Spinners lead Sri Lanka to victory over England in ODI series opener

By Canadian Press on January 22, 2026.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka spinners thrived in favorable conditions at home to beat England by 19 runs Thursday in the opening game of three-match ODI series.

With star spinner Wanindu Hasaranga rested, legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay (2-39) and leftarm spinner Dunith Wellalage (2-41) picked up key wickets on a conducive slow pitch to bowl out England for 252.

Earlier, No. 3 batter Kusal Mendis anchored Sri Lanka to 271-6 with an unbeaten 93 off 117 balls that included 11 boundaries.

England overcame the early loss of Zak Crawley, who made a disappointing return to 50-over format after more than two years when he nicked Asitha Fernando behind wickets after scoring just 6 runs in his comeback game.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

The Associated Press

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