SL vs ENG

With that, we would like to wrap up our live coverage for this fixture. We will now shift our attention to the three-match T20I series, which is slated to begin on January 30. So don't forget to tune in to our live coverage then. This is Datrim Ray signing off on behalf of Darpan Tikiya, Soumarya Dutta, Sourabh Agarwal, and everyone else at Sportskeeda. Thank you and bye for now!

9:55 PM local time and IST: England win by 53 runs and clinch the series 2-1.   

Harry Brook - 136 (66) | Liam Dawson - 2/48
Pavan Rathnayake - 121 (115)  | Jeffrey Vandersay - 1/76

A massive series win for England! First away ODI series win since 2023, and a rare home series defeat for the Lankans! This series win will surely give them a massive confidence boost as they look ato advance into the T20 World Cup! It was always going to be a tricky affair to chase down 358 on a used second-innings Premadasa pitch. Insane fireworks from Root and Brook earlier in the piece effectively knocked Sri Lanka out of this contest. Following a record-breaking partnership between the two, the writing seemed to be on the wall for Lankans. Brook, the English captain, played the innings of his life, slamming his way to a career-best 136. Root also anchored the innings nicely and brought on a well-compiled century to further add to Sri Lanka’s misery. The Sri Lankan bowlers were all over the place and could not seem to find a way to prevent the onslaught from England. Wayward bowling in the death allowed Brook and Co. to pile up the runs at a scintillating rate, which ultimately took the game beyond Sri Lanka's reach.

However, Sri Lanka put on a tough fight during the run chase, and were in no mood to cheaply surrender to the visitors. Nissanka and Mishara went all guns blazing and scored aggressively against the new ball, forcing the English skipper to introduce spin as early as the fifth over. The two openers provided a blazing start which got England in some early trouble. But the introduction of spin paid off as Jacks drew the first blood by having Mishara caught at backward point. Kusal played a fiery cameo of 20 (9) while Nissanka put on a blazing fifty (50 off 25) to keep Sri Lanka in the game. But the asking rate got the better of them eventually, and England kept pegging them back with spinners on both ends. Asalanka's departure really slowed down Sri Lanka's scoring rate, which allowed the English spinners to slip in a few tight overs. Rathnayake was the lone wolf who starred with the bat for Sri Lanka. His fighting century (121 off 115), which also happened to be his maiden ODI century, gave Sri Lanka a glimmer of hope for an unlikely victory. But with wickets tumbling all around, Sri Lanka lost some steam and subsequently fell short of their required target. 

46.4 Sam Curran to Pavan Rathnayake, BOWLED! Curran finishes it off in style! He fires a searing yorker on middle. Rathnayake plays all around it and the ball sneaks through his defences to uproot the middle stump. Despair for the home side as England take the series 2-1!

46.2 Sam Curran to Pavan Rathnayake, RathnayakeThat was a length ball from Curran on middle. Rathnayake launches it high in the air towards deep midwicket. Bethell times his jump to perfection to catch the ball and then releases the ball back onto the field of play before falling over the ropes. 

46.1 Sam Curran to Pavan Rathnayake, FOUR! Rathnayake continues to press on! Length ball straying down leg. Rathnayake gets low and gets across his tumps to guide it behind square on the leg side for a boundary. 300 up for Sri Lanka!

45.4 Liam Dawson to Jeffrey Vandersay, IN THE AIR AND TAKEN! England are just a wicket away! Tossed up outside off. Vandersay loses his patience and tries to clear long off. But he does not have enough power behind the shot and holes out to Curran in the deep. 

45.1 Liam Dawson to Pavan Rathnayake, flighted ball on middle. Rathnayake tries to go big but has to make do with a single off an inside edge. 

44.6 Rehan Ahmed to Pavan Rathnayake, flighted ball outside off. Rathnayake taps it away to short extra cover and squeezes in a tight single.