England star batter Joe Root praised Sri Lanka’s Pavan Ratnayake after the young batter’s standout century in the third ODI at the R. Premadasa Stadium, calling him a player with a bright future in international cricket.
Ratnayake struck a top-class 121 in a high-pressure chase as Sri Lanka pursued England’s massive 357 for 3, powered by Root’s unbeaten 111 and Harry Brook’s explosive 136. Despite his efforts, Sri Lanka fell short, handing England a 2-1 series victory and ending Sri Lanka’s 12-series unbeaten home ODI run since 2022.
“I thought he played extremely well. He’s got a really good game against spin, he can manoeuvre the ball and doesn’t soak up dot balls,” Root said. “He’s got a real good knack of rotating the strike but has some really good boundary options too.
“I think he’s got a bright future ahead of him, and I’ll be watching out for him because that was really quite special. He just needed one or two of the other guys to stick with him.”
Root’s endorsement came after a dominant series from the England batter, who scored 61, 75 and 111 not out in the three matches, underlining his importance as England push towards ODI World Cup qualification.
Ratnayake’s innings offered a glimpse of Sri Lanka’s next generation of batting talent, with the young batter earning praise from one of the world’s leading batsmen despite the defeat.(Newswire)
“He’s got a real good knack of rotating the strike and has some really good boundary options too. I think he’s got a bright future ahead of him, and I’ll be watching out for him because that was really quite special.”
— Joe Root on Pavan Ratnayake pic.twitter.com/ehPfrDyqHI— NewsWire 🇱🇰 (@NewsWireLK) January 27, 2026