England vs Sri Lanka 3rd ODI Preview: Final Race Heats Up

Pakistan may have the day off on Thursday, but Rawalpindi will still be buzzing. England and Sri Lanka meet in the 3rd ODI of the Pakistan ODI Tri-Series 2026 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on October 22, and for both sides this is already a final-chance shootout. With Pakistan sitting pretty on top of the table after two straight wins, the rest of the tournament's maths will be decided at Pindi — and nobody in the Pakistan camp will be looking away.

First ball is scheduled for 1:00 PM PKT, with the toss at 12:30 PM PKT. Here is everything you need to know about the contest — the final-race stakes, the form guide, the key battles, predicted playing XIs, and where to watch every ball.

What is at stake: the race for the final

This is a double round-robin tournament: each of the three teams plays the other two twice, and the top two sides at the end of the league stage meet in the final at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on October 31. Pakistan have played their first two games and won both — against Sri Lanka by 37 runs in the opener and against England by 87 runs — which puts Shaheen Shah Afridi's side on 4 points and firmly in control of their own destiny.

The points table going into the 3rd ODI tells the story:

Team	Played	Won	Lost	Points
Pakistan	2	2	0	4
England	1	0	1	0
Sri Lanka	1	0	1	0

The winner on Thursday takes 2 points and joins Pakistan on the board; the loser stays rooted at the bottom with two more games left and almost certainly needing to win them all. Because both remaining games of the loser's campaign would then become must-win, net run rate could easily come into play — so a big-margin win here is worth more than just the points. For Pakistan's fans, this game matters too: an England win would set up a fascinating three-way scrap, while a Sri Lanka win would leave England desperate and dangerous when they face Pakistan again in Lahore on October 25.

Form guide: two bruised heavyweights

Sri Lanka fought hard in the series opener on October 18 before falling 37 runs short of Pakistan's 305. There was plenty to like about the chase: Pavan Rathnayake, coming off a strong recent run, made 79, and Janith Liyanage announced himself with 60 as the pair revived Sri Lanka with a 119-run partnership after early damage. Eshan Malinga was the pick of the bowlers with 4-46 and Asitha Fernando took 3-59 to restrict Pakistan's death-overs surge. The concerns were at the top — captain Kusal Mendis laboured for 18 off 34 balls — and the wet-ball bowling under heavy Rawalpindi dew never quite found reverse swing.

England, meanwhile, are licking their wounds from Tuesday's 87-run defeat at the same venue. There was a bright opening: Tom Banton and Ben Duckett put on 91 for the first wicket, with Banton continuing his hot ODI form for 57 and Duckett making 45. But England collapsed from 120-1 to 215 all out in 38.4 overs, undone by Arafat Minhas's career-best 6-40. Sonny Baker (3-65) was the best of the attack, but three dropped catches — Gus Atkinson spilled Hasan Nawaz on 30, Jordan Cox missed a harder chance off Minhas on 12 — told the story of a side that fielded like it was still on the plane.

Harry Brook was honest after the defeat: England were happy to keep Pakistan to 302, the openers set the tone, but "we could not put on partnerships and ended up on the wrong side." That frankness matters, because Thursday is exactly the kind of fixture where England's white-ball quality is supposed to show up.

Key battles that will decide the 3rd ODI

Rathnayake vs the new ball. Sri Lanka's opener in form is Pavan Rathnayake, and how he handles Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue with the new ball will set the tone. If he can bat deep, Sri Lanka's middle order can play with the freedom the chase at Rawalpindi usually demands.

Spin vs Root and Brook. Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage give Kusal Mendis a spin pairing that can trouble anyone in these conditions. England's control of the middle overs against them — particularly Joe Root and Harry Brook, both proven players of spin — may decide whether Sri Lanka can defend a total or restrict a chase.

Adil Rashid vs Sri Lanka's middle order. The leg-spinner returned from injury for this tour and remains England's most reliable middle-overs weapon. Sri Lanka's engine room of Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka and the in-form Rathnayake will target him; if Rashid wins that phase, England's path clears.

The powerplay race. Both opening pairs impressed in defeat — Banton and Duckett for England, Rathnayake and Liyanage for Sri Lanka. Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka and Eshan Malinga must strike early to stop England's power-hitters, while England's new-ball pair faces the same problem in reverse.

The dew factor. The series opener was played under heavy dew, and Brook chose to field after winning the toss on Tuesday for exactly that reason. With the game starting at 1:00 PM PKT and running deep into the evening, the chasing side could get a significant advantage. Expect both captains to want to bowl first again.

Pitch and conditions

Rawalpindi has already hosted two matches in this series, so conditions are a known quantity. The surface stayed true enough for 300-plus totals, Pakistan's 305 in the opener and 302 on Tuesday showing what a good first innings looks like. Swing was available early — Naseem Shah pinned Sri Lanka's top order with it in the opener — but once the dew settled, the ball got hard to grip and reverse swing never arrived for Pakistan's quicks in the first game.

The evening dew tilts day-nighters toward the chasing side, which is why the toss at 12:30 PM PKT could be the most important moment of the day. Weather-wise, it has been clear, warm and rain-free all week, and more of the same is expected on Thursday.

Predicted playing XIs

England (predicted): Ben Duckett, Tom Banton, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Jordan Cox (wk), Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Adil Rashid. England may be tempted to give Josh Tongue a run after the middle-overs fadeout, but the coaching staff tend to back their first-choice attack in must-win games. Jos Buttler is not in the touring squad, with Cox keeping wicket.

Sri Lanka (predicted): Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (c & wk), Kamindu Mendis, Pavan Rathnayake, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Eshan Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera. The team that lost the opener showed enough fight to earn a second chance, though the bowling combination could shift if Mendis wants an extra spin option on a dew-free first innings.

Players to watch

• Tom Banton (England): In the form of his life in this format — 57 off 53 on Tuesday with five fours and two sixes. Sri Lanka must get him early.
• Pavan Rathnayake (Sri Lanka): 79 in the opener confirmed his rich vein of form. The man England's new-ball attack fears most.
• Adil Rashid (England): Back from injury and still the smartest white-ball spinner in this series. His middle-overs spell could be match-defining.
• Eshan Malinga (Sri Lanka): 4-46 against Pakistan, including two wickets in a maiden over. A death-overs weapon Pakistan already respects.
• Harry Brook (England): Fell for 5 to Minhas's turner on Tuesday. The captain owes his side a statement innings.

Prediction

This is a genuinely intriguing contest. Sri Lanka showed real fight in the opener — Rathnayake is in form, Liyanage announced himself, Malinga is bowling beautifully, and Theekshana and Wellalage give them a spin attack that can trouble anyone. Playing their second game at this venue to England's second as well, they are far from pushovers.

But England's squad depth is hard to ignore. Root and Brook are proven match-winners, Duckett and Jacks can dismantle a powerplay, and Rashid, Curran and Dawson give Brook control through the middle overs. In a 50-over game, that depth of quality usually tells — especially if the Rawalpindi surface stays true and dew aids the chase. Expect Sri Lanka to make England sweat, but England should edge this one.

Prediction: England to win the 3rd ODI.

How to watch in Pakistan

For fans in Pakistan, the simplest legal options are PTV Sports on television, or free streams on Tamasha, Tapmad and PCB Live — PCB Live also carries the series across the UK, North America, the Caribbean, Africa and Europe. In the UK the game is on Sky Sports Cricket (with BBC Test Match Special on radio), in India on the Sony Sports Network and SonyLIV, in North America on Willow TV, and in Sri Lanka on Siyatha TV. The commentary panel for the series includes Mark Butcher, Urooj Mumtaz Khan and Roshan Abeysinghe.

Whatever the result at Rawalpindi on Thursday, one thing is certain: the winner walks away with their World Cup preparations — and their final hopes — firmly back on track. And Pakistan, watching from the top of the table, will be taking notes.

Sources: CricFacts, Sportradar, SuperSport, Sky Sports, The News Pakistan, CricFy APK TV, Wisden, Cricket Australia, PPA Islamabad.