Joe Root celebrated his 150th ODI appearance with an unbeaten half-century after Chris Woakes (4/18) struck with the ball, as England claimed a five-wicket win over Sri Lanka in their series opener here on Tuesday.
Chasing a target of 186, England opener Jonny Bairstow made a brisk start that helped his team reach 50 inside five overs. But he soon lost his opening partner Liam Livingstone, who clipped a Chamika Karunaratne delivery straight to mid-on.
Bairstow fell seven runs short of a half-century after he was bowled by Binura Fernando, and the hosts were soon reduced to 80/4 as Dushmantha Chameera removed skipper Eoin Morgan and Sam Billings cheaply.
Brief scores: Sri Lanka 185 in 42.3 ovs (K. Perera 73, W. Hasaranga 54; C. Woakes 4/18). England 189/5 in 34.5 ovs (J. Root 79 n.o.). England won by 5 wickets.
