COLOMBO:Sri Lanka withstood a late blitz from Jamie Overton to clinch a 19-run victory over England in the opening one-day international at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium on Thursday.
Put in to bat, the hosts posted a competitive 271-6, anchored by a composed unbeaten 93 from Kusal Mendis. The right-hander paced the innings expertly, ensuring Sri Lanka had enough runs despite England’s varied bowling attack that leaned heavily on spin.
England’s chase began unsteadily with Zak Crawley falling early, but Ben Duckett and Joe Root steadied the ship with a fluent 117-run partnership. Duckett made 62 and Root added 61 as England cruised to 129-1, seemingly in control of the contest.
The momentum shifted sharply when Jeffrey Vandersay removed Duckett, before Dhananjaya de Silva struck a decisive blow by trapping Root lbw after a successful review. From there, Sri Lanka tightened their grip, with Pramod Madushan dismissing Jos Buttler for 19.
Overton threatened a dramatic finish with a 17-ball 34, but his resistance ended when Madushan bowled him with a full toss, sealing Sri Lanka’s win. The second ODI of the three-match series will be played on Saturday.
