England play Sri Lanka in Lahore on Thursday in a match that can no longer affect who reaches the tri-series final, after Sri Lanka’s emphatic win over Pakistan on Tuesday settled the standings. Sri Lanka sealed a dominant eight-wicket victory over Pakistan at Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday, in the fifth match of the tri-series. Pakistan were dismissed for 110 in 25.3 overs, with Babar Azam their highest scorer on 29, and left-arm seamer Dilshan Madushanka taking five wickets for 34 runs. Sri Lanka chased 114 for two in only 18.1 overs, with Kamindu Mendis finishing unbeaten on 62 from 60 balls. The result means England, who lost their first three matches, were knocked out with a game to spare. England had needed Pakistan to win on Tuesday to retain a chance of progressing, having lost all three of their matches. Instead, Thursday’s match against Sri Lanka is a dead rubber, and Saturday’s final will be contested by Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the same ground. For Sri Lanka, Thursday still has value. Their coach said the encounter will offer another opportunity to assess bowling combinations and conditions before the final. He praised Madushanka’s progress, highlighting how the young bowler’s bouncer had become an effective weapon alongside his ability to swing the ball, and said the fast-bowling group, including Eshan Malinga and Asitha Fernando, had shown encouraging progress. He said the Lahore surface had played reasonably well, although it appeared slower than the Rawalpindi pitch, where England and Sri Lanka produced a record-breaking contest earlier in the series, with Sri Lanka chasing England’s 429 for four by scoring 430 for eight in 49.5 overs. For England, the match is a chance to salvage something from a tour that began with promise and unravelled in dramatic fashion. They failed to defend 429 against Sri Lanka despite captain Harry Brook scoring the fastest double century in ODI history, and suffered another painful loss when Pakistan snatched a one-wicket victory after Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf shared an 89-run last-wicket partnership, chasing 242. After the tournament ends, England are scheduled to tour Australia for three one-day internationals and five Twenty20 matches, beginning on 13 November, with a warm-up against a Western Australia XI planned for 7 November in Perth. No result for Thursday’s match is claimed in this article, because it had not been played when this preview was written. What is certain is the final pairing: Pakistan against Sri Lanka on Saturday, 31 October, in Lahore, a rematch of Tuesday’s one-sided group game in which Pakistan’s batting collapsed and Sri Lanka’s bowlers dominated. Sources: Dawn; BBC Sport; Channel News Asia.
England Face Sri Lanka in Dead-Rubber Tri-Series Match in Lahore Today
