Fresh off a dominating 3-0 whitewash in the T20I series, hosts England would like to ride and continue the winning momentum and feeling when they cross swords with Sri Lanka in a 3-match ODI series starting on Tuesday, 22nd September, 2026, at Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street, in Durham. The 3 T20Is are done and dusted, with England dominating them, but a change in format could mean a change of fortunes. That is what Sri Lanka will be hoping for in this series. All these ODIs are part of the preparations for next year’s ODI World Cup.
Coincidentally, as we speak, Sri Lanka are ranked ahead of England in the ODI rankings as they are in 6th place with 96 points while England are in 7th place with 93 points. It’s a mid-table clash as both teams have automatically qualified for the marquee tournament. England are a work in progress in this format and so Sri Lanka may believe they have a chance in this series to be competitive.
The stage is set for an interesting battle between the two teams.
Overview
After a rather one-sided T20I series, we hope for some good tight contests between the two nations as England hosts Sri Lanka in a 3-match ODI series. The first ODI takes place on Tuesday, 22nd September, 2026 at Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street, in Durham. If we look at the ODI rankings, it is a mid-table clash as Sri Lanka are ranked in 6th place with 96 points, while England are one place below them on 93 points in 7th place. England are a work-in-progress, which gives Sri Lanka a chance in this series provided they up their game and body language.
England will be led by Harry Brook, as we expect, and the squad would include the likes of Ben Duckett, Tom Banton, Jos Buttler, who is in terrific form, and Jordan Cox as well. England will happily welcome back Joe Root, their talisman back in the side. There is spin bowling all-rounder options in Rehan Ahmed, Liam Dawson and Will Jacks, who is a handy player to have down the order.
Adil Rashid is the specialist leg-spinner in the squad. The fast bowling line-up includes Jamie Overton the all-rounder, Jofra Archer, the pace spearhead, Gus Atkinson, the ever-impressive Sonny Baker, alongside Josh Tongue and Henry Crocombe, yet to make his ODI debut. England are coming into this series on the back of a 2-1 ODI series win in July against India and will be confident to do well against a struggling Sri Lankan side.
For Sri Lanka, their designated vice-captain Charith Asalanka is set to continue as captain, with Kusal Mendis still not recovered from his injury. Sri Lanka relies heavily on Pathum Nissanka to lay the foundation for the side. Kamil Mishara is set to keep wickets in the absence of Kusal Mendis. Pavan Rathnayake is part of the squad as well. Kamindu Mendis will be a key player and the vice-captain of the team to Asalanka.
Janith Liyanage, a promising pace bowling all-rounder, is part of the squad alongside veteran all-rounders Dasun Shanaka and Wanindu Hasaranga. Shanaka is back in the ODI setup after 2024. Handing the spin bowling line-up will be Dunith Wellalage and Maheesh Theekshana. The pace battery of the side includes Sachindu Colombage, Dushmantha Chameera, Eshan Malinga, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka, alongside Nuwan Thushara.
The Lankans have brought in a nice blend of youth and experience, and something they would like to cash in on in this series. Sri Lanka are ahead of England in the ODI rankings. Can the Lankans prove that right and take it to England? Sri Lanka has not played ODI cricket for a while. They played a 3-match ODI series against West Indies in June, where only one ,match was completed and they won that. The rest were washed out. Lately, Sri Lanka were playing Tests and T20Is, and now they will focus on the ODIs for sure.
The stage is set for an interesting battle, and let’s hope we get a close contest in the ODI series. The T20Is were no contest; let’s hope for a better ODI contest.
Head-To-Head
England and Sri Lanka have clashed against each other in 79 games. England have won 38 games, and Sri Lanka have won 37 games. One game ended in a tie. 3 matches ended in a No Result. In the last 10 matches, it is 6-4 in England’s favour. England have won 2 out of the last 3 matches in January 2026 in Sri Lanka.
Pitch & Weather Report
The pitch at the Riverside Ground is well-known in English conditions for offering substantial to pace and seam bowlers, particularly early in the day. Due to the combination of helpful seam conditions and brisk North East weather, matches here tend to feature lower first-innings totals compared to other high-scoring English venues. Once the new ball loses its shine and the surface settles down, batting becomes considerably more reliable, though early discipline against tight line and length bowling is vital.
The conditions are likely to be overcast with prominent cloud cover which is expected over Chester-le-Street for the opening segments of the day-night fixture. The ambient moisture and overhead conditions will likely augment swing and seam movement for fast bowlers during the initial power play overs. Temperatures will remain cool, typical for late September in northern England.
Predicted/Announced Playing XIs of both sides
Here, we will try and predict the playing XIs of both sides in this match.
England Announced XI: Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue.
Sri Lanka XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara (wk), Pavan Rathnayake, Charith Asalanka (c), Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera.
Key Players to watch out for in this clash
Joe Root: When it comes to ODI cricket from England’s point of view, all eyes will be on Joe Root. The talisman player dominates Test cricket, but is a great ODI player as well. He may not have been in red-hot form in the Tests, but he was in excellent form in the 3-match ODI series against India, where he was not dismissed by the Indians. Expect the class of Root to carry England forward in this series.
Jofra Archer: Jofra Archer has been in decent form, nothing great this summer. He has been indifferent at times, but he is a quality, deadly bowler. Expect Archer to lead this pace attack, being the senior bowler, and help the team do well. If Archer does well, the team will do well. He and Rashid will be expected to do well in this series. The others will do a job, but they will lead the way.
Pathum Nissanka: Pathum Nissanka is currently Sri Lanka’s best batter across the formats. He came back into the side after an injury lay-off and did well in the T20I series as he got starts to get to 30s and never converted them to a big score. Nissanka will hope in ODIs that if he gets a start, he converts it into a substantial score. 30s, and 40s won’t do in ODIs. It will be good in T20Is. So, the onus is on the opener to do well for his side.
Dushmantha Chameera: The pace sensation, Dushmantha Chameera, has not been in great form lately. He had an iffy T20I series and was rested from the third game to keep him fresh for this assignment. Expect Chameera to come out all guns blazing and fire to take early wickets if Sri Lanka wants to put pressure on England. If he takes wickets, then the long order of England will be tested.
Key Stats and Records to watch out for in this clash
- Chasing sides have won more at this ground, with 60% of the games won by the team batting second.
- Joe Root is in terrific form with 625 runs in 10 matches at an average of 104.17.
- Harry Brook has scored 393 runs in the last 10 matches at a strike rate of 118.37.
- Pathum Nissanka is also in great form, amassing 451 runs in his last 10 matches at an average of 50.11.
- Adil Rashid has taken 14 wickets in his last 10 matches at an economy of 5.79.
- Jofra Archer has taken 12 wickets in his last 6 matches at an economy of 4.47.
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Predicted/Possible Outcome of the Match
For starters, let’s hope that the rain stays away and we get a full game in, albeit under overcast conditions. Coming to the match in hand, it is a mid-table clash between 6th vs 7th, with Sri Lanka ahead in the rankings. But looking at the current form of both teams, we have to favour the hosts in their own conditions. So, we reckon that England will start as favourites in the 1st ODI. Sri Lanka cannot be underestimated and counted out, as they can surprise us. But for now, England are the overwhelming favourites.
Let’s see how things unfold when the teams collide in Durham on Tuesday evening at 5 PM IST onwards. Weather permitting.
Also Read: ENG vs SL: Jos Buttler’s Fiery Half-Century Dismantles Sri Lanka