England captain Harry Brook decided to bat first after winning the all-important toss in the decisive third and final ODI against Sri Lanka on Tuesday afternoon in Colombo.
After levelling the three-match series with a five-wicket win on Saturday, the visitors retained their winning combination as they eye a crucial away series victory to boost their ICC rankings.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, are desperate for a comeback to maintain their home ODI series dominance, having remained unbeaten at home since September 2021. Making the only change to their XI, premier leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga returned to the side after being rested for the first two ODIs, with Pramod Madushan left out.
Playing XI
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (WK), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka (C), Janith Liyanage, Pavan Rathnayake, Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jeffrey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando
England: Rehan Ahmed, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid
Result
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathum Nissanka | c Will Jacks b Adil Rashid | 26 | 37 | 2 | 1 | 70.27 |
| Kamil Mishara | c Ben Duckett b Jamie Overton | 5 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 41.67 |
| Kusal Mendis | run out (Will Jacks) | 26 | 45 | 2 | 0 | 57.78 |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | c Joe Root b Liam Dawson, | 40 | 59 | 4 | 0 | 67.80 |
| Charith Asalanka | c Ben Duckett b Adil Rashid | 45 | 64 | 1 | 0 | 70.31 |
| Janith Liyanage | c Adil Rashid b Jamie Overton | 12 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 109.09 |
| Pavan Rathnayake | c Liam Dawson, b Will Jacks | 29 | 34 | 3 | 0 | 85.29 |
| Dunith Wellalage | c Sam Curran b Joe Root | 20 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 105.26 |
| Pramod Madushan | st Jos Buttler b Rehan Ahmed | 8 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 80.00 |
| Jeffery Vandersay | not out | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| Asitha Fernando | c & b Joe Root | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Extras | 7 (b 0 , lb 2 , nb 0, w 5, pen 0) |
| Total | 219/10 (49.3 Overs, RR: 4.42) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamie Overton | 5 | 1 | 21 | 1 | 4.20 | |
| Sam Curran | 4 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 4.00 | |
| Liam Dawson, | 10 | 1 | 41 | 1 | 4.10 | |
| Will Jacks | 10 | 1 | 47 | 1 | 4.70 | |
| Adil Rashid | 10 | 0 | 34 | 2 | 3.40 | |
| Jacob Bethell | 3 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 6.67 | |
| Rehan Ahmed | 5 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 4.20 | |
| Joe Root | 2.3 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 5.22 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rehan Ahmed | b Dhananjaya de Silva | 13 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 72.22 |
| Ben Duckett | b Jeffery Vandersay | 39 | 51 | 2 | 1 | 76.47 |
| Joe Root | lbw b Asitha Fernando | 75 | 90 | 5 | 0 | 83.33 |
| Jacob Bethell | c Charith Asalanka b Dhananjaya de Silva | 6 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 42.86 |
| Harry Brook | lbw b Jeffery Vandersay | 42 | 75 | 2 | 0 | 56.00 |
| Jos Buttler | not out | 33 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 157.14 |
| Will Jacks | not out | 8 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Extras | 7 (b 0 , lb 1 , nb 0, w 6, pen 0) |
| Total | 223/5 (46.2 Overs, RR: 4.81) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asitha Fernando | 7 | 0 | 31 | 1 | 4.43 | |
| Pramod Madushan | 3.2 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 6.25 | |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | 7 | 0 | 37 | 2 | 5.29 | |
| Dunith Wellalage | 10 | 0 | 50 | 0 | 5.00 | |
| Charith Asalanka | 8 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 3.38 | |
| Jeffery Vandersay | 10 | 0 | 45 | 2 | 4.50 | |
| Pavan Rathnayake | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 12.00 | |
