Harry Brook’s brutal century sees England win the ODI series in Sri Lanka

Harry Brook’s first masterpiece of the winter, lost in defeat, seems like an eternity ago. It was his side’s first one-day international against New Zealand in October, with his 101-ball 135 somehow landing in the middle of nine single-figure English scores.

The nightclub bouncer’s punch followed, the Ashes tour went wrong and then came the unveiling of the first. A lot has happened, but moments of genius in the middle are always lurking when it comes to Brook. Here, in their final ODI of the winter, he put it all together with an unbeaten 136 off 66 balls, taking England to a prized series victory in Sri Lanka, winning the decider by 53 runs.

Brook’s carnage – nine sixes and 11 fours – meant Joe Root’s 20th ODI century was relegated to a support act, while Jacob Bethell’s 65 ended as a cameo. A target of 358 was monstrous, and Sri Lanka gave it a serious edge, reaching 100 within 10 overs.

Pathum Nissanka, with a half-century off 24 balls, and Kusal Mendis, 20 off his first eight deliveries, met Jamie Overton in the powerplay. But the fast one also managed to pull off the fatal big shot: the first went to the catcher in the deep, the last found Brook halfway. The partnerships failed to materialize even as the boundaries continued, regular wickets and more catches for Brook put England in control.

Pavan Rathnayake, 23 years old and playing only his seventh international match, was the consolation for Sri Lanka, the right-hander’s promise leading to a maiden century for his country. A single through extra cover off Liam Dawson in the 43rd brought great joy to the Premadasa, and Rathnayake refused to give in and threatened to do it all himself. He was the last wicket to fall as England celebrated their first ODI series win abroad in three years.

After losing the toss in England’s previous six ODIs, Brook finally got his way and opted to bat. After calling the rough field in Colombo on Saturday “probably the worst” he had played on, he was critical again during his speech before the start: “We want a nice field, but I don’t think it will be a nice field.” Pressed by commentator Russel Arnold about what a “nice pitch” would entail, Brook replied: “High scores, boundaries everywhere.”

But variety – gymnasts in Asia, jumpers in Australia – takes the game to the next level, and watching an endless stream of big hits can become tiring. After his wish was granted, the entertainment value of Brook’s pyro party was higher than usual due to the challenges presented earlier in the series, when every point scored was precious.

Another total of 200 seemed the limit as England were reduced to 40 for two within 11 overs. Ben Duckett’s reverse-sweep, usually one of his superpowers, went straight to cover, while Rehan Ahmed – opening again as the tourists remained unchanged – pulled Wanindu Hasaranga to midwicket for 24.

Hasaranga, the home side’s main weapon with the ball, had been rested in the previous two matches and it took just three deliveries for him to strike. But that would be his only breakthrough of the afternoon as Root and Bethell settled for a 126-run stand.

Root commands respect in all circumstances, but the numbers are slightly different in Sri Lanka, where he has three Test hundreds and now averages 76 ODIs. The cushioned reverse sweeps were particularly brilliant on his final attempt, and the speed of his footwork when spotting a drag down was also notable. Bethell showed his range against pace in the 30th over, bowled by Asitha Fernando. Four boundaries went to different corners: a clip at mid-on to bring up his half-century, a late cut, a blistering pull and the cover drive to finish.

Bethell was killed just as he started to get things going, taking Jeffrey Vandersay to deep midwicket. Brook came in with less than 19 overs to play, to help as Root approached his century – celebrated with the 35-year-old’s now trademark shrug. Instead, the England captain turned himself into the headliner.

His first strike was a four-point deficit, but it was his work over extra cover that stunned. Even Dunith Wellalage, whose tight left-arm spin was less than five per over, felt Brook’s power through that area as the right-hander rose to another level. After reaching his half-century off 40 balls, it took just seventeen more to reach his third ODI century. Fittingly, the English innings concluded with another Brook six over cover, Fernando the bowler punished. England had their highest away-from-home total since the 2023 World Cup.

Sri Lanka made it look poor initially before the wickets fell. A fifth-wicket stand between Rathnayake and Janith Liyanage kept them in with a shout, but hesitation on the run cost them, with the latter perishing before he could get back to the striker’s end. Impressive across all series, Wellalage stuck around for 22 years before Rathnayake’s landmark moment. Hope remained until the end thanks to the main man, but the result, confirmed when Sam Curran finally found a way through Rathnayake, was unknown to Sri Lanka – this is their first defeat on home soil in the ODI series in five years.