Banton's maiden century seals ODI series for England

England beat Sri Lanka by 223 runs at The Oval on Sunday 27 September 2026 to win the one-day international series 2-1.

The decider was settled with plenty to spare. England made 355 for seven from their 50 overs, then bowled Sri Lanka out for 132 in 29.1 overs The Guardian.

England won the toss and chose to bat first at The Oval BBC Sport. The start was shaky. Ben Duckett was bowled for a fifth-ball duck, out without scoring, and Joe Root fell leg-before-wicket on review for 18.

That brought Tom Banton and captain Harry Brook together at 2 wickets down. The pair added 150 for the third wicket and changed the shape of the innings.

Banton led the way. Promoted to open in the absence of Jos Buttler, who missed the game with a hamstring injury, he made 126 from 105 balls. It was his maiden international century. He reached fifty off 51 balls, then needed only 44 more balls to reach three figures, finishing with 16 fours and five sixes.

Brook gave strong support with 77 from 66 balls. Jordan Cox then kept the pace up with 76 from 52 balls, his first half-century in List A cricket, the official name for top-level one-day matches, in his 10th appearance in the format.

Sri Lanka never got close in reply. Chasing 356 to win, they lost wickets in clusters and were dismissed well inside 30 overs.

The result completed a turnaround across three games. Sri Lanka had won the second ODI by 16 runs at Headingley to level the series at 1-1, scoring 321 for six before holding England to 305 for nine Reuters. Captain Kusal Mendis made a century in that match.

What makes this stand out is the timing. Banton took his chance at the top of the order and produced the longest, calmest innings of the series. For fans, this means England leave a tight series with a new century-maker and a clear series win.