Sri Lanka will face England for the 3rd ODI (SL vs ENG 3rd ODI) of the ongoing 3-match ODI series on January 27 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. So far, both of the teams have claimed one win each, which makes the last match of the contest very vital ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup.
The upcoming edition of the T20 World Cup 2026 will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. As the hosts, Sri Lanka will have the home advantage under the subcontinent conditions. In the opening match of the ODI series, Sri Lanka emerged as the better team over England. But the visitors also made their intentions clear by winning the following match.
This article looks at the probable playing XIs for Sri Lanka and England, likely team combinations, and the key players to watch in the third ODI.
Sri Lanka Playing XI vs England – 3rd ODI
Sri Lanka needs to maintain their batting performance if it wishes to make a positive cut in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. They batted nicely in the first ODI match, scoring 271 runs in 50 overs. In the following match, their batting line-up collapsed. Against all ten wickets, they scored a paltry total of 219, which England chased down successfully and won the match by 5 wickets.
Openers: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara
It is worth saying that the Sri Lanka cricket team currently has very limited resources. They have to keep relying on their existing setup, offering the batters more match times to boost their confidence. Despite the batting failure in the second match, the opening pair of Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara is likely to continue in the last ODI before the T20 World Cup 2026 as well.
Middle Order and All-Rounders: Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka (c), Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga
The Sri Lanka cricket team have some serious talents in their squad. Proven talents like Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, and Charith Asalanka are some of the key figures in the team.
Wanindu Hasaranga can be included in the playing XI to make the eleven stronger on paper. Hasaranga can prove to be the last piece of the puzzle for the Sri Lanka cricket team. But the eyes will be on Mendis, as he has already scored over 4,800 runs with 40 fifty-plus scores for the team.
Bowlers: Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando, Jeffrey Vandersay
Sri Lanka can include Maheesh Theekshana in place of Pramod Madushan for the SL vs ENG 3rd ODI. With the proven talents like Silva, Fernando, and Theekshana, they can create a dominating force on the home ground. If Hasaranga joins hands, then Sri Lanka will have enough firepower in their bowling line-up as well.
Sri Lanka Playing XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kamil Mishara, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka (c), Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando, and Maheesh Theekshana.
England Playing XI vs Sri Lanka – 3rd ODI
England could show the intention to form a well-shaped playing combination for the One-Day International. In the recent past, they had experienced some ups and downs as well. The defeat against Sri Lanka in the first ODI is a perfect example of their uncertainty in batting performances.
Openers: Ben Duckett, Tom Banton
For two matches, England had tested two different opening pairs, and none of those worked according to their plans. Ben Duckett has scored some amount of runs so far in the series. Tom Banton can be his appropriate opening partner for this match. In the first match, Duckett scored 62 runs off 76 balls.
Middle-Order Batters and All-Rounders: Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks, Sam Curran
Unlike the unstable opening pair, the middle order of the England cricket team is much shorter on paper. Captained by Harry Brook, the English side have prominent players in their line-up. While Root can provide support with his calmness, the other batters will never step back to go berserk.
Bowlers: Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Liam Dawson
Repeated injuries and retirements of multiple key bowlers forced the England bowling line-up to go through a transition phase. If we consider the middle order as England’s main strength, then their bowling department has yet to prove a lot. Adil Rashid, 37, will be in charge of leading the emerging bowlers. Under the subcontinent conditions, the experienced spinner with 240 ODI wickets is going to be the team’s key bowler in the SL vs ENG 3rd match.
England Playing XI: Ben Duckett, Tom Banton, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid.
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