England signed off their summer in emphatic fashion as Tom Banton’s maiden international century and a ruthless bowling display powered them to a comprehensive victory over Sri Lanka in the third ODI at The Oval.

The result gave England a 2-1 series victory, completing a memorable turnaround after Sri Lanka levelled the contest with a win in the second ODI at Headingley. England’s 223-run margin was also their biggest ODI victory over Sri Lanka, surpassing their previous record of 128 runs in Perth in 1999.

Tom Banton announces himself on the big stage

The standout moment of England’s innings belonged to Tom Banton.

The opener produced a superb 126 from 105 deliveries, striking 16 fours and 5 sixes. More importantly, it was his maiden international century, arriving after a difficult period in which his England career had failed to progress as expected.

Banton initially concentrated on building his innings before opening up against Sri Lanka’s bowlers. After Ben Duckett was dismissed for a duck early in the innings, Banton helped steady the situation alongside Joe Root.

Once settled, however, the right-hander began finding boundaries all around the ground.

His century came from 95 balls, and he continued attacking before eventually falling for 126 with England already in a commanding position.

Harry Brook and Jordan Cox add more firepower to England’s total

Banton did not do the damage alone.

England captain Harry Brook scored 77 from 66 balls, forming a huge 150-run partnership with Banton. Brook survived a couple of chances early in his innings but eventually found his rhythm and accelerated through the middle overs.

Jordan Cox then provided the finishing burst with an impressive 76 from 52 balls.

His aggressive strokeplay helped England add 104 runs during the final 10 overs, taking the hosts from a strong position to a daunting total of 355/7.

The contributions from Banton, Brook and Cox meant England had runs throughout the batting order, leaving Sri Lanka with an enormous chase.

Sri Lanka’s chase falls apart

The target of 356 proved far beyond Sri Lanka’s reach.

Pathum Nissanka was dismissed for just one in the second over, edging Sonny Baker behind. It was a significant moment for Baker, who claimed his maiden ODI wicket.

Gus Atkinson then struck twice during the powerplay, removing Kamindu Mendis and Sri Lankan captain Kusal Mendis. Kusal briefly threatened with a 35-ball cameo, but Sri Lanka struggled to build partnerships after his departure.

From there, England’s bowlers tightened their grip.

Liam Dawson leads England’s bowling attack

Liam Dawson was the pick of England’s bowlers, finishing with an excellent 3/26 from eight overs.

The left-arm spinner consistently applied pressure and took crucial wickets as Sri Lanka’s middle order struggled to handle the mounting required rate. Atkinson also finished with two wickets, while Will Jacks claimed the final wicket.

Sri Lanka were eventually bowled out for just 132 in 29.1 overs, with Kusal Mendis’ 35 the highest individual score.

The collapse meant England secured victory with almost 21 overs remaining.

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England finish the series on a high

The victory capped an impressive limited-overs run for Brook’s side. England had already won the opening ODI by 89 runs before Sri Lanka fought back with a 16-run victory in the second game. The decider, however, was one-way traffic.

Banton’s breakthrough century was the defining moment, but England’s success came from a complete team performance. Their batting unit posted 355, while the bowlers then dismantled Sri Lanka for 132.

England defeated Sri Lanka by 223 runs, sealing the series by 2-1. Will Jacks was named Player of the Series after his strong all-round contribution [147 runs, 9 wickets] across the three matches.

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