England National Cricket Team white-ball captain, Harry Brook, and the batting legend, Joe Root, didn’t hold back their criticism while dropping their verdict on the pitch on the offer for the second ODI against the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team.
Joe Root said that the surface at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo was not a great wicket for ODI cricket, while Harry Brook said that it was probably the worst pitch he’s ever played on.
Spinners’ heaven laid out at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo
A spin-friendly pitch was deployed for the second ODI between Sri Lanka and England. The English team used eight bowling options in the match, out of which six were spinners.
They produced 40.3 overs of spin bowling and broke their old record of 36 overs of spin being bowled in an ODI, which happened way back in Sharjah in 1984-85.
England managed to bowl Sri Lanka out for 219 in 49.3 overs and chased down the target in 46.2 overs, riding on a brilliant 75-run knock from Joe Root, who also took wickets with the ball earlier in the innings.
This win helped England register an away ODI victory after a long time, and they managed to level the series 1-1 with one more match remaining.
Notably, Colombo is set to host several matches in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026, including the India vs Pakistan game on February 15.
The pitch is probably the worst pitch I’ve ever played on – Harry Brook
Speaking after the match, Harry Brook went ruthless and slammed the pitch prepared for the second ODI as the worst ever. Harry Brook said:
“It’s nice to get a win away from home and on a tough surface. We’re happy to get the victory. The pitch is probably the worst pitch I’ve ever played on. You had to go out there and adapt as quick as possible, and just try to get off strike and get the other batter on strike.”
Meanwhile, Harry Brook was mighty impressed with the way Joe Root batted on a difficult surface. Harry Brook stated:
“His ability to be able to get off strike, and put the bad ball away when they slightly miss, is awesome. He’s a phenomenal player to have in our side.”
I don’t think that’s a great wicket for ODI cricket – Joe Root
Joe Root has always scored big in Sri Lanka, and he loves visiting the country. However, his love for Sri Lanka didn’t stop him from criticising the Colombo pitch. He stated:
“I always love coming to Sri Lanka. It’s a great country. I always feel extremely welcomed from everyone, and obviously enjoy playing here. So it’s nice to get the win on a very difficult surface.
“I was just trying 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, both with bat and ball, and that got us across the line.
“We knew it was going to be a case of trying to maximise the powerplay and then a couple of big partnerships. If a couple of guys batted for a period of time, it was going to be difficult for Sri Lanka to wrestle momentum back in their favour. So that’s how we tried to approach it. And thankfully, we got the job done today.”
