07 Total (5 wickets; 46.2 overs) 223 Did not bat: Sam Curran, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid Fall of wickets: 1-20 (Ahmed, 5.4ov), 2-88 (Duckett, 16.5ov), 3-97 (Bethell, 19.3ov), 4-178 (Root, 40.3ov), 5-189 (Brook, 42.4ov) Bowling: Asitha Fernando 7-0-31-1, Pramod Madushan 3.2-0-20-0, Dhananjaya de Silva 7-0-37-2, Dunith Wellalage 10-0-50-0, Charith Asalanka 8-0-27-0, Jeffrey Vandersay 10-0-45-2, Pavan Rathnayake 1-0-12-0 |