England 355 for 7 (Banton 126, Brook 77, Cox 76) beat Sri Lanka 132 (Mendis 35, Dawson 3-26) by 223 runs

The margin of England’s victory was 223 runs, and they now claim the ODI series 2-1, having already trounced Sri Lanka in the T20Is. Sri Lanka lost all but one of the six internationals on tour.

The centrepiece of England’s batting was a 150-run third wicket stand between Banton and Brook that came off 117 deliveries, with both batters launching repeated, successful assaults through the middle of the innings. Cox, arriving at 218 for 3 after 34.4 overs, merely continued the plunder, with plenty of England batters on hand, and Sri Lanka’s bowlers rarely able to string two quiet overs together in the back half of the innings. All five of their main bowlers traveled at more than 6.8 runs an over.

England made 108 for 2 off the first 25 overs, Banton and Brook biding their time, before exploding from overs 25 to 34 – the final overs which both balls are available (after the 34th over the fielding team picks just one of those balls to continue with, and that older ball becomes softer, and more difficult to hit, or so the theory goes). Across the whole second half of their innings, they reaped 247 runs – a scoring rate of nearly 10 an over.

Before England’s bowlers feasted, it had been Banton and Brook that set them on track for the giant win. Banton’s innings did not take long to get humming. He began his boundary-hitting with a pair of authoritative drives through the covers, and by the end of the powerplay he had struck five more fours. Although already moving at an excellent pace, it was in Brook’s company that his strike-rate really began to flourish, particularly especially against spin, though there was also a Dilshan Madushanka over in which he plundered two sixes and a four.

This was his highest score in this format by a distance, as he strode past the 73 he had made only in the last match, in Leeds. He holed out to Sachindu Colombage – whom he had tormented – in the 38th over. But by that stage, England had set an outstanding launch platform.

Brook was initially slow, making a mere 11 off his first 25 balls, and was in fact dropped on seven by wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis, after Wellalage had taken his edge. But before long Brook set about adding another chapter to his story of dominance over Sri Lanka. It was in the 26th over, bowled by Janith Liyanage, in which his innings kicked into a higher gear, Sri Lanka’s sixth bowler crashed for successive fours either side of the wicket before Brook launched the third delivery in that sequence into the seats beyond long-on.

It was during this passage that the innings switch flipped. Having scored at 4.32 per over in the first 25, England plundered 111 runs in the next 10 overs.

Like Banton and Brook, Cox bided his time at first, and then took off at the death, with the safety of having other recognised batters still around. He was especially good at clobbering pace to the leg-side, with both his sixes and half of his six fours coming in that direction. This was his first ODI half-century, and he showcased sparkling enterprise in the final overs, even managing to hit a reverse-scoop for four, off Eshan Malinga.

Sri Lanka were modest in the field. In addition to dropping Brook, Liyanage also dropped Jamie Overton on 3, with Overton going on to hit 21 not out off 14 at the death. There were also ground-fielding errors towards the end, while Joe Root also survived a regulation edge to Pathum Nissanka at gully on 15. Unusually, it was not a costly error. Root was becalmed for the remainder of his innings, before once again falling lbw, this time to Liyanage, having added three more runs in 15 balls.