The stage is set for the limited overs series to commence featuring Sri Lanka and England. While all the focus is on the T20 World Cup 2026 for which these two teams will also prepare with three T20Is later on in the tour. But we start with the ODI series which will also be of three matches. ODIs are less relevant now compared to the T20Is, but it is important for England as they are languishing in 8th place in the ICC rankings ahead of West Indies and Bangladesh and needs to come up the table.
England as we know will be led by Harry Brook while Sri Lanka in the ODIs will be led by Charith Asalanka. The hosts Sri Lanka are better placed in the points table and have booked their spot in the World Cup automatically while England should make it but better start winning because their recent run in ODIs has also been lacklustre. England are well ahead of West Indies and Bangladesh as we speak but mustn’t take things likely and win to create a further gap between them and the two aforementioned teams. The stage is set for an interesting battle.
Overview
The stage is set for the limited overs series to get underway as England led by Harry Brook come calling to play in Sri Lanka shores. We start with the ODI series and the first of three ODIs takes place later today i.e. Thursday January 22nd 2026 from 2:30 PM IST onwards from R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. To put things into perspective, Colombo will host all the three ODIs, while Pallekele will host the 3 T20IS scheduled a little later on in the series. England as they always do have named their XI.
England come into this series on the back of a 1-4 Ashes defeat in Australia. It was a long, tiring tour for the English side, but only a few of them are in the white-ball set up. 6 of their top 7 have played in Sydney. The visitors arrive in Sri Lanka with numerous issues to address, particularly with their approach in this format. They continued with their ultra-aggressive mode and have struggled to bat the full 50 overs in their most recent ODI series in New Zealand. The conditions are entirely different here in Sri Lanka, but the threat remains the same.
The Harry Brook-led side has dropped Jamie Smith from the ODIs after the Surrey wicket-keeper batter had a lacklustre New Zealand tour. England have kept their Test opening pair, with Zak Crawley, who last played an ODI in December 2023 against West Indies, reuniting with Ben Duckett, who has been retained despite a poor run of form in recent times.
However, the 2019 World Cup winners haven’t made a change in their middle order, with the modern day great Joe Root, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook and Jos Buttler being the regulars from number three to six. After missing the New Zealand tour, all-rounder Will Jacks returns to the number seven position. Jamie Overton, the crisis man with the bat, will lead the pace attack in the first ODI, with seamers Luke Wood and Brydon Carse not being picked in the XI as the Brook-led side has looked to strengthen its batting after what transpired in New Zealand.
Sam Curran will be the second seamer in the XI. He has been doing wonders in franchise cricket across the globe in recent times. Adil Rashid, the wily old fox, will be the main spin weapon as he has always been. Root, Bethell and Jacks can roll their arms too. Liam Dawson will be the second spinner and he can also contribute with the bat, with England having clean batting options till number 10. Dawson’s last ODI was in November 22 against Australia. Tom Banton and Rehan Ahmed still need to wait for their turn, while Jofra Archer is still in rehab.
On the other side, Sri Lanka are a tough side to beat at home. They haven’t lost an ODI series in their backyard for some time. Charith Asalanka remains skipper of the ODI team despite being sacked from the T20I leadership. Sri Lanka haven’t lost a single bilateral ODI series at home since going down to India in 2021. They have been unbeaten in the last 12 ODI series at home, speaking volumes of their fortress.
They are coming off a 0-3 defeat in an ODI series in Pakistan. Ace pacer Dushmantha Chameera has been rested for the 50-over leg, while all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva has been recalled for the ODIs for the first time since the 2023 World Cup. DDS replaces Lahiru Udara in the squad that faced Pakistan. Dunith Wellalage and Milan Rathnayake also return to the ODI set-up. Matheesha Pathirana was overlooked, while Dilshan Madushanka remains injured.
The rest of the squad has familiar faces of Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Kusal Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Asitha Fernando to name a few. Many of the England players haven’t played an ODI in Sri Lanka before. Definitely, it will be testing conditions for them, especially against spin. The last time England toured Sri Lanka for the ODIs was back in 2018, when the tourists won that series 3-1.
The stage is set for an interesting battle and it remains to be seen whether England survives the spin dose of Sri Lanka or will the hosts continue to remain the boss and stay undefeated at home.
Head-To-Head
Sri Lanka and England have played against each other in 79 games in total with Sri Lanka winning 37 of them and England 38. One match ended in a Tie while 3 matches ended in No Result. In the last 10 matches, it is 7-3 in England’s favour. Their last meeting in ODIs was way back in 2023 ODI World Cup on 26th October where Sri Lanka thrashed England on that occasion.
Pitch & Weather ReportÂ
The pitch at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo offers a balanced surface which is flat in nature but deteriorates as the match progresses. The surface starts favouring spinners as the game wears on. The black-soil wicket provides consistent bounce early but becomes slower and grippier, assisting turn and variable bounce in the middle overs. Pacers get minimal seam or swing, especially under day-night conditions, making it a spinner’s paradise for subcontinental clashes.
The weather in Colombo on Thursday is expected to be mostly sunny with temperatures around 32 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, the weather for the 2nd and 3rd ODI is also expected to be sunny and warm. No rainfall is predicted across the match days as we speak.
Predicted/Announced Playing XIs of both sidesÂ
Here, we will try and predict/announce the playing XI of both sides.
Sri Lanka Probable XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka (c), Janith Liyanage, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando, Pramod Madushan/Eshan Malinga.
England Announced Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid
Key Players to look forward to ahead of this clash
Pathum Nissanka: Pathum Nissanka is Sri Lanka’s most consistent and most dependable player at present. He loves playing all formats with ODIs being his best format. Batting at the top of the order, Nissanka will want to get in and bat long to set the platform for the other Sri Lankan batters to cash in later on. He is a key figure for Sri Lanka and will want to do well in this game.
Wanindu Hasaranga: Sri Lanka’s premier spinner Wanindu Hasaranga is a class act. He contributes with bat and ball. With bat in hand, he can score handy runs down the order and provide the perfect finishing kick to the innings. With the ball in hand, he is a wicket-taking bowler and can dent any side. His wicket-taking prowess makes him a lethal bowler for Sri Lanka. He too will want a good match to kickstart this series.
Joe Root: He is England’s greatest and modern day great even in the 50-over format. Yes, Test cricket is his main format but in ODIs, he has great numbers and will want to do well to help England bat a lot better. Joe Root with the brand that England plays is the only glue in the England team. He can play at any gear and hold one end up while others play around him and go hard. After a poor series in New Zealand, Root will want to get runs in Sri Lanka and put his side in a better position for others to cash in.
Adil Rashid: The veteran Adil Rashid has been in the set-up for quite a while and he will be the key in these conditions. Rashid has been in the team forever and has been one bowler who has consistently delivered the goods for his side. The bowlers around him have changed and moved on, but Rashid stayed on. He will play a crucial role in these conditions as these spin conditions will help him trouble the other batters for sure as well.
Key Stats/Records to look forward to in this clash
- Since the start of this decade, no batter has been as prolific at No. 5 as Charith Asalanka. He has hit 2619 runs in that position, during this period. The next highest run-scorer in that position is Heinrich Klaasen with 1587 runs.
- Harry Brook has never played an ODI in Sri Lanka. In Asia, he averages 22.16 after 12 innings.
- If England win the series 3-0, they will gain three rankings points, but remain in eighth position. Sri Lanka would lose four points and drop to sixth in that scenario.
- If Sri Lanka win 3-0, they will also stay at fifth, but will gain one rankings point, closing the gap on Pakistan, who are fourth at present. England would stay at eighth but lose three rankings points.
Predicted/Possible Outcome of the Match
It is going to be a close series in the ODIs and it’s tough to predict a winner at this stage. England haven’t been playing good ODI cricket while Sri Lanka have been up and down lately. The hosts have a great home record, but need to play well to get the win. The head-to-head is even stevens as well. Considering everything taken into consideration, we will give a slight edge to England. But we won’t be surprised if Sri Lanka goes onto win the match.
Let’s see how things pan out in the first ODI in Colombo where weather is expected to be set fair fingers crossed.
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