England white-ball captain Harry Brook and veteran cricketer Joe Root slammed the Colombo pitch used for the second ODI on Saturday against Sri Lanka. While Root said the surface was “not a great wicket for ODI cricket”, Brook was even more critical, calling it the “worst” pitch he had ever played on.
England defeated Sri Lanka by five wickets on a slow, low surface at the R Premadasa Stadium to level the three-match ODI series one-all after two games.
The visitors fielded six spinners and bowled 40.3 overs of spin – the most by England in an ODI – bundling out Sri Lanka for just 219. Chasing a modest target of 220, Ben Duckett and Brook played poised innings, but it was Root’s 90-ball 75 that helped England win the match.
Known for their attacking cricket, both Duckett and Brook played against their instinct and took time to settle. Duckett scored at a strike rate of 75.00, while Brook made his 42 off 75 deliveries, striking at 56.00.
Brook was harsh in his assessment of the surface and said, “The pitch is probably the worst pitch I’ve ever played on. You had to go out there and adapt as quickly as possible and try to get off strike and get the other batter on strike,” he said after the win.
“It’s nice to get a win away from home on a tough surface, we are happy to get the victory,” he added.
Although Root also praised Sri Lanka as a country, “Always love coming to Sri Lanka, it’s a great country. Always feel extremely welcomed by everyone. Enjoy playing here”, he criticised the pitch, saying, “Nice to get the win on a very difficult surface. (Adjustments to bat on this surface) Just try to take the ball as late as possible. I don’t think that’s a great wicket for ODI cricket if I’m being brutally honest, but we found a way today and we adapted and learned from the mistakes we made in the first game with both bat and ball and got across the line,” said Player of the Match Root.
The third and final ODI, the series decider, will be played at the same venue on Tuesday.
