Root came to the crease after the loss of two early wickets and with his side facing a familiar nemesis: a trial by spin on a dry pitch. But he exuded calm and skill, provided deft touches and powerful blows, and ran like a whippet between the wickets. In partnership with the equally impressive James Taylor, he made light of a testing total and took England to victory with five balls to spare. It was the highest successful run-chase in an ODI on the ground.
Sri Lanka still lead 3-2 with two games to play but England will take great confidence from this side as they look towards the World Cup.
Summarized scores: England 240 for 5 (Root 104*, Taylor 68) beat Sri Lanka 239 (Sangakkara 91, Woakes 6-47) by five wickets