Joe Root and Jos Buttler added 109 runs for the fifth wicket © Cricaction
Joe Root made Sri Lanka pay for not taking the chances of dismissing him twice - in the 20th and 48th over - as he scored 93 and added an innings-defining 109-run stand with Jos Buttler (70 off 45 balls) for the fifth wicket in the fifth and final One-Day International (ODI) at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. Danushka Gunathilaka, Sri Lanka's right-arm off break bowler, did well to pull the strings in the middle overs with three swift wickets but his efforts were eventually nullified by the partnership between Root and Buttler that enabled England to post 324 for 7 in 50 overs.
There was a rain threat to negotiate right after Sri Lanka asked the hosts to bat first. It relented swiftly but returned again, five overs later. The showers, however, could only force a brief intermission before Jason Roy and James Vince resumed their solid start. Under bright sunshine, Jason Roy resumed from where he left off in the previous fixture while James Vince looked set to make the most of his first batting stint in ODIs. A superb, acrobatic effort from Kusal Perera at deep midwicket allowed Sri Lanka to break a promising partnership between the English openers, as Roy hit out for a run-a-ball 34. As England rebuilt after Roy's exit, Vince reached his maiden half-century in company of Joe Root.
At 182 for 4 in the 33rd over, Sri Lanka would've hoped to restrict the hosts to a modest total despite having Root batting on 50 at one end. Jos Buttler walked out to ensure Sri Lanka's joy was only momentary.
Sri Lanka managed to put the brakes on the scoring by unleashing spin from both ends with Sekkuge Prasanna and Gunathilaka. The latter brought about a key breakthrough, foxing Vince right after the England batsman reached his fifty. The England batsman gave Gunathilaka the charge, but was comprehensively beaten by the ball delivered from around the stumps, allowing Dinesh Chandimal to complete a regulation stumping in the 19th over. Prasanna nearly doubled Sri Lanka's delight by seeing the back of Root, but a bit of miscommunication between the bowler and Angelo Mathews at short extra cover led the leading edge to fall safely to the ground. Gunathilaka however, managed to give the visitors something to smile about by dismissing two of Root's batting partners - Eoin Morgan and Jonny Bairstow - just when a partnership was starting to build.
Chaminda Bandara, Sri Lanka's 29-year-old left-arm fast-bowling debutant, was at the receiving end of a devastating batting display by the two batsmen as they aimed to find a new gear that would push England towards a massive total. After having reached his fifty of 61 balls, Root identified Buttler as the more dominating batsman between them and did exceptionally well to constantly turn the strike over. Buttler took the chance to further establish his acumen as a game-changing limited-overs batsmen, taking apart the pace trio of Lakmal, Bandara and Nuwan Pradeep in his stroke-filled knock. The 100-run stand came off just 80 balls. Buttler eventually fell for a 45-ball 70, giving Bandara his maiden ODI wicket.
Root threw his bat around further to inch towards a century and took England past 300. The Sri Lankan pacers' ineffectiveness allowed Chris Woakes to walk in and chance his arms too. Pradeep denied Root the chance to get to three-figures but that was a small consolation as England posted a mammoth total.
Brief Scores: England 324/7 in 50 overs (Joe Root 93, Jos Buttler 70; Danushka Gunathilaka 3-48) vs Sri Lanka
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