The two centuries could hardly have been more different.
Root all touch and timing, getting the tempo of his innings just right, on a low, slow turner.
He set the platform from which England could launch, and launch – time and again – Brook did.
For a team who have struggled so much in the format in recent times, this was something approaching a perfectly constructed 50-over innings with the two Yorkshiremen leading the way.
For much of the innings, batting looked tricky. Patience was the name of the game for England after Ben Duckett and Rehan Ahmed lost theirs, but Root produced a masterclass in it.
There was never any sense of panic in his flawless knock. There were 58 singles in his innings as he rotated the strike at will, finding the gaps, manipulating the field – this isn’t the exciting stuff but it is bedrock of what makes Root great.
Sri Lanka could not put him under any pressure as he scored freely off both front foot and back, and either side of the wicket, with nine boundaries and a six in his 108-ball knock.
It meant Brook had the freedom to take his time and adapt to conditions initially before rapidly moving through the gears.
He brought up his half-century from 40 balls with a six, going inside-out over extra cover. Seventeen deliveries later, he was celebrating his century.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers had no answer as Brook switched seamlessly between dancing down the track and going deep in his crease.
Whichever option he chose, the ball invariably flew to – or over – the boundary.
In total, Brook struck 11 fours and nine sixes in a timely reminder of his supreme natural talent.
After the last of those maximums flew over the rope, Brook and Root walked off together, a job well done and the series win well within their grasp.