Sri Lanka elect to bowl against England in tri-series match

LAHORE: Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bowl first against England in the sixth match of the Pakistan-hosted ODI tri-series at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Thursday.

Sri Lanka have already qualified for Saturday’s final, while England sit at the bottom of the standings after losing all three of their matches, including two against Pakistan and one against Sri Lanka.

In their previous meeting at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Sri Lanka pulled off a record-breaking chase to beat England by two wickets after chasing down a target of 430 runs.

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Pavan Rathnayake starred with a blistering 130 off 106 balls, while Avishka Fernando and Dasun Shanaka scored 97 each. Janith Liyanage sealed the victory with an unbeaten 61 off 27 balls as Sri Lanka reached 430-8 with one ball to spare, recording the second-highest successful run chase in ODI history.

Rathnayake will be looking to continue his impressive form, while spinner Dunith Wellalage could prove crucial after dismissing England openers Tom Banton and Ben Duckett in successive overs during their previous encounter.

England will travel to Australia after the tri-series for a white-ball tour featuring three ODIs and five T20 internationals. The ODI series begins in Perth on November 13, following a warm-up match against a Western Australia XI on November 7.

Plying XI

Sri Lanka: Kamindu Mendis, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (captain/wicketkeeper), Pavan Rathnayake, Sahan Arachchige, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka, Dunith Wellalage, Eshan Malinga, Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka.

England: Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (captain), Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker and Henry Crocombe.