Sri Lanka simply cannot buy a win at this stage. After losing all the 3 T20Is on the tour, the Lankan Lions were now on the receiving end of another loss in the ODI format. Sri Lanka showed glimpses of their potential, especially in the first half with the ball in hand, where they fought hard against a big batting line-up. But their timid approach in the second innings meant all the good work went in vain as Sri Lanka lost by 89 runs to be behind in the series. There were a lot of areas in which Sri Lanka lacked, and we will list them out for you here.
Lagging behind in the mandatory power play of 10 overs hurt Sri Lanka
In ODI cricket, each phase of the game is important, and the mandatory power play is one of them. It consists of 10 overs, and whoever wins that phase decisively, more often than not, goes on to win the contest. That is what happened in Durham yesterday. On a pitch that was on the drier side and getting slower and slower as the game progressed, it was important to cash in on the power play when the ball was new. We saw how it unravelled, and on both occasions, Sri Lanka fell behind in the contest.
After losing the toss, Sri Lanka came to bowl first, and despite dismissing Tom Banton early, they could not get another breakthrough and also leaked runs a little bit. The duo of Ben Duckett and Joe Root counter-attacked the visitors, which was too hot to handle. England managed to score 64/1 in the first 10 overs. If we compare to the second innings, it was important that Sri Lanka got off to a faster start to maximise the hard new ball. The visitors lost Kamindu Mendis early. But the duo of Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis did not accelerate enough.
To put things into perspective, the Lankans decelerated and could muster 40/1 in the first 10 overs. So, Sri Lanka were 24 runs behind after one phase and with the pitch aiding slow bowlers and spinners in the second half, this slow start turned out to be a disaster. They had to play catch-up throughout, lost wickets and were in big trouble to lose this game badly. The Lankans will want an improvement in this phase when the teams meet again on Thursday at Leeds.
Inability to face Will Jacks brings about their downfall
Sri Lanka did really well to claw their way back into the game after the fast start by England, as debutant Sachindu Colombage and Asitha Fernando helped Sri Lanka come back into the match. England collapsed a little bit and were 214/7 in 40 overs. The Lankans were doing well now, but there was one man who was still there at the crease, holding out hope for England. Will Jacks came out to bat at 6 and was losing partners at the other end.
But Jacks first contributed with the bat in hand, scoring an unbeaten 46, with the tail hitting some crucial runs to take the score to 265 in 48.1 overs, which was a par score on a slow and low pitch. Still, we could say the Lankans did well to keep the score under 270. But Jacks was not done yet, as he was about to turn the game on its head with his bowling. Jacks, with his off-spin, bamboozled the Lankans, who had no idea how to play off-spin bowling. It was a disaster for the visitors.
Jacks first dismissed Charith Asalanka cheaply and then came back to dismiss the form batter and captain Kusal Mendis for 42. Thereafter, he came back into the attack with 3 wickets left to take, and he did that by dismissing Dunith Wellalage for 45 in the 3rd ball of the 37th over. Thereafter, Asitha fell for a silver duck off the 5th ball. The match was completed the next ball when Madushanka was cleaned up as Jacks completed a five-wicket haul. Sri Lanka had no clue how to play him. They struggled against him in Sri Lanka, and the same story played out today.
Sri Lanka will want to seriously work on these areas and come back stronger if they want to be competitive and relevant in this format of the game as well. At this stage, they are in danger of going winless from the UK tour.
Bizarre batting order at the top exposes Sri Lanka’s decision-making
Another bizarre thing to note was the batting order of Sri Lanka, especially the top order. Sri Lanka haven’t played many ODIs lately, and so there is no reference point as to who should bat where. But certain common sense should prevail as well. Kamindu Mendis bats in the middle order in Tests and T20Is as he bats at 4. Suddenly, in this ODI series, we see him opening the batting with Pathum Nissanka. Nissanka at the top is perfect, but another new opening partner for him is catastrophic.
Kamindu is a middle-order batter and can easily slot in at 4 or 5, which is a natural position for him. Making him open is like playing him out of position. It just did not make sense, as Sri Lanka have Kusal Mendis as a legitimate opener. He batted at 3 and can manage that position, but being a keeper does not mean he can’t open in ODIs. The great Adam Gilchrist opened the batting for Australia despite being a keeper. Yes, in Tests, it is different where keepers bat down the order, but ODIs is different.
Adding to the woes, we have Asalanka batting at 5; he can easily bat at 4. There was no place for Dasun Shanaka or Wanindu Hasaranga in the XI. These are big names in Sri Lankan cricket, and both of them being on the sidelines show that something is not right in the team management of Sri Lanka. Gary Kirsten could be asked serious questions about the move to make Kamindu open the batting. Other decisions are fine, but Kamindu Mendis, not being a natural opener, being told to open the batting was something very surprising to see for us.
Let’s see if they can sort out this problem and come back with better plans and ideas for the next game. That game will be a must-win game for Sri Lanka to keep the series alive.
What Lies Ahead
The second ODI of this 3-match series takes place on Thursday, 24th September, 2026 at 5 PM IST onwards. England would like to seal the series here itself, while Sri Lanka will be desperate for a win and to level the series with one game to spare. It’s all to play for at Leeds, Headingley, and we shall see how the game goes and who comes out on top in this fixture.
Also Read: ENG vs SL: Will Jacks’ All-Round Brilliance Sinks Sri Lanka