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Joe Root produced a batting masterclass on a turning track to steer England to a hard-fought five-wicket win over Sri Lanka, squaring the three-match ODI series in Colombo on Saturday.
With their backs to the wall and defeat meaning curtains for the series, Root played the anchor to perfection, crafting a gritty 75 as England crossed the line with 22 deliveries to spare.
“Nice to get a win on a very difficult surface. The key when you come here is to play as late as possible. To be brutally honest, it wasn’t a great wicket for ODI cricket. But we adapted well and learned from the mistakes in the first game,” said Root.
Chasing a modest 220, England found the target anything but a cakewalk on a surface that kept low and offered generous assistance for spin.
Unfurling the sweep and reverse sweep, Root teased the spinners, milked the singles with soft hands and rotated strike intelligently. His 81-run fourth-wicket stand with skipper Harry Brook took the sting out of the chase with Joe Root bringing up his half-century off just 52 balls.
The rest of the batting wobbled without fully collapsing, but with the former captain holding one end together, England’s well-documented troubles against spin were neatly papered over.
Root had already notched a half-century in the opening game and once again looked untroubled by the slow bowlers, forcing Sri Lanka to turn to pace. The breakthrough eventually came via Asitha Fernando, who trapped Root leg before with a sharp yorker.
By then, England needed 42 off 59 balls and Jos Buttler calmly applied the finishing touches with an unbeaten 33 off 21 to see the former world champions home.
Earlier, England’s decision to beef up their spin resources paid rich dividends. Brook used no fewer than six slow bowlers as Sri Lanka were bowled out with three deliveries to spare. England sent down 40.3 overs of spin, the most they have ever bowled in an ODI, surpassing their previous mark of 36 overs against Pakistan in Sharjah back in 1985.
Sri Lanka showed early promise but failed to convert starts into substance, repeatedly perishing in the deep while attempting to clear the ropes. Not a single batter managed a half-century.
Kusal Mendis, arguably Sri Lanka’s best player of spin, looked fluent during his 26 but threw his wicket away attempting a suicidal single.
“We were short by 30 runs. Kusal’s run out was crucial. But credit to England. We tried everything and the way Joe Root batted made the difference,” Sri Lanka skipper Charith Asalanka conceded.
The series decider will be played on Tuesday at the same venue before the teams head to Kandy for the three match T20I series, a final dress rehearsal ahead of the T20 World Cup, co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India.
