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England won their first away ODI Brendan McCallum as Joe Root Leading them to a five-wicket win Sri Lanka Leveling the three-match series in Colombo.
since Add white ball position By the time he assumed a Test role in January 2025, McCullum had lost 10 consecutive ODIs against England.
Tourists know one Colombo suffers second defeat in three days will ensure they have won just one of the last eight 50-over series but led 1-1 ahead of Tuesday’s decider with a strong all-round performance.
team leader Harry Brooke In an impressive bowling performance, he took 41 spins to bowl out Sri Lanka for 219 before Root smashed an imperious 75 on a slow wicket under lights to lead England home.
After dismal Ashes tour Eventually lost 4-1The victory boosted morale and helped limit the damage to England’s world rankings as pressure mounts on them to automatically qualify for the 2027 World Cup.
England fielded six spinners in their own innings against Sri Lanka and they posted a total of 180 for 7.
Openers Kamil Mishara and Pathum Nissanka departed cheaply, while Kusal Mendis was bowled out for 26 runs. Sri Lanka’s pace was uneventful but was stifled by England’s spinners, with Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson again starring.
Skipper Charith Asalanka top-scored with 45 but Sri Lanka never gained momentum before being eliminated in the final over.
After being bowled out by Sri Lanka on Thursday, 19 runs behind their target of 272 on this pitch, it felt like England had earned a golden opportunity to break through.
However, there are Lost 15 of the previous 20 ODIsBrook’s players are eager to have a good start.
England made a surprise move by naming 21-year-old spin bowling all-rounder Rehan Ahmed as an opener in international cricket for the first time, replacing the injured Zak Crawley. The 21-year-old has hit three wickets twice in his five Tests, batting first in the County Championship and once in the T20 Blast, but his promotion from No. 8 was certainly surprising.
Ahmed was bowled for 13 runs by Dhananjaya de Silva, including four overs, but the gamble failed to pay off and England’s chase got off to a shaky start.
But Root hit his fourth ball and Ben Duckett attacked Sri Lanka’s spinners, and the pair made 69 runs off 65 balls.
England were heading towards defeat when their partnership was broken in the first ODI, so when Jeffrey Vandersay bowled a ripper to take Duckett for 39, the score would be tight at 88-2 with 132 runs needed.
Panic may have set in when Jacob Bethel slapped De Silva, adding just six points.
But Root kept going, reaching his 45th ODI fifty to take England 114-3 at half-time, with Brooke joining him for a 81-run stand with aplomb.
Asitha Fernando had Root trapped LBW to make it 178-4 and the 35-year-old was furious when DRS stood by the decision, even though he believed he had gained the advantage.
With nerves frayed again, Brook missed a chance to sweep away Van der Sey, starting with 42, but Jos Buttler struck 33 to secure a first away win since November 2024.