It’s been a tough few years for England’s over-50s, but the shine from their World Cup victory hasn’t completely faded. Joe Root and Adil Rashid, both part of the class of 2019, headlined the second one-day international against Sri Lanka, securing a five-wicket win to level the series.
Rashid led the England attack on a serious turner, taking two for 34 while Harry Brook used 40.3 overs of spin to restrict Sri Lanka to a total of 219. It was still quite a challenge, especially in a must-win game for the tourists as their scoreless run away from home in ODIs had extended to 11 on Thursday.
Root’s calming properties were much needed. He advanced to 75 before Asitha Fernando’s chasing yorker had him lbw, and it wasn’t the smoothest of finishes as Brook followed shortly after. But Jos Buttler took over and was on the other side as Will Jacks ended the losing streak. Brendon McCullum has finally secured his first ODI win abroad as England’s white-ball coach.
“I don’t think this is a great wicket for ODI cricket, if I’m brutally honest,” Root said during the post-match presentation. “But today we found a way, adapted and learned from the mistakes we made in the first game with bat and ball.” Brook was less diplomatic. “The pitch is probably the worst pitch I’ve ever played on,” he said.
Jacks returned in place of Zak Crawley – out due to a knee injury – which led to a high-profile promotion. Rehan Ahmed, ranked number 8 on Thursday, was placed at the top of the rankings for the first time in his international career. It was a funky call but not entirely unfamiliar to the 21-year-old, who has opened the County Championship this month and batted at three in the Big Bash.
The change meant Brook had an extra bowler in his side, and he wanted to play with all his toys after losing the toss. The arrival of Root’s off-breaks in the 30th over made him England’s eighth bowler of the innings, the sixth spinner, as England tied the hosts down on a surface that was ferocious even for the part-timers.
Rashid used it a lot. He didn’t concede a single boundary across his 10 overs, floating the ball masterfully above the eyeline and inviting Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka to provide catches in the deep. The 37-year-old also produced England’s finest moment in the field, a tumbling grab at deep fine leg to remove Janith Liyanage and hand Jamie Overton his second wicket.
Overton and Sam Curran were tight with the new ball but Brook continued to spin at the death, leading to the unlikely sight of Root converting the final over. It took just three deliveries, with Root inviting fatal blows from Dunith Wellalage and Fernando to end an innings that never found any real momentum.
Asalanka top-scored with a 64-ball 45, but the real blow was the dismissal of Kusal Mendis, who had batted for an unbeaten 93 earlier in the week. The No. 3 cut hard while on 26 and departed before returning when Jacks’ delivery from point beat him to the striker’s end.
Ahmed came out alongside Ben Duckett, but the partnership was short-lived. Ahmed’s only boundary came off overthrows before he was met by Dhananjaya de Silva’s trickery, with the off-spinner flicking the ball to swing to the right-hander and hit the stumps back.
The other opener started slowly and went scoreless after his first 10 deliveries, while the drought turned into a successful review after being conceded lbw. But Duckett eventually settled down when Root took command. England’s all-time leading run-scorer brought a confidence to the crease that had not been seen all match, shaking off his pads and scoring with decent click.
Duckett advanced to 39 before Jeffrey Vandersay ripped a legbreak hard to bowl him, but Root and Brook dug in for an 81-run stand. Brook was a far cry from his usual pace; his 42 took 75 balls before falling to Vandersay with a missed sweep. “You just couldn’t really time the ball,” Brook said. “It was just a matter of trying to get off the strike and go as deep as possible.”
With 31 required off 44 balls and two new men in the middle, Sri Lanka still had a shout. Buttler had two narrow escapes with a pair of aerial strikes against the dangerous Fernando, but his power play shone through. A decider awaits on Tuesday.
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