England captain Harry Brook criticised the surface used for the second one day international against Sri Lanka in Colombo, describing it as the poorest pitch he has experienced.
England secured a win by five wickets, with Joe Root scoring 75 in a successful chase of 220 at the R Premadasa Stadium.
The visitors delivered 40.3 overs of spin, the highest total bowled by England in a one day international. The previous mark was 36 overs in a 50 over match against Pakistan in Sharjah in 1985.
England generated 3.62 degrees of turn, up from 3.15 in the opening match of the series. Six specialist and part time spinners were used, a first for the side in the format.
Root described the surface as extremely difficult and said it was unsuitable for one day international cricket.
Brook offered a stronger verdict at the presentation ceremony, stating that the pitch was the worst he had played on.
He said batters had to adapt quickly, rotate the strike, and limit risk. He added that winning away from home on such a surface carried satisfaction.
“The pitch is probably the worst pitch I’ve ever played on,” Brook, 26, said.
“You had to go out there and adapt as quickly as possible and try to get off strike and get the other batter on strike.
“It’s nice to get a win away from home on a tough surface – we are happy to get the victory.”
Brook praised his bowlers for their performance, which ended a run of 11 matches without an away victory.
He reserved his strongest praise for Root, whose innings shaped the chase.
“He [Root] is an awesome player and his ability to get off strike and put the bad ball away when they slightly miss is awesome,” Brook added.
“Joe is a phenomenal player to have in our side.”
Root’s control against spin and ability to manage strike rotation proved decisive against consistent turn.
Brook said Root’s skill in finding singles and capitalising on loose deliveries made him invaluable to the side.
