Sri Lanka suffered a 55-run defeat to England in their final group-stage encounter of the Pakistan ODI Tri-Series at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Thursday, despite a magnificent century from young batting sensation Pavan Rathnayake.
Chasing a formidable target of 387, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 331 in 45.1 overs, with England’s left-arm spinner Liam Dawson producing a match-winning performance with four wickets for 49 runs.
England, batting first after Sri Lankan captain Kusal Mendis elected to field, piled up an imposing 386 for five in their allotted 50 overs, recording the highest-ever ODI total at the Gaddafi Stadium.
Opener Ben Duckett was the architect of England’s massive total, producing a career-best 167 off just 132 deliveries, including 24 boundaries. It was his second consecutive century in the tournament and his third ODI hundred at the Lahore venue.
Duckett dominated the opening exchanges alongside Tom Banton, who contributed an impressive 74 off 75 balls. The pair put on a commanding 163-run opening partnership, providing England with the perfect platform for a massive total.
Captain Harry Brook continued the momentum with 44 off 34 deliveries, while Jordan Cox made a quickfire 43 off 27 balls. Will Jacks added 30, and Sam Curran remained unbeaten on 21 as England finished with a daunting total.
Asitha Fernando was Sri Lanka’s most successful bowler, claiming two wickets for 63 runs, while the Sri Lankan bowling attack struggled to contain England’s aggressive batting, particularly in the middle overs.
Sri Lanka’s reply began with an early setback when Kamindu Mendis departed for just four. However, Kusal Mendis and Avishka Fernando steadied the innings with an important partnership.
Avishka contributed 48 off 50 deliveries, while Kusal Mendis played an entertaining knock of 89 from 71 balls, striking eight boundaries and five sixes.
Following Kusal’s dismissal, Pavan Rathnayake took responsibility for keeping Sri Lanka’s hopes alive. The youngster produced another outstanding performance, scoring 118 off just 77 deliveries, including 15 fours and a six.
It was Rathnayake’s third ODI century and his second hundred against England in the ongoing tri-series. His remarkable consistency also took his tournament tally to 350 runs, making him the leading run-scorer in the competition at that stage.
Sahan Arachchige contributed 30, while Janith Liyanage added a valuable 27 off just 17 deliveries. Sri Lanka appeared to remain in contention at 310 for five after 42 overs, requiring 77 runs from the remaining eight overs.
However, the dismissal of Rathnayake proved to be the turning point. Dawson removed the young centurion and helped trigger a dramatic collapse as Sri Lanka lost their final five wickets for just 16 runs.
Dawson finished with career-best ODI figures of four for 49, while Sonny Baker claimed two wickets to complete England’s victory.
England secured a 55-run win, recording their first ODI victory on Pakistani soil since December 2005. Ben Duckett was named Player of the Match.
Despite the defeat, Sri Lanka had already secured their place in the tri-series final, where they will face hosts Pakistan on Saturday at the same venue.
For England, the victory provided some consolation after losing their opening three matches and missing out on qualification for the final.
For Sri Lanka, however, the defeat highlighted areas of concern in their bowling and lower-order batting, particularly after allowing England to post such a massive total and then surrendering five wickets for just 16 runs during an otherwise promising run chase.
The encouraging aspect for Sri Lanka remains the outstanding form of Pavan Rathnayake, whose successive big performances against England have established him as one of the most exciting batting prospects in the national side.
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