Harry Brook scored a defiant 136 off just 66 balls to power England to a series win against Sri Lanka. In the third ODI game at the R Premadasa Stadium, the English team won the game by 53 runs.
The English captain criticized the pitch at the start of the game and created a controversy. However, he let his bat do the talking in a spectacular fashion as England won their first overseas ODI series in three years. The English skipped questioned the surfaces prepared for this series. He called them substandard even before the toss of the Third ODI on Monday evening. Charith Asalanka, the captain of Sri Lanka, pushed back on this matter and suggested he has a different opinion from that of Brook.
Brooks’ ton came at a staggering strike rate of 206. His innings featured 11 fours and 9 sixes. All thanks to Brooks for taking his team to 357. England’s innings didn’t start the way they would’ve liked. Ben Duckett fell early at just 7, and Rehan Ahmad’s 24 also came to an abrupt end as he was picked by Wanindu Hasaranga. After 11 overs, England was 40/2. At that point, Sri Lanka sensed an opening.
However, Joe Root stood there like a rock and provided the required foundation for his team. Later, Root also completed his century by scoring 111 off 108 balls. Initially, Root steadied the ship with Jacob Bethell. They shared a 126-run partnership for the third wicket. However, it was Brook’s onslaught that transformed England’s innings.
For the fourth wicket, Brook and Root added 191 runs, with Brook taking the center stage role in the final 10 overs. In the final 10 overs, England made 130 runs, and Brook also completed his century in that period. His third ODI ton came off just 57 balls.
In response, Sri Lanka started with an uncharacteristic aggression. Pathum Nissanka made a quickfire 50 off just 24 balls with imperious strokeplay. Kamil Mishara also joined in the assault with 22 off 17, and Kushal Mendis with 20 off 9. With this, they raced to 85/1 under 8 overs. Jamie Overton sent Mendis and Nissanka back in quick succession to dent their chase. The middle of Sri Lanka shouldered the responsibility for this game. Pavan Rathnayake played well as the lone warrior of the team and made 121 off 115 balls. His innings was something that everyone should look at for what they need to do in the modern ODI middle overs. No one could provide solid support to Pavan. In the end, Sri Lanka folded for 304 in 46.4 overs.