England captain Harry Brook slammed the pitch used for their second one-day international against Sri Lanka in Colombo, calling it "probably the worst" he had ever played on. The England side successfully chased down 220 at the R Premadasa Stadium to wrap up a five-wicket victory.
Brook's comments were scathing in nature, highlighting the difficulties of playing on the surface. He noted that the pitch required batsmen to adapt quickly and try to get off strike as soon as possible, adding that it was not a good wicket for ODI cricket. This sentiment is echoed by fellow Yorkshireman Joe Root, who played a masterful innings given the conditions.
Root's ability to navigate the tricky spin from Sri Lankan bowlers, combined with his lightness of foot and clever shot-making, made him the key player in England's chase against the turning ball. Brook praised Root as an "awesome player" whose ability to get off strike and put away bad balls was invaluable.
The high number of runs conceded by England's spinners, 40.3 overs, sets a new record for ODIs, surpassing the previous record set back in 1985 against Pakistan in Sharjah. The tourists were able to adapt their strategy to make the most of this situation and ended an 11-match losing streak without a win.
Brook acknowledged that the victory was a welcome boost, but also stated that it was "nice" to get the win on such a tough surface. His comments highlight the challenges faced by teams when facing Sri Lanka's spin-friendly pitches, particularly in the one-day format.
Brook's comments were scathing in nature, highlighting the difficulties of playing on the surface. He noted that the pitch required batsmen to adapt quickly and try to get off strike as soon as possible, adding that it was not a good wicket for ODI cricket. This sentiment is echoed by fellow Yorkshireman Joe Root, who played a masterful innings given the conditions.
Root's ability to navigate the tricky spin from Sri Lankan bowlers, combined with his lightness of foot and clever shot-making, made him the key player in England's chase against the turning ball. Brook praised Root as an "awesome player" whose ability to get off strike and put away bad balls was invaluable.
The high number of runs conceded by England's spinners, 40.3 overs, sets a new record for ODIs, surpassing the previous record set back in 1985 against Pakistan in Sharjah. The tourists were able to adapt their strategy to make the most of this situation and ended an 11-match losing streak without a win.
Brook acknowledged that the victory was a welcome boost, but also stated that it was "nice" to get the win on such a tough surface. His comments highlight the challenges faced by teams when facing Sri Lanka's spin-friendly pitches, particularly in the one-day format.
England is having a crazy tournament 
and their captain Harry Brook isn't afraid to speak truth 
! The pitch was like, woah 
it was so slippery that batsmen had to be super quick on their feet 
. And Joe Root, bless him 
, he's just a genius with the bat 
. He makes those tricky spinners look easy 
. I love how the team adapted and made the most of the situation 
. It's definitely not going to be an easy win for them against Sri Lanka 
. But hey, a 5-wicket victory is still a huge deal 
!
I'm so happy for England too, an 11-match losing streak is crazy long to be breaking! The fact they adapted their strategy mid game and still managed to pull it off is just amazing 
brook said it was probably the WORST he's ever played on? i feel him tho, those spinners were like a nightmare to face. and root's innings was insane! but seriously, 40+ overs conceded by their spinners is crazy. what did england do differently this time around? did they make any tactical changes? 
.
. But at the same time, it raises questions about how they're going to adapt to these spin-friendly pitches on the road – they can't always rely on their bowlers to give up runs like that 
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