England Stays Course With Series Win Over Sri Lanka

By: Chinmay Vaidya

England has its sights set on lifting the 2019 World Cup on home turf and kept building that momentum with a series win over Sri Lanka. Despite a rough loss in the final match, England dominated the ODI series with another balanced batting display.

Four batsmen scored more than 100 runs in the five-match series, although the first contest was cut short due to weather. Three of those batsmen registered half-centuries and captain Eoin Morgan was the lead man for England.

Morgan had two half-centuries and led all English batsmen with 195 runs in the series. He remained not out in three of his innings, providing the finishing touches on England's wins. With Ben Stokes also providing late runs, the lower half of England's middle order looks to be regaining its form at the right time. Morgan and Stokes will be important contributors for England next summer.

Joe Root and Jason Roy set the pace for England at the top of the order, although neither was able to make the big score after good starts. This will be something to watch as the year progresses, as England will need one of these guys to click in the big tournament. Root is the best player in England's lineup, but he's going to need support. England's peripheral players needed to get back into form and this was the perfect series to do it.