After a year in the role, the time had come: a first one-day international win away from home for Brendon McCullum as England head coach, a touch of joy in a difficult winter. With Ben Duckett and Joe Root keeping watch for half-centuries, the base was set on a turner, chasing a target of 272.
But the dissatisfaction remained as 129 for one turned into 165 for six, with Sri Lanka’s spinners tearing everything apart under lights in the first of three ODIs. Left-armer Dunith Wellalage combined his 12-ball 25 with two wickets in the collapse as the hosts, chasing their eighth consecutive ODI series win at home, triumphed by 19 runs.
The figures are bleak for the English over-50s. This was their eleventh successive away defeat, with Harry Brook’s reign devolving into the final, miserable days of Jos Buttler’s time. The latter was at the other end when Rehan Ahmed played some of the night’s shots in a short-lived promising seventh-wicket stand, and the save suddenly felt alive again with Jamie Overton’s late burst of 34. With 20 required from the final over, it was doable – but a knock on Pramod Madushan’s full toss ended it.
“The pitch got a little more extreme, it turned out to be very difficult to start as a hitter there,” Brook said of the defining middle pass. “Ducky and Rooty made it look pretty easy when they got going, but they both came away saying it was hard to start there; just getting used to the turn, the bounce and sometimes the lack of spin as he just slides through.”
The afternoon started with a promo for the upcoming T20 World Cup, co-hosted by Sri Lanka, with paratroopers from the armed forces landing on the ground with the trophy. But the slow stuff was always going to be the real show under the stifling Colombo sun, so it was no surprise that the new ball passage was quiet for England. Overton, usually a middle-overs enforcer, opened alongside Sam Curran as Sri Lanka’s openers batted through the powerplay.
Curran realized that becoming a spinner was the best choice; his moon ball – a descending, deceptive innovation – saw Pathum chip Nissanka to halfway before Adil Rashid settled. The legs struck in his second over with a googly that went around the legs of Kamil Mishara, giving him very decent figures of three for 44. Liam Dawson, playing his first ODI since November 2022, was even tidier, conceding just two boundaries and dismissing Pavan Rathnayake.
The sweep went wrong for three of Sri Lanka’s batters, including the captain, Charith Asalanka, who was confused by his drive against Ahmed; While checking for traffic on both sides of the road, the ball lobbed up and skidded as Brook moved to gather. But Kusal Mendis remained comfortable playing at square, the late cuts getting him moving after two runs from his first 15 deliveries. An unbeaten 93 strengthened his excellent recent home record: an average of 67.25 in 20 matches since the start of 2024.
Sri Lanka’s flourish at the end of their innings coincided with a surge in home support, cheering at the loudest, flags flying at the highest level as Wellalage swung away in all directions and Overton went for 23 in the final. On a ground that doesn’t really cater to the 300-plus crowd, Sri Lanka were in control.
England’s Test openers came out for a hit in pajamas, but the rhythm was the same as the Ashes: an early breakthrough for the opposition. Asitha Fernando’s setup was simple but effective: a nip backer followed by a wide, outswinging delivery. Zak Crawley, on six, threw his hands and moved back.
Duckett couldn’t get his reverse sweep right as he failed to make good contact with a couple of off-breaks from Dhananjaya de Silva. It spoke to his roughness. Root provided greater fluidity but shared a similar game plan, going hard with singles as England opted for a kind of old-fashioned graft. They both reached 50 in the same time. To Root, this felt standard; for Duckett it was a release, his first competitive half-century since the fifth Test against India last summer.
Sri Lanka had curiously rested their main threat with the ball, wrist spinner Wanindu Hasaranga. Maheesh Theekshana, third in the ICC rankings, was also absent, but the others eventually clicked. Another reverse sweep attempt cost Duckett on 62, with his leg trapped by the long-legged Jeffrey Vandersay. When Root departed lbw for 61 to De Silva, England were not even halfway to the target, the required increase in pace.
Cause serious problems. Brook, on six, was undone by a big turn after coming down the field against Asalanka and tripping down the leg side. “It was like he hit a rock or something, he spun around for miles,” the England captain said. “It was quite a bit of bowling, he clearly saw me coming down, dragged himself back a bit and also held on for quite a bit.” Ahmed – who came on for the ailing Will Jacks – lit up the sky with his 27. Overton also demonstrated his power, but the collapse was too severe.
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