White-ball captain Harry Brook hailed a “near-perfect performance” from England as they won the ODI series 2-1 after securing a 223-run win over Sri Lanka at The Oval on Sunday.
Sri Lanka’s dramatic win at Headingley in midweek saw the three-match series go to a decider after Brook’s troops won the opening game in Durham.
And Tom Banton put England in the driving seat on Sunday after smashing a brilliant 126 off 105 balls, featuring 16 fours and five sixes.
Ben Duckett (0) and Joe Root (18) fell cheaply – but skipper Brook joined Banton at the crease and also tore into the Sri Lankan bowling unit, scoring 77 off 66 balls (nine fours and two sixes).
Impressive innings from Cox
Wicketkeeper Jordan Cox, playing in the absence of the injured Jos Buttler, kept the momentum going after Brook was dismissed, scoring an impressive 76 off 52 balls.
And handy contributions from Will Jacks (25 off 21) and Craig Overton (21 off 14) helped Brendon McCullum’s hosts post a daunting total of 355 for seven off 50 overs.
That target looked even more unassailable when young paceman Sonny Baker snared Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka (1) for his maiden ODI wicket with the eighth ball.
The tourists then slumped from 36-1 to 82-6, with only captain Kusal Mendis (35 off 26) providing any resistance of note.
Dawson gets tourists in a spin
Liam Dawson (3-17) and Gus Atkinson (2-26) led the way for the bowling unit, with Jofra Archer also pulling off an impressive run out.
And Sri Lanka were skittled for 132, giving England a 12th win in 14 white-ball games to end the home summer of cricket on a high.
England captain Brook told Sky Sports: “I thought that was a near-perfect performance there – I thought everyone chipped in and it was an exceptional win.
“There were some tough periods, but I thought the patience we showed was exceptional.
“We want to be able to adapt to conditions every game. Every surface has been slightly different.
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Strong squad
“That is the side we want to be – we want to win when they are not in our favour and when they are, we want to nail sides.
“We are building towards a squad where someone can come into roles and fill it exceptionally well.
“We are building a strong squad and I have full trust in anyone who comes in.”
Too many mistakes from SL
Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis said after the match: “We struggled with the batting and then we made some mistakes in the field, including me.
“I think we played good cricket in the second ODI and when go to Pakistan after this, we need to be better.
“We made too many mistakes.”
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Michael Davey 
SportJustSport writers