England’s stand-in captain, Ollie Pope, said his side had proved they were “not just a one-dimensional team” in the manner of their five-wicket win over Sri Lanka at Old Trafford.
Unlike many of their performances since Brendon McCullum was appointed coach in May 2022 England’s pursuit of victory was much more slow-burn than high-octane, but in difficult conditions and against impressive opponents Pope insisted it “showed where we’re coming on as a team overall”.