Hosts Sri Lanka went down to England in the second ODI in Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium as the series is now level at 1-1 after the first two matches of the 3-match series. Sri Lanka had their moments on a tough surface but could not seize them enough as England despite a challenging pitch did really well to get the win that will give them a lot of confidence going ahead in the next game which will be the series decider. There were areas where Sri Lanka lost the plot and we give three reasons for their loss.
Falling behind in powerplay pegs Sri Lanka’s momentum in the match
Sri Lanka won the toss yet again and unsurprisingly opted to bat first on a challenging surface for both teams. The powerplay overs for the first 10 overs sets things up for both teams as it sets the tone for the rest of the innings. This is where Sri Lanka lacked in both the innings. First, with bat in hand they lost Kamil Mishara early. Then they did well to make sure that they did not lose another wicket but they could only muster 36 runs for the loss of one wicket in powerplay.
Now, when they had ball in hand, they too got a relatively early wicket of Rehan Ahmed. But they couldn’t control the runs in the powerplay as well as England did as Joe Root was quickly off the blocks while Ben Duckett was solid at the crease as the runs came quickly quicker than what they produced. On a dry surface with ball holding a tad, the powerplay is crucial as that is the best time to bat with the new ball. England were 52/1 in 10 overs.
To put things into perspective, England were 16 runs ahead of where Sri Lanka were at the completion of 10 overs. This is a huge advantage for the visitors as batting tend to get tougher as the game progresses. Cashing in with the new ball was key and Sri Lanka didn’t quite do that. Looking ahead to the series decider, Sri Lanka will hope to address these areas and work harder in order to win that game and the series. They need to improve in both aspects of the game as we speak.
Inability to stop Joe Root seals Sri Lanka’s fate
Joe Root is a thorn in the flesh of anyone playing against him. Such is his greatness in all the formats of the game. In this game, he first made his mark with the ball picking up the last two wickets to clean up the tail and keep the hosts down to 219. Then in the chase, Joe Root was all class as he was the only batter from either sides to get a half-century and that proved to be the difference between the two sides in the ends.
Root looked quick off the blocks and scored at a decent strike-rate, but once he had his eye in he drove home the advantage from there. He not only scored runs but helped build partnerships from England’s point of view. First, he built a 68-run stand for the second wicket alongside Ben Duckett. Later on, he built what turned out to be a match winning 81-run stand for the 4th wicket with captain Harry Brook. These two partnerships were enough for England to go through and win the game by 5 wickets in the end.
Sri Lanka seemed to run out of ideas bowling to Root and thereby his partners became confident as they went along in the innings. The bowlers lacked penetration with their lines and lengths and allowed England to get away from tight situations. Looking ahead, Sri Lanka needs to be more incisive with their bowling and take wickets at regular intervals to put them under pressure. England bats deep and so a wicket or two here and there won’t make any difference to the result of the match.
Dunith Wellalage going wicketless hurts Sri Lanka the most
Another important point to note here is a rare evening for Dunith Wellalage. Last match’s Player of the Match had an average outing in the middle. Yes, he did add crucial 20 runs with the bat to give the score past 200. Having said that, his primary role is bowling and in that he hasn’t lived up to expectations there as we speak. Maybe one game can change the fate of Sri Lanka and Wellalage. But last night he was below average with his performance.
Defending a below par score, Sri Lanka needed Wellalage to fire but that was not the case as he went for 50 runs and was wicketless. Wellalage is a premier spinner for the Sri Lankan side in the absence of Hasaranga and Theekshana and it was expected he will step up with the ball. With the bat he did his bit, but with ball in hand he went wicketless which hurt Sri Lanka’s chances of winning this game. There was assistance for him which will make his returns look very disappointing.
Wellalage will hope he gets his mojo back with the ball in the deciding third ODI against England and help his side win another ODI series at home. He has to be more consistent and perform with the ball regularly. With the bat, his handy runs down the order make a difference but with ball in hand, he needs to take wickets. He did that in game 1, and Sri Lanka won that contest. He will want to take wickets in game 3 as well.
What Lies Ahead
The stage is set for the deciding third ODI to take place at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Tuesday 27th January, 2026 from 2:30 PM IST onwards. It’s Sri Lanka taking on England and it remains to be seen whether Sri Lanka bounces back from this loss and win the series or whether England will finally taste success with a series win in Sri Lanka and first after a long time.
Let’s see how the series decider unfolds on Tuesday afternoon/evening.
Also Read: SL vs ENG: Kusal Mendis’ Marvellous Knock Helps Sri Lanka Post A Competitive 271/6