England men’s ODI side wrapped up this summer’s cricket with a 2-1 series win against visitors Sri Lanka with a resounding 223 run victory.
We continued to improve our style of play … we have improved as a side, and we’re a bit more rounded.
England won the toss and batted first at The Oval, as player of the Match Tom Banton top scored with 126 (105). Banton’s first international century was the perfectly paced ODI innings and his third wicket partnership of 150 (117) with captain Harry Brook firmly swung proceedings in England’s favour. Keeper Jordan Cox, who was in the side replacing the injured Jos Buttler, continued his impressive form as he quickly notched 76 (52) at the death.
England posted a mammoth 355/7 and then took early wickets to take the game completely out of Sri Lanka’s grasp. The tourists were bowled out for 132 in 29.1 overs, with Liam Dawson taking 3 wickets. This was an emphatic way to bounce back from Thursday’s narrow 16 run loss at Leeds and to add to the success of the opening win at Durham. Will Jacks collected Player of the Series, as he continued to take valuable wickets and thrive in his finisher role with the bat.
Overall, the summer of 2026 has been an incredibly successful one for England’s men’s white ball sides. Winning all four series across ODI and T20I against India and Sri Lanka will give great confidence to coach Brendon McCullum moving forward. Speaking to BBC’s Test Match Special, McCullum said: “we continued to improve our style of play … we have improved as a side, and we’re a bit more rounded.”
As England continue to look towards the 2027 winter World Cup across Africa, their next contest is a ODI tri-series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Pakistan across October and November.
