SL Vs ENG ODI: Like Kohli, Mendis also missed a century! Adil Rashid changed the game, England got the target of 272 runs in the first ODI

SL vs ENG ODI: R of Colombo. The first match of the ODI series between the English team and Sri Lanka, which was on tour to England, was organized today at the Premadasa Stadium. In this match which started at 2:30 pm (local time), Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bat first. Taking advantage of the home conditions, the Sri Lankan team scored 271 runs at the loss of 6 wickets in the stipulated 50 overs and set a challenging target of 272 runs for England. However, the biggest innings for Sri Lanka came from the bat of wicketkeeper batsman Kushal Mendis, but he unfortunately missed his century. Mendis batted till the end and scored unbeaten 93 runs on 117 balls, but could not reach a personal score of three digits in front of the tight line-length of the English bowlers.

Kohli also missed a century recently

Kushal Mendis missing out on a century after reaching 90 was another such example seen in recent times, where despite excellent batting the century could not be completed. In the first ODI of India vs New Zealand in January 2026, Virat Kohli also missed out on a century by being caught out after scoring 93 runs. This innings of Mendis was also of the same type – where a century did not add to the figures, but its importance for the team did not diminish.

Sri Lanka had a very simple beginning. Opener Pathum Nissanka was out after scoring 21 runs, while from the other end, Kamil Mishara played an inning of 27 runs. Sri Lanka did not lose wickets in the powerplay, but the run rate was also not very fast. After Nissanka’s dismissal, Kushal Mendis took the responsibility of the innings and took the innings forward while playing steady on the pitch.

Sri Lankan middle order faltered in front of Adil

Sri Lanka suffered setbacks in the middle order. Dhananjay de Silva returned to the pavilion after scoring just 10 runs, while captain Charith Asalanka could add only 17 runs. Both these wickets affected Sri Lanka’s run rate and gave England a chance to make a comeback in the match. During this, England’s leg spinner Adil Rashid bowled brilliantly and troubled the batsmen a lot. Rashid took 3 important wickets for 44 runs in his 10 overs and broke the backbone of the Sri Lankan innings.

However, Kushal Mendis stood firm from the other end. Understanding the situation, he took less risk and focused on rotating the strike. Along with him, Zenith Liyanage also made useful contributions. Liyanage scored 46 runs in 53 balls and tried to control the run rate with the help of five fours and two sixes. The partnership between the two took Sri Lanka beyond 200.

Quick cameo by Vellalage in the last overs

Sri Lanka tried to show pace in the death overs. Pawan Ratnayake was out after scoring 12 runs, but youngster Dunith Vellalage played a brilliant cameo in the last overs. Vellalaghe scored 25 runs in just 12 balls, which included three fours and a six. Thanks to his quick innings, Sri Lanka was successful in reaching beyond 270 runs.

performance of english bowlers

Talking about England’s bowling, apart from Adil Rashid, Sam Curran and Liam Dawson also played important roles. Dawson bowled economically, taking just one wicket for 31 runs in 10 overs, while Sam Curran and Rehan Ahmed took 1 wicket each in pressure overs. However, Jamie Overton and Jacob Bethel found it a little difficult to stop the runs.

The score of 271 runs is definitely challenging, but the pitch looks favorable for batting. England has a deep batting lineup and in such a situation the match seems completely open. Now it will be interesting to see whether the Sri Lankan bowlers are able to defend this score or whether the England batting unit achieves the target easily.