Tom Banton’s maiden ODI century powers England to series win over Sri Lanka

Tom Banton scored his first one-day international century for England on 27 September, making 126 from 105 balls as they beat Sri Lanka by 223 runs at The Oval. The result gave England the three-match series 2-1 after the sides arrived at the decider level at one win apiece.

England chose to bat and finished on 355 for seven from 50 overs. Sri Lanka were dismissed for 132 in 29.1 overs. Banton was named player of the match for an innings that contained 16 fours and five sixes, giving England the largest contribution to a total Sri Lanka never came close to chasing.

Banton and Brook rebuild

England had an unpromising start: Ben Duckett fell for a fifth-ball duck, and Joe Root was out with the score at 68 for two in the 16th over. Banton and captain Harry Brook then added 150 for the third wicket. Brook’s 77 came from 66 balls and helped shift the innings from recovery to a position from which England could pursue a substantial total.

Banton reached 50 from 51 balls and took another 44 balls to reach his hundred, according to the Guardian’s match report. Its reporter, Ali Martin, described an innings of aggressive strokeplay around the ground. The partnership ended when Brook was dismissed at 218 for three in the 35th over, leaving Banton to carry on into the closing stages.

Reflecting on his hundred, Banton told the Guardian that limited time playing 50-over cricket could make a batter forget how long there was to bat. He said he had to change tempo and respect periods when Sri Lanka bowled well. He had come to The Oval committed to the approach he had used at Headingley, he said, and found finally reaching a hundred difficult to put into words.

Hindustan Times’ post-match coverage reported Banton saying that, as a child, he had dreamed of scoring a century for England. Doing it in front of friends and family felt special, he said. The same coverage named him player of the match, recording both the award and the 126-run innings behind it.

Cox adds runs; bowlers close out the series

Jordan Cox made 76 from 52 balls as England kept scoring after Brook’s dismissal. The Guardian reported that Cox began at roughly a run a ball before accelerating late in the innings. Will Jacks added 44, and Jamie Overton was unbeaten on 21. Asitha Fernando took three wickets for 64 runs for Sri Lanka, but England’s final total left the visitors needing more than seven runs an over throughout their chase.

Cox’s opportunity followed an injury to Jos Buttler. The International Cricket Council reported before the decider that Buttler had hurt his left hamstring during the second ODI and that Dan Lawrence had been brought into England’s squad in his place. Cox, who had played only three ODIs before that announcement, went on to make one of England’s main contributions with the bat.

Sri Lanka’s chase faltered early. According to the Guardian, Sonny Baker dismissed Pathum Nissanka with his second ball for his first ODI wicket. Gus Atkinson took two wickets in the powerplay, while Liam Dawson returned three for 26 from eight overs. Sri Lanka were all out with more than 20 overs of their allocation unused; Kusal Mendis was their top scorer with 35 from 26 balls.

In Hindustan Times’ post-match coverage, Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis acknowledged problems with both batting and fielding. He said a dropped catch had allowed Brook to continue, and that the middle order had fallen short. Brook, for his part, called England’s display near-perfect, praised Cox’s finishing and said contributions across the side had helped build a strong squad.

A series decided after Headingley

Sri Lanka had levelled the series at Headingley, where Buttler injured his hamstring during England’s unsuccessful chase. The ICC reported that England fell 16 runs short there after Buttler had made 69. That result put the sides level going into the final match, making Banton’s century and the 223-run victory at The Oval decisive for the series.

The Headingley defeat and Buttler’s injury formed the immediate backdrop to England’s response. The earlier match is covered in NewsJaws’ report on the injury and Sri Lanka’s series-levelling win. At The Oval, England’s runs came from Banton, Brook and Cox before the bowlers prevented Sri Lanka from building a comparable partnership.

The Guardian counted this as England’s sixth bilateral limited-overs series win of 2026 and their fifth successive series win across formats. Hindustan Times reported that both England and Sri Lanka were due to travel to Pakistan for an ODI tri-series beginning on 18 October. The Oval performance settled this series and showed what Banton contributed in the decider; it did not establish what place he will hold in future selections.