England's Best ODI Bowling Performances Abroad

Joe Root's unbeaten century made sure England kept the one-day series against Sri Lanka alive with victory in Pallekele, but it was Chris Woakes who set up the opportunity for the tourists to close the gap.

The Warwickshire bowler claimed 6-47 in the first half of the truncated fifth ODI, his efforts helping bowl the hosts out for 239 in 49 overs before rain called a halt to proceedings on Wednesday.

England returned on Thursday and duly managed to get the 240 they required with five wickets and five balls in hand, meaning the series now stands at 3-2 to Sri Lanka with two games remaining.

The two teams return to the same venue in Kandy on Saturday for the penultimate ODI before heading to Colombo to complete the series on December 16.

So where do Woakes' figures rank on the list of best performances by an English bowler in a 50-over match on foreign soil? To mark his achievement, we count down the top half-dozen.

Craig White, 5-21

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Craig White helped dismiss Zimbabwe cheaply in Bulawayo in February of 2000, picking up 5-21 from his full complement of 10 overs in the second ODI of the series.

The hosts collapsed from 80-3 to 131 all out, per ESPN, though England didn't have things all their own way in their run chase.

All-rounder White made a very patient 26 as Nasser Hussain's side rather limped over the line, relying on the last-wicket pairing of Darren Gough and Alan Mullally to get them home after a late batting collapse.

Vic Marks, 5-20

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The Basin Reserve in Wellington back in February of 1984 was the scene for Vic Marks to record his best bowling figures in any format for England.

The Somerset spinner, now a journalist and broadcaster, picked up 5-20 to help bowl out New Zealand for 134 in what was the second match of the ODI series. To make his feat even more impressive, he took out the top five in the Kiwi batting order.

England had no problems with knocking off the runs to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, per ESPN.

Andrew Flintoff, 5-19

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Andrew Flintoff made sure England clinched a 3-2 series victory over the West Indies in April of 2009 when he helped bowl out the hosts in a rain-shortened final one-dayer in Saint Lucia.

With the match reduced to 29 overs per side, England made 172-5 thanks to a run-a-ball 48 from Kevin Pietersen and contributions of 44 and 35 not out from Ravi Bopara and Paul Collingwood, respectively.

Lancastrian Flintoff only mustered three runs with the bat, but he made a much bigger impact with the ball. In his five overs, he picked up 5-19, meaning the West Indies were dismissed for 146.

Mark Ealham, 5-15

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The winter of 2000 proved a successful one for England all-rounders against Zimbabwe.

The month before Craig White's five-wicket haul in Bulawayo, fellow all-rounder Mark Ealham had achieved the feat against the same opponents, albeit on South African soil.

In the fifth match of the Standard Bank Triangular Tournament in Kimberley, Ealham made history in becoming the first bowler to claim five leg before wicket decisions in a one-day match.

His stunning return of 5-15 from 10 overs, three of which were maidens, restricted Zimbabwe to 161-9. It was a total England comfortably overhauled for the loss of just two wickets—and with 107 balls to spare.

Chris Woakes, 6-47

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Woakes doubled his tally for the series with his six wickets against Sri Lanka at the International Stadium.

The Birmingham-born bowler claimed the prized scalps of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, who made a top score of 91 before being caught in the deep.

Woakes has a total of 32 wickets in his one-day career for England but is becoming something of an overseas expert—only five of his victims have come in the six matches he has played for his country on home turf.

Chris Woakes, 6-45

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Woakes' efforts against Sri Lanka were not quite the best yet by an England bowler away from home—though he already held top spot on the list anyway!

The 25-year-old picked up 6-45 in Brisbane in January of 2011 against Australia—though on that occasion his super six ended up being in a losing cause, with England slipping 4-1 down in the seven-match ODI series.

Recalled to the team at the Gabba, Woakes dismissed John Hastings with the first ball of his final over to complete his maiden five-wicket haul, then had Brett Lee caught in the deep two deliveries later.