England vs Sri Lanka 3rd ODI Preview — England and Sri Lanka Ready for a Final Battle Review By Pari Match

The series is even-steven at 1-1 after the first two matches, with the decider taking place in the third ODI on September 27, 2026, at 3:00 PM IST. What was shaping out to be England's match now looks like a contest of the final ODI. A match that was all set to go England's way has ended up becoming a battle of the last ODI. In the first ODI, England denied Sri Lanka a victory by 89 runs, but the Lankan side came up with a strong performance in the second ODI at Headingley, which Sri Lanka won by 16 runs.

Now it's down to a single game.

As you can see from the 'game' above, England have an 84% chance of winning, while Sri Lanka have a 16% chance of winning. This is the probability that is shown in the source in the screen shot, not a certainty.

England will be coming to the decider with the advantage of their own home field, but Sri Lanka have proved they can put the hosts under pressure and shock the Pari Match audience.

England Have Plenty of Firepower

There are quite a few well-known players playing for England in this series, which include Liam Dawson, Joe Root, Jamie Overton, Ben Duckett, Jofra Archer, and Dan Lawrence. Apart from these, there are a number of other players such as Harry Brook, Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Adil Rashid, and Josh Tongue.

Right combination of batsmen with allrounders and fast bowlers.

One of the players that will definitely have to be taken care of by the Sri Lankans is Joe Root. He will prove to be a good batsman for England in the ODIs due to his ability to bat at different stages of an ODI match when there is a danger of losing wickets.

Ben Duckett has a unique style of batting. He will prove to be a menace to the bowlers right from the start of the innings.

England's First ODI Performance Was Impressive

England were out for 265 runs, including Harry Brook's 67 and Joe Root's 44. Will Jacks registered a better than the usual 46 with no marks in him. Sri Lanka were then bowled out for 176 for 8 to hand in an 89-run win to England.

The most interesting thing about that game was England's bowling.

Jacks bowled a marvelous 5/22 and others put pressure on them all day.

That was an indication that England don't always need to bat big to give them a huge total.

A competitive score may be enough if their bowlers are on a roll of wickets.

England Has to Fight Harder in Second ODI

Sri Lanka delivered an impressive batting display on Headingley by scoring 321/6 in which skipper Kusal Mendis shone with his splendid 121 runs. England played an excellent knock in pursuit of runs and managed to score 305/9 but Sri Lanka showed nerves of steel in the end. Despite the hard work done by England, Sri Lanka won by 16 runs.

Now both teams are even on paper, meaning there is an equal chance of either team winning the series, unlike the case where England had a very big advantage going into the final match.

The timing of Mendis' century has been especially good as it has shown that Sri Lanka's batting is more resilient than it was thought to be.

The Kusal Mendis Factor

He was able to contribute with a unbeaten 121 in the second ODI and Sri Lanka had started their chase with the platform they needed. England's bowlers may now have a tough afternoon if he can get another good knock.

Sri Lanka too have players like Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Kamindu Mendis and Pavan Rathnayake in their squad. The ICC have appointed Kusal Mendis as captain of England's white-ball squad for the upcoming tour of Australia and Charith Asalanka as his replacement.

The trick will be getting the opportunity to repeat the feat against an England team that is well aware of what Sri Lanka can do.

Jofra Archer Could Change the Match

Jofra Archer has the potential to alter the game.Jofra Archer has the power to make a difference.Fast-bowling attack of England will be another big talking point.

Jofra Archer is now in the England squad and his pace will provide the home side with a weapon that can turn the tide of play around. Archer was part of the official England XI for the first ODI and was also in the team with Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue.

With the new ball, Archer will likely have an important function.

The Sri Lanka bowling will be in trouble as they have to hold up the early attack from England.

If Sri Lanka are bowled out of two or three wickets early, then England might take the upper hand. You can see all these factors using your unique id i.e Pari Match ID and you will get all the small and big updates.

A Major Blow for England

Joss has been ruled out of the race because of the injury he has received in his hamstring during the second ODI. Dan Lawrence is chosen for the England squad in place of somebody.

But on the contrary, regardless of all the injury Buttler scored 69 in the second ODI, which became very important for the efforts of England to chase Sri Lanka.

A new way should be used by England without Buttler. The first 10 overs may become very important in the match.

England's bowlers will have to get rid of the top order of Sri Lankan team, since their goal is to score at least 321 runs.

The middle overs will also be crucial

But there are some players who can come in handy with both bat and ball for England, and there are some all-rounders for Sri Lanka. This phase could prove to be a huge asset to the team in control without losing too many wickets.

Next follow the final 10 overs.

Sri Lanka will have to control England's death bowlers to keep England from scoring freely, if they are the first to bat, while England will need their lower order to close strong.

Conclusion

Additionally, England will have noted the strategy employed by Sri Lanka in the second ODI. Nonetheless, one should note that Sri Lanka cannot be counted out following their amazing comeback at Headingley. This was demonstrated by Kusal Mendis scoring a century and a total score of 321/6 by Sri Lanka.

It is worth noting that in the supplied graph, there is an 84% to 16% win probability in favor of England, but a probability is just an estimated number and not a guarantee for the outcome of the match.

The third ODI is expected to be very competitive given the 1-1 tie in the series, but my prediction is that England will triumph and win the series 2-1. For people who will be researching match predictions could visit Parimatch website.