Duckett, Root fifties in vain as SL clinch close contest

Sri Lanka won the first ODI in Colombo by 19 runs. Batting first, they posted 271 for 6, powered by an unbeaten 93 from Kusal Mendis and 46 from Janith Liyanage. Adil Rashid was the pick of England's bowlers with 3 for 44.

In reply, England were bowled out for 252. Ben Duckett (62) and Joe Root (61) shared a 117-run partnership to set a strong platform. However, Sri Lanka's spinners applied consistent pressure, triggering a middle-order collapse. Cameos from Rehan Ahmed and Jamie Overton kept England in the hunt, but they fell short as Overton was dismissed in the final over with 20 runs needed.

Brief Scores:
Sri Lanka 271/6 in 50 overs (Kusal Mendis 93*, Janith Liyanage 46; Adil Rashid 3-44) beat England 252 in 49.2 overs (Ben Duckett 62, Joe Root 61; Pramod Madhushan 3-39) by 19 runs.