Root 75 and two wickets lead England to tied ODI series in Sri Lanka

By Canadian Press on January 24, 2026.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Joe Root starred with bat and ball to help England beat Sri Lanka by five wickets and level their one-day international series on Saturday.

Root took two wickets in two balls to end Sri Lanka’s innings on 219 with three balls to spare, then hit a crafty 75 runs off 90 balls to lead England to 223-5 with 22 balls remaining.

The third and last ODI is on Tuesday, followed by three Twenty20s to prepare for next month’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

“Thankfully we got the job done,” Root said. “When the ball gets softer and older it gets easier. Got to be precise in footwork.”

Root and Ben Duckett (39) combined in a better-than-a-run-a-ball 68-run stand.

Leg-spinner Jaffrey Vandersay, who starred in Sri Lanka’s 19-run win in the first ODI, broke the stand when he clean-bowled Duckett.

Jacob Bethell failed again when he chipped an easy catch to the covers on 6, then Root and captain Harry Brook negated the spin threat of Vandersay and Dunith Wellalage with an 81-run partnership.

Root gauged the slow pitch well and raised his half-century off 52 balls including five boundaries but fast bowler Asitha Fernando trapped him leg before wicket with a sharp yorker.

Brook’s patient knock of 42 off 75 balls with only two boundaries was stopped plumb by a Vandersay fuller delivery.

Jos Buttler’s unbeaten 33 off 21 swept England home.

Earlier, Sri Lanka struggled to build momentum after captain Charith Asalanka won his second straight toss.

England’s ploy to deploy spin inside the first powerplay worked. England used six spinners in total and Adil Rashid was the most economical with 2-34.

Asalanka top-scored with a shaky 45 off 64 balls before he departed in the 42nd over after hitting just one boundary. He slog swept Rashid straight to Duckett at square leg.

Kusal Mendis, who missed out on a century in the first ODI, was run out on 26 in a mix up with Dhananjaya de Silva. Asalanka and de Silva tried to revive the innings and added 66 runs for the fourth wicket but the England spinners didn’t allow them to score freely.

”(We were) at least 30 runs short when batting,” Asalanka said.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

The Associated Press