The China Mail - Brook's masterclass leaves Sri Lanka reeling in series decider

The England captain was in a league of his own at Colombo's R. Premadasa Stadium after England elected to bat first.

He finished unbeaten on a brutal 136 off 66 balls in an exhibition of clean hitting that left the home attack gasping for air, and the 4,000-strong English contingent of supporters in raptures.

Brook's 11 fours and nine sixes was power hitting with a surgeon's precision -- a blend of muscle and timing that turned the contest into a one-sided affair.

Brook had walked into the series under the microscope following revelations that he was fined £30,000 after a nightclub altercation in New Zealand last October.

But he looked to have put the incident behind him in posting his third ODI hundred.

The platform was laid by an unbroken 191 run stand with former skipper Joe Root for the fourth wicket, a partnership that gave England total control.

With 130 runs scored in the last 10 overs, England turned a strong total into a mountainous one.

Root's own milestone -- his 20th ODI hundred -- was overshadowed by Brook's masterclass.

The former captain remained unbeaten on 111, continuing his role as Sri Lanka's chief tormentor after half-centuries in the first two ODIs.

Earlier, a 126-run stand between Root and Jacob Bethell for the third wicket had set the stage for the late innings carnage.

Sri Lanka's bowlers simply had no answers.

It was England's highest score against Sri Lanka in ODIs.

The total also stands as the fourth highest score at the venue, where anything north of 300 is usually a match-winning one.

Sri Lanka's five-year unbeaten home ODI series record now hangs by a thread.

Z.Huang--ThChM