Brook's 66-Ball 136* Seals England's 2-1 ODI Series Win
Revenge, as the saying goes, is a dish best served at a strike rate of 206. Harry Brook had spent the evening before the decider openly questioning the quality of the pitches prepared for the series — and then, at the R Premadasa Stadium on Tuesday, the England captain produced the most devastating possible answer: an unbeaten 136 off just 66 balls to power England to a series-clinching 53-run victory over Sri Lanka and a 2-1 ODI series triumph.
The win ended a drought that had quietly become an embarrassment: it was England's first overseas bilateral ODI series victory in three years, and for Sri Lanka it marked a first bilateral ODI series defeat at home in five years. Combined with Joe Root's composed unbeaten 111 — his 20th ODI hundred — and a brave 121 from Pavan Rathnayake in a losing cause, the decider delivered everything a series finale should.
The Pitch Controversy That Lit the Fuse
Nothing about this innings makes sense without the 24 hours before it. At the toss on Monday evening, Brook had openly criticised the surfaces prepared for the series, calling them substandard — an unusually blunt public assessment from a touring captain. Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka pushed back diplomatically, suggesting his opinion of the pitches might differ from Brook's.
Harry Brook (at the toss): openly questioned the quality of the series' pitches, calling them substandard — an unusually blunt verdict from a visiting captain.
Charith Asalanka (in reply): diplomatically pushed back, suggesting his opinion of the surfaces might differ from Brook's assessment.
Twenty-four hours later, on that same "substandard" surface, Brook played the innings of the series. Sometimes the best response to a controversy is simply to bat through it.
Brook and Root: Two Tons, Two Tempos
England's innings had begun badly. Ben Duckett reverse-swept Dhananjaya de Silva straight to point for 7, Rehan Ahmed's promising 24 ended tamely off a Wanindu Hasaranga long hop, and at 40 for 2 in the 11th over, Sri Lanka sensed an opening. What followed was a masterclass in partnership batting from two Yorkshiremen at opposite ends of the tempo spectrum.
| Harry Brook | Joe Root | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs (not out) | 136* | 111* |
| Balls faced | 66 | 108 |
| Strike rate | 206.06 | 102.78 |
| Fours / Sixes | 11 / 9 | — / — |
| Fifty in | 40 balls | — |
| Hundred in | 57 balls | — |
| Career ODI tons | 3 | 20 |
Root was the anchor, compiling his 20th ODI century with the quiet efficiency that has defined his white-ball second act, while Brook was the explosion. Jacob Bethell's enterprising 65 off 72 steadied the ship first, adding 126 with Root for the third wicket — and then the all-Yorkshire fourth-wicket pair added an unbroken 191 that broke the game open. After Bethell holed out off Jeffrey Vandersay, Brook went into overdrive: fifty off 40 balls, hundred off 57, and a scarcely believable 130 runs in the final ten overs as England blazed to 357 for 3 — the first time England have passed 300 in an ODI on Sri Lankan soil.
There was even a signature in the celebration: Brook marked his third ODI hundred by clanking an imaginary glass — an apparent nod to the recent "drinking controversy" that had surrounded him. Controversy in, controversy out — but this one with a century attached.
Rathnayake's Lone Stand
Chasing 358, Sri Lanka came out swinging. Pathum Nissanka blazed a 24-ball fifty with eight boundaries including three sixes, Kamil Mishara chipped in with 22 off 17, and Kusal Mendis added a quickfire 20 off just 9 balls as the hosts raced to 85 for 1 in under eight overs. When Jamie Overton removed Mendis and Nissanka in quick succession, the required rate was still manageable — but the middle order could not hold.
Enter Pavan Rathnayake, who played a lone hand of rare quality: 121 off 115 balls, with 12 boundaries and a six, a clinic in modern middle-overs ODI batting as he held one end while partners fell around him. Janith Liyanage (22) and Dunith Wellalage (22 off 24) offered brief support, but England's spinners kept the stranglehold: Will Jacks struck twice including the key wicket of Dhananjaya de Silva, Adil Rashid's guile accounted for both Asalanka and Hasaranga, and Liam Dawson's 2 for 48 included Wellalage at a critical moment.
The asking rate climbed past ten an over, and the end came fittingly: Sam Curran yorked Rathnayake through his legs as he swung across the line, sealing a 53-run win with Sri Lanka all out for 304 in 46.4 overs.
Why This Series Win Matters
Strip away the fireworks and this was a watershed night for both sides, in opposite directions.
For England, under Brook's aggressive leadership, it is a genuine signal of white-ball resurgence: winning away in the subcontinent, with their captain setting the tone, is exactly the habit they had lost. For Sri Lanka, losing a home bilateral ODI series for the first time in half a decade is a stark reminder of the rebuilding still to come — even with a talent like Rathnayake announcing himself on the biggest stage.
And for Brook personally? He criticised the pitch on Monday, then made it look like a batting paradise on Tuesday. Whatever the surfaces were, the last word belonged to his bat.