England captain Harry Brooke did not back down after his side’s five-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second ODI in Colombo, R. Premadasa described the stadium’s pitch as “probably the worst he has ever played on”.
England successfully chased down 220, thanks to Joe Root’s 75, testing both batsmen and bowlers alike.
The tourists relied heavily on spin as they dispatched 40.3 overs – besting the 36 overs bowled against Pakistan in Sharjah in 1985.
Spin dominated the match, with England taking 3.62 degrees of spin—a 15% increase from the first ODI—and using six spinners in a 50-over match for the first time.
Root described the wicket as “a very hard surface” and admitted that “if I’m brutally honest, it’s not a good wicket for ODI cricket”.
However, Brook was more critical during the post-match presentation.
“The pitch was probably the worst pitch I’ve ever played on,” the 26-year-old said. “You have to go out and try to rotate the strike away from the strike and adapt as quickly as possible.”
Despite the challenging circumstances, Brooke highlighted the team’s performance.
“It’s nice to get a win away from home on a hard surface – we’re delighted to get the win.” He praised England’s bowlers for ending a run of 11 ODIs without a win, noting that they had “done a fantastic job”.
Brooke recorded his highest praise for Root, whose masterful innings guided England past the turning ball.
“He (Root) is a fantastic player. His ability to strike out and punish the bad ball is phenomenal. Joe is a fantastic player to have in our team,” Brook added.