england vs sri lanka
Alex Hales and Jason Roy put on a record 256-run opening stand for England against Sri Lanka in the second ODI Getty

England host Sri Lanka in the third game of the five-match One Day International (ODI) series at the County Ground, Bristol on 26 June (Sunday).

Where to watch live

Match starts at 10am BST/2.30pm IST. Live coverage of the game is available on Sky Sports 2 and Sky Sports 2 HD in the UK. Click here for the live streaming link.

Overview

England's new approach to the shorter format of the game seems to be paying dividends as they thrashed Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in the second ODI on 24 June. Openers Alex Hales and Jason Roy put on an unbeaten 256-run partnership to power the visitors home, with Hales scoring 133 while Roy finished with 112.

This was only the sixth time in England's history that they have won by 10 wickets. The opening stand was not only a record for partnership for the first wicket, but also the highest for any wicket in ODIs by England, beating the 250 runs put together by Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott against Bangladesh in 2010.

Skipper Eoin Morgan will be delighted with England's overall performance with both bat and ball. Spinner Adil Rashid in particular stood out, taking two wickets for 34 runs, conceding 70 runs in his 20 overs in the series so far. With the squad injury free at the moment, the Three Lions are expected to field the same XI from the second ODI.

Just when it looked like they were on the rise in terms of performances, the visitors disappointed their fans once again with a lifeless performance. Dinesh Chandimal, Upul Tharanga and skipper Angelo Mathews aside, Sri Lanka were terrible both with the bat and on the field.

Mathews, who passed a fitness test to play in the second ODI, struggled for mobility at the crease while Chandimal too seemed to suffer from a hamstring strain. While the Sri Lankan team management has not ruled them out of the third game, their absence will be a huge loss for a team who is entirely dependent on the duo.

Prediction

England to win

Betting odds (betfair)

  • England to win: 1/4
  • Sri Lanka to win: 13/5

Team news

England

Possible XI:Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (c), Johnny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid.

Sri Lanka

Possible XI: Kusal Perera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Angelo Mathews (c), Seekkuge Prasanna, Upul Tharanga, Farveez Maharoof, Suraj Randiv, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep.