A dysfunctional summer ended on a brighter note for England as Tom Banton’s eye-catching maiden international century and some masterful finishing from Jordan Cox propelled them to a one-sided victory against Sri Lanka in this one-day international decider.
The neurosis had chiefly centered around the Test team, in fairness, with Harry Brook’s white-ball sides on something of an upward trajectory in 2026. Hence Brendon McCullum was relieved of only half of his duties as head coach in July.
Nevertheless the sight of Banton, 126 from 105 balls, and Cox, 76 from 52, helping to put 355 for seven on the board, before Sri Lanka were derailed for 132 all out in 29.1 overs, said something about what is coming through. Had Jacob Bethell and Jos Buttler been fit, both would have been running the drinks in all likelihood.
Brook provided a bit of inspiration himself, cracking 77 from 66 balls before overseeing Sri Lanka’s disintegration. The call to bat first in a match starting at 10.30am in September also went against the norm but ended up securing a 2-1 scoreline – England’s sixth bilateral series win in limited-overs cricket this year.
It was a raw team by the end. The loss of Buttler with a hamstring injury meant Joe Root was the only England player north of 50 one-day caps. And at the end of a long season that saw him thrust back into Test captaincy came the dismissal that has haunted his summer, trapped lbw by a medium-pacer in Jarith Liyanage.
But as much as Root will be pondering this glitch as he heads into a six-week break before the white-ball tour of Australia – nine of his 13 dismissals this summer have involved the ball thudding into his pad – perhaps it was for the best that England’s well-judged total was driven by the rookies learning 50-over cricket on the job.
Take Banton, who before this match had played just three List A games in the past five years – two of which were last week. Not that you would have known it during a 150-run third-wicket stand alongside Brook during which the long-levered right-hander matched his captain by way of aggressive 360-degree strokeplay.
Banton ransacked 16 fours and five sixes overall, his half-century coming off 51 balls and three-figures just 44 more. Nerves were pretty nonexistent as the milestone came into view, Banton dancing down to the spinner Dunith Wellalage and creaming him through extra cover to trigger a deserved standing ovation.
What happens when Bethell is fit may not just be a question for the Test side and it was not a great day for Ben Duckett to endure a fifth-ball duck. That said, even in a topsy-turvy summer across formats that ended bowled by a ball from Dilshan Madushanka that swung away and nipped in, the left-hander was coming off a fluent 67 in Leeds and 141 against the might of India at Lord’s mid-season.
Buttler remains a lock in the side, fundamentally, although Cox has seen his stock rise significantly this season. Arriving at 218 for three in the 35th over – Brook having mis-timed his latest attempt to clear deep midwicket – he initially took a look, going at a run-a-ball to reach 30 before accelerating at the death. His half-century was also his first in List A cricket, this his 10th match in the format.
Like Banton, who had earlier shown his strong wrists with a reserve-swept six, Cox was full of innovation for his six fours and two sixes. The pitch was already offering turn but Cox was equal to it, while his wicketkeeping to the spinners also impressed later on. Although he did risk undoing Jofra Archer’s direct hit to run out Pavan Rathnayake by disturbing the stumps before the ball hit the target.
That incident was the main talking point as Sri Lanka crumbled under scoreboard pressure, not least since “Not Out” flashed up on the big screen initially. This was soon reversed, however, with third umpire Adrian Holdstock clocking that Archer’s shy had knocked the stump clean out of the ground. All good, under Law 29.2.
Otherwise it was a run chase that never really got going once Brook threw one of the two new balls to Sonny Baker ahead of Archer and he nicked off Pathum Nissanka with a beauty second ball. In for the rested Josh Tongue, Baker finally had his maiden ODI wicket after a shellacking on debut last summer.
Gus Atkinson picked up two more wickets in the powerplay – Kamindu and Kusal Mendis both sent top-edges high into the inner ring under – before Liam Dawson, in for the dropped Rehan Ahmed, winkled out three for 36 from eight overs. Will Jacks picked up the final wicket and was named player of the series.
A non-event? Slightly. But for England, having reached the finish line of a turbulent summer with five straight series wins across formats, this was very much welcome.
