England’s alarming ODI slump continued as Harry Brook’s side slid to a 19-run defeat to Sri Lanka in the series opener at Colombo.

England were 129-1 after 27 overs chasing 272 thanks to a 117-run stand between Ben Duckett (62 off 76 balls) and Joe Root (61 off 90), only to slump to 252 all out, including a collapse of 5-35 as Duckett and Root’s lbw dismissals were followed by Brook (6) and Jacob Bethell (15) being stumped and Sam Curran (5) caught and bowled.

Rehan Ahmed’s enterprising 27 off 21 kept his team in the hunt but he was then pouched brilliantly at long-off by Dunith Wellalage, leaving England requiring 69 from the final five overs and when Jos Buttler (19 off 20) and Liam Dawson (2) departed an over later, the game was all but up, with Jamie Overton’s late cameo coming in vain.

Overton (34 off 17) - who had conceded 23 runs from the final over of Sri Lanka’s innings - pumped four fours and two sixes to cut England’s ask to 20 from the last six balls but he then holed out off Pramod Madushan two deliveries later.

England lost 11 of their 15 ODIs in 2025 and were swept 3-0 in New Zealand across October and November - a series during which Brook had an altercation with a nightclub bouncer - while this tour of the subcontinent kicked off just two weeks after the end of a chastening Ashes in Australia that they lost 4-1.

England - currently eighth in the ODI rankings and by no means certain to qualify automatically for the 2027 World Cup - will look to keep the series alive by winning Saturday’s second game in Colombo (9am UK), ahead of the final fixture at the same venue next Tuesday.

Kusal Mendis’ 93 not out from 117 balls underpinned Sri Lanka’s 271-6, with Adil Rashid the pick of the England bowlers, bagging 3-44 to move on to 238 wickets in his ODI career, and fellow leg-spinner Ahmed (1-61), a late replacement in the XI for the ill Will Jacks, one of three bowlers to strike once, alongside left-arm seamer Curran (1-40) and left-arm spinner Dawson (1-31).

Source: Sky Sports

--Agencies