After a year in the job, it was on: a first one-day international victory away from home for Brendon McCullum as England’s head coach, a touch of joy in a troubling winter. With Ben Duckett and Joe Root hitting watchful half-centuries, the base was set on a turner, chasing a target of 272.
But the discontent continued as 129 for one turned into 164 for six, Sri Lanka’s spinners ripping everything apart under lights in the first of three ODIs. The 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 numbers are grim for England’s ODI side. This was their 11th consecutive away loss in the format, Harry Brook’s reign blending into the last, miserable days of Jos Buttler’s time. The latter was at the other end as Rehan Ahmed played some of the shots of the night in a briefly promising seventh-wicket stand, and the rescue suddenly felt alive again with Jamie Overton’s late burst of 34 as he tucked into the quicks. With 20 required from six, it was doable – but a clunk off Pramod Madushan’s full toss extended England’s winless run.
Ahmed’s presence was a surprise in the early afternoon. England had announced their XI on Wednesday but Will Jacks’ illness meant the inclusion of the 21-year-old. Sri Lanka curiously rested their primary threat with the ball, the wrist-spinner Hasaranga. Maheesh Theekshana, third in the ICC rankings, was absent as well.
The afternoon began with some promo for the upcoming T20 World Cup – co-hosted by Sri Lanka – with skydivers 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 wasn’t a surprise that the new-ball passage was quiet for England. Overton, usually a middle-overs enforcer, opened up alongside Sam Curran as Sri Lanka’s openers batted through the powerplay.
Curran realised that turning into a spinner was the way to go; his moon ball – a dipping, deceptive innovation – had Pathum Nissanka chipping to mid-on before Adil Rashid settled in. The leggie struck in his second over with a googly that went around the legs of Kamil Mishara, setting him up for very neat figures of three for 44. Liam Dawson, who has become Rashid’s spin partner in T20s, played his first ODI since November 2022. He 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 left confused by his swipe against Ahmed; while checking for traffic on both sides of the road, the ball lobbed up to slip, Brook moving to collect. With Sri Lanka 124 for four, more than half the innings gone, England looked in good order. But Kusal Mendis remained comfortable playing square, the late cuts getting him moving after two runs off his first 15 deliveries. A red-inker for 93, the defining knock, boosted his excellent recent record at home: an average of 67.25 in 20 games since the start of 2024.
Sri Lanka’s resurgence at the back end of their innings coincided with a swelling of home support, cheers at their loudest, flags at the highest as Wellalage swung away to all sides and Overton went for 22 in the final over. On a ground that doesn’t really do 300-something totals, Sri Lanka had control.
Out came England’s Test openers for a hit in pyjamas, but the rhythm was the same as the Ashes: an early breakthrough for the opposition. Asitha Fernando’s setup in the third over was simple but effective, a nip-backer followed by a wide, away-swinging delivery. Zak Crawley threw his hands, Mendis held on with the gloves.
Duckett could not get his reverse-sweep right, failing to make proper contact with a couple of attempts off Dhananjaya de Silva’s off-breaks. It spoke to his scratchiness. Root provided greater fluency but shared a similar gameplan, going hard with singles across their 117-run stand, England’s usual hyper-aggression replaced by some old-world graft. They reached their half-centuries in the same over. For Root, this felt standard; for Duckett it was a release, his first competitive half-century since the fifth Test against India last summer.
The orthodox sweep worked nicely for Duckett but another go at the reverse cost him on 62, trapped leg-before by Jeffrey Vandersay. When Root departed lbw for 61, England were not yet halfway to the target, with the required rate beyond six.
Cue further trouble. Brook, on six, was undone by sizeable turn after coming down the pitch against Asalanka, stumped down the leg side before Wellalage dismissed Jacob Bethell and Curran. Ahmed lit up the skies with his 27, and Overton demonstrated his power. But the collapse was too severe.
