Tom Banton made his first international century as England beat Sri Lanka by 223 runs in the deciding one-day international at The Oval to secure a 2-1 series victory.
Banton’s career-best 126 from 105 balls was the centrepiece of England’s 355-7 after Sri Lanka chose to bowl. England then dismissed the tourists for 132 in 29.1 overs, completing their largest ODI win over Sri Lanka, according to the BBC.
The result ended a home series in which Sri Lanka had levelled matters with victory in the second ODI, but England responded decisively in the finale. It also gave Harry Brook’s side a third successive ODI series win, the BBC reported.
Banton supplies the innings England needed
England’s start was far from straightforward. Ben Duckett was bowled for a duck in the second over, while Joe Root made 18 from 37 deliveries during a restrained spell at the crease.
Banton, however, absorbed the early challenge and then accelerated. He reached his hundred from 95 balls before finishing with 16 fours and five sixes, according to the BBC. His innings represented a first international hundred after a lengthy absence from England’s 50-over side.
The BBC reported that Banton did not panic in those conditions, allowing England to retain wickets before the later acceleration.
The opener’s key partnership came with captain Brook. The pair added 150 in 117 balls, moving England from a measured position into one from which they could attack Sri Lanka’s bowlers. Brook made 77 from 66 balls before Jordan Cox drove the late surge with 76 from 52 deliveries.
England were 108-2 after 25 overs before Brook raised the scoring rate alongside Banton, the BBC reported. Sri Lanka had dropped Root before his dismissal, while Mendis spilled a thick edge from Brook when the England captain had seven. Banton was eventually dismissed attempting to hit a sixth six, Sky Sports reported, but Cox and Will Jacks, who made 25 from 21 balls, maintained the late momentum.
Cox was playing in place of the injured Jos Buttler, while Banton’s opportunity at the top of the order followed Jacob Bethell’s injury. England’s selection options may therefore remain competitive ahead of the tri-series in Pakistan, which begins on 20 October and also includes Sri Lanka.
For Banton, the performance followed almost five years outside England’s 50-over side, according to the BBC. The report said he had been regarded as a rising player after his 2019 debut before difficult subsequent years, while his innings at The Oval combined a measured response to the early conditions with increasingly forceful scoring once England had a platform.
Banton said after the match that making a hundred for England was an exceptional feeling. Brook told Sky Sports that England had delivered a near-complete performance, while praising the side’s patience through difficult periods and its ability to adapt to different surfaces.
Early wickets leave Sri Lanka unable to recover
Sri Lanka’s chase was undermined almost immediately when Sonny Baker had Pathum Nissanka caught behind for one with the eighth ball of the innings. It was Baker’s maiden ODI wicket in his second appearance in the format.
Although captain Kusal Mendis countered with 35 from 26 balls, Sri Lanka fell from 36-1 to 82-6 in 10 overs, Sky Sports reported. Pavan Rathnayake made 18 before a run-out that involved a lengthy on-field discussion, while no other Sri Lanka batter passed 20 apart from Mendis.
Left-arm spinner Liam Dawson was a major contributor to England’s control of the innings. Gus Atkinson returned 2-26.
Mendis told Sky Sports that Sri Lanka had struggled with the bat and made errors in the field. England, by contrast, converted their sizeable total into an emphatic series-clinching result, with Banton’s first international hundred providing the defining contribution.