England closed out a bruising ODI tri-series in Lahore with a 55-run win over Sri Lanka, bowling the visitors out for 331 while defending 387. The victory was their first of the tournament after three straight defeats, and it arrived with the series final already out of reach.
The result mattered less than the performance for head coach Brendon McCullum, who used the aftermath to back Harry Brook's leadership. England had lost a botched chase to Pakistan, failed to defend 429 against Sri Lanka, then watched Pakistan reach 242 from 154-9.
Harry Brook captaincy draws strong backing from McCullum
McCullum called Brook "one of the best tactical captains I've ever come across," saying the England skipper "has such an astute brain" and "wears his intelligence lightly externally but he's a very switched on man and cricketer."
The head coach stressed that Brook's authority runs beyond the toss and field placings. "He has the respect of the entire dressing room. He leads and they follow him," McCullum said. "It's not just him on his own, he calls on other people."
McCullum pointed to the closing stages of Thursday's match as the clearest evidence of growth. Sri Lanka were five down and building a serious chase when Brook slowed the game, reshuffled his attack and took the wickets England needed. "He would have grown enormously," McCullum said of the experience.
Liam Dawson repays selection as Adil Rashid sits out
The decisive moment came in the 45th over, with Sri Lanka needing 58 from 35 balls. Pavan Rathnayake, who had already scored a century against England earlier in the series, swept Liam Dawson to short fine leg and was caught.
Dawson finished with 4-49. Across three matches in the competition he took seven wickets at an average of 21.42, having replaced leg-spinner Adil Rashid after England's opening defeat to Pakistan in Rawalpindi.
Rashid, England's second-highest ODI wicket-taker behind James Anderson, was left out for the remainder of the tournament. McCullum framed the call as conditions-driven rather than a judgment on the leg-spinner. "Left-arm spin has had a significant impact on this tournament whereas leg-spin hasn't had much of a role," he said. "On this occasion, the conditions probably went against Rash."
Ben Duckett and Tom Banton sharpen the batting picture
England's 386-5 was built on Ben Duckett's career-best 167 from 132 balls, his second century in successive innings to close the series. Tom Banton has also pressed his case, making one hundred and four fifties in seven innings since coming in for the injured Jacob Bethell.
Both men will return to a crowded top order. Bethell, who had been opening with Duckett before a knee problem in the home summer, is due back for the Australia tour, and Jofra Archer also returns after being rested. Jos Buttler remains out following hamstring surgery.
McCullum welcomed the squeeze. "We want to be a team that can adapt to different conditions, be malleable and have that flexibility," he said, describing the selection calls as good problems to have.
Australia tour and the road to the 2027 World Cup
England's next assignment is a white-ball tour of Australia in November, featuring three ODIs and five T20 internationals. ODI matches start at 3.30am UK time, with the T20s at 8.15am.
The trip forms part of preparation for the 2027 50-over World Cup in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe. McCullum said the subcontinent experience had exposed weaknesses and produced lessons in equal measure.
"We know we had some missed opportunities in this series but we did some really good stuff," he said. "We want to be a team that challenges seriously for that World Cup and we know we need to get better - but we will."
Pakistan face Sri Lanka in the tri-series final in Lahore on Saturday, with the first ball at 8am UK time.
This report draws on the original coverage by skysports.com.
