Hosts Sri Lanka went down in the series decider against England at Colombo as the Harry Brook-led side clinched the series 2-1 after losing the series opener few days ago. Sri Lanka did well in patches and put up a decent show in the final ODI but were not consistent enough to put pressure on England for longer periods of time. Sri Lanka lacked in a few areas which they will need to iron out before they play another ODI series. We will try giving three reasons for their loss last night.
Inability to separate Joe Root-Harry Brook pair hurts Sri Lanka.Â
England opted to bat first and began on a cautious note in the mandatory powerplay as they got their eyes in. Thereafter, Sri Lanka managed to reduce England to 40/2 in the 11th over and the match was nicely poised at one stage. But then the tide began to turn for England. First Joe Root and Jacob Bethell put on 126 for the third wicket to lay the foundation with Bethell scoring a handy 65 runs before he fell at the score of 166.
Captain Harry Brook came out to bat next joining Root in the middle as they took their time initially before switching gears. Root played at his own pace and from time to time was hitting boundaries. Brook started slowly and then exploded to put on a show. The last 10 overs of the innings completely belonged to Brook as he overshadowed Root and made a blazing hundred. He got to fifty in 40 balls and then the hundred in 57 balls before he finished with his highest score in ODIs, unbeaten on 136 off 66 balls and proved to be the difference between the two sides.
Sri Lanka ran short of ideas with the ball and tried too many things and couldn’t get any wickets after the third wicket fell. Too many length balls were bowled and it became easier for the batters. The spinners couldn’t quite maintain pressure on the English batters. Going forward, Sri Lanka has to dish out a better bowling display and come up with better plans. They cannot let one partnership dominate proceedings and search for breakthroughs desperately. It was one of those days for Sri Lanka in Colombo.
Losing wickets at regular intervals in massive chase hurts Sri Lanka.Â
Chasing a massive 358 for the win, Sri Lanka needed a solid but fast start to stay in touch with the run rate. They did get quickly off the blocks, but failed to keep wickets in hand as they lost wickets in clumps. They were taking the extra risk even after getting a big one as the chase was over 350 which is a lot of runs on this pitch. The openers set the tone and put on 48 for the first wicket in 5.1 overs before Mishara fell for 22 off 17 balls with 5 fours to his name.
Kusal Mendis was off the blocks too and smashed a maximum maximum down the ground and 3 boundaries to his name in which he scored 20 off 9 balls. Pavan Rathnayake came out to bat next and he batted really well to keep one end going. But the others got quick starts but could not convert that to a significant score. Nissanka made a half-century but fell soon after in 25 balls. The rest got chirpy starts but could not carry onto a bigger score.
Going forward looking ahead, if the Lankans are chasing a total above 350, they need to devise better plans and methodology to overcome this and try and chase this down. Yes, 358 is a humongous score something that needs a perfect powerplay to get things going. But the Lankans made a feast of it as in the powerplay and scored over 100 runs but lost 3 wickets and kept on losing wickets at the wrong time in the chase. It was a bridge too far in the end for the Lankans.
Wanindu Hasaranga’s ordinary return mounts more headache for Sri Lanka.Â
England went with the same side that played the second game in Colombo but Sri Lanka made a change as they brought in Wanindu Hasaranga in place of Pramod Madushan. It was expected Hasaranga back after a while would be the economical that we know and pick up wickets. But playing after a long time, he looked rusty and bowled loose deliveries which compounded the problems for Sri Lanka.
Wanindu Hasaranga was taken to the cleaners by Harry Brook in particular as he was severe on the spinners last night. He did pick up a wicket in his first over removing Rehan Ahmed but looked off-colour after coming back from an injury. He was first taken to the cleaners by Root and Bethell before Brook came in and destroyed him inside out. Hasaranga was trying to get his lines and lengths right but it was to no avail against this England in-form batting line-up.
Wanindu Hasaranga is an important cog in the wheel for Sri Lanka in the shortest format of the game. Sri Lanka will be hoping this performance does not hamper his confidence ahead of the World Cup and will hope Hasaranga and Sri Lanka will bounce back with World Cup around the corner. Hasaranga needs to strike form for Sri Lanka if they are to do well in the upcoming T20I series in Pallekele. Sri Lanka are dependent on their bowling as well as batting in order to well in this multi-nation events.
What Lies Ahead.Â
The ODI leg of the tour is done and dusted as we move into the T20Is now. The three-match T20I series between Sri Lanka and England starts on Friday 30th January, 2026 from 7 PM IST onwards live from Pallekele. Sri Lanka will be led by Dasun Shanaka while Harry Brook will continue to lead England. An important series ahead of the World Cup is coming our way.
Let’s see how this series turns out for both the teams ahead of the marquee event.
Also Read:Â SL vs ENG: Harry Brook & Joe Root Helps England Secure The Series 2-1