PAKISTAN ODI TRI-SERIES 2026 — MATCH PREVIEW

Sri Lanka vs England 3rd ODI Preview: Playing 11, Head-to-Head, Pitch Report and Prediction

Sri Lanka face England in the third match of the Pakistan ODI Tri-Series 2026 at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday, October 22, with the first ball at 1:00 PM PKT. Both sides lost their opening game to Pakistan, which turns this into a must-win: the loser is almost certainly out of the race for the final, while the winner stays alive and drags the tri-series into a proper three-way fight.

Match: Sri Lanka vs England, 3rd ODI, Pakistan ODI Tri-Series 2026
Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026
Time: 1:00 PM PKT (1:30 PM IST)
Venue: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
Live streaming: Sports TV YouTube channel (Pakistan); Sony Sports Network and SonyLIV (India)

Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium — both previous games of the tri-series here were won by the side that batted first. File photo, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Form Guide: Both Winless, Both Wounded

Sri Lanka went down to Pakistan by 37 runs in the series opener on October 18. Salman Agha's hundred set the game up for the hosts, and Janith Liyanage's fighting 60 was the only real resistance in the chase. England then lost to Pakistan by 87 runs on October 20 — they had Pakistan 81 for 4 before Hasan Nawaz (career-best 79) and Arafat Minhas (59 and 6 for 40) produced one of the great ODI turnarounds of the year.

The last-five-ODI form guides tell their own story: Sri Lanka L, L, W, L, W; England L, W, L, W, W. Neither side can afford a slow start today. The team that loses the early exchanges in Rawalpindi has been punished twice already in this series.

Team Comparison: Head-to-Head Record

This is one of ODI cricket's genuinely close rivalries. Sri Lanka and England have met 85 times in ODIs: England have won 42, Sri Lanka 39, with one tie and three no-results. The first meeting was on February 13, 1982; the most recent was on September 27, 2026.

England's highest total in the fixture is 357; Sri Lanka's is 366 for 6, made at the R Premadasa Stadium in October 2018 — the biggest total either side has made against the other. Across the last 10 meetings, England lead 6-4.

Recent history is split. England took the January 2026 series in Sri Lanka 2-1 — Harry Brook smashed 136 off 66 balls in the decider at Colombo and Joe Root was player of the series. In England in September 2026, the honours were shared: England won the opener at Chester-le-Street by 89 runs (Will Jacks 46 and 5 for 22), and Sri Lanka hit back at Headingley two days later by 16 runs, with Kusal Mendis making a superb 121 off 100 balls.

Tri-Series Top Performers So Far

Two games in, the form players are mostly in green, which is exactly why Sri Lanka and England are under pressure. Hasan Nawaz's 79 off 74 against England is the highest score of the series; Janith Liyanage's 60 against Pakistan leads Sri Lanka's chart. With the ball, Arafat Minhas' 6 for 40 against England is the standout, ahead of Sonny Baker's 3 for 65 in the same game. England's best with the bat has been Tom Banton's 57 and Ben Duckett's 45, both in the defeat to Pakistan.

Key Battles

Joe Root vs Asitha Fernando: Root is 64 runs short of 8,000 ODI runs — he would become the first Englishman to get there. Asitha Fernando's new-ball swing is Sri Lanka's sharpest weapon, and an early Root wicket would open England's middle order up.

Harry Brook destroyed Sri Lanka's attack with 136 off 66 balls in the January series decider. File photo, Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Harry Brook vs the middle overs: That 136 off 66 in Colombo is fresh in Sri Lanka's memory. If Brook gets in on a true Rawalpindi surface, Sri Lanka's spinners will need their best day of the tour.

Kusal Mendis vs Adil Rashid: Mendis has just scored 121 against this England side, last month at Headingley. Rashid remains England's middle-overs controller, and this duel could decide 15-20 runs either way.

England's openers vs the new ball: Banton and Duckett got starts against Pakistan but could not convert. Against Madushanka and Eshan Malinga, conversion — not just starts — is what England need from the powerplay.

Kusal Mendis, Sri Lanka's captain, made 121 off 100 balls against England at Headingley last month. File photo, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Pitch Report and Conditions

Rawalpindi is flat, true and made for batting. Pakistan have gone past 300 in both games of the series so far, including 302 for 9 in the second ODI. Both captains have bowled first anticipating evening dew, but it did not save England — chasing under lights, the ball gripped a touch for the spinners and Pakistan's attack held its nerve.

Expect 290 to 310 as a par first-innings score. The toss winner will probably chase again given the dew factor, but the side that bats first and pushes toward 320 becomes very hard to beat. Conditions are clear and dry with no rain in the forecast, and a warm afternoon around 30°C.

Probable Playing 11 (predicted)

Sri Lanka: Avishka Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Mendis (c, wk), Pavan Rathnayake, Sahan Arachchige, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka, Sachindu Colombage, Eshan Malinga, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka.

England: Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jordan Cox (wk), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Adil Rashid, Sonny Baker.

Sri Lanka may consider recalling Dunith Wellalage for extra spin; England could be tempted to bring Josh Tongue in for Sonny Baker after the Pakistan game.

My Prediction

I am backing England — narrowly. On a true Rawalpindi surface where 300 is par, England's batting runs deeper: Root, Brook, Curran and Jacks is a middle order built for exactly these conditions, and their recent record against Sri Lanka (series win in January, shared honours in September) gives them the psychological edge.

Sri Lanka's route to victory is clear enough: early wickets from Asitha Fernando and Madushanka, another rescue act from Liyanage or Shanaka, and their spinners exploiting the second-innings grip under lights. Both teams are 0-1 and desperate, and desperation usually favours the deeper squad. My call: England win by 15-25 runs, or by 4 wickets if they chase.

FAQs

When and where is the Sri Lanka vs England 3rd ODI?

Thursday, October 22, 2026, at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. First ball at 1:00 PM PKT (1:30 PM IST).

Who will win the SL vs ENG 3rd ODI today?

England start as slight favourites because of their deeper batting on a flat Rawalpindi pitch, but the head-to-head is close (England 42 wins, Sri Lanka 39) and Sri Lanka beat England at Headingley as recently as September. Expect a tight game.

What is the head-to-head record between Sri Lanka and England in ODIs?

85 matches: England 42 wins, Sri Lanka 39 wins, 1 tie, 3 no-results. In the last 10 meetings, England lead 6-4.

What are the probable playing 11s for SL vs ENG 3rd ODI?

Sri Lanka are expected to go with Avishka Fernando, Kamindu and Kusal Mendis, Rathnayake, Arachchige, Liyanage, Shanaka, Colombage, Eshan Malinga, Asitha Fernando and Madushanka. England's likely XI is Banton, Duckett, Root, Brook, Cox, Curran, Jacks, Overton, Atkinson, Rashid and Baker.

Where can I watch Sri Lanka vs England 3rd ODI live?

In Pakistan the match streams live on the Sports TV YouTube channel; in India it is on Sony Sports Network and SonyLIV.

Read More

Pakistan beat England by 87 runs — Arafat Minhas' 6/40 and 59 stun England in 2nd ODI

Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 37 runs in tri-series opener — Salman Agha's hundred

Pakistan ODI Tri-Series 2026 preview: Pakistan, England, Sri Lanka — schedule and squads