England take on Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the series at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street on Tuesday, 22nd September, with play getting underway at 11:30am local time. After a dominant T20I series in which Harry Brook’s side swept Sri Lanka 3-0, the hosts will be brimming with confidence as they turn their attention to the fifty over format.
Chester-le-Street tends to be a decent batting surface, offering good carry and bounce throughout an innings. The new ball will move around in those opening overs, so early wickets matter here. If the pace bowlers fail to make inroads up front, the batters can really take control and the total can get very large. Expect a high scoring game if both top orders get in.
These two sides have a rich ODI history stretching back to February 1982. Across 79 matches, England hold the slimmest of edges with 38 wins to Sri Lanka’s 37, with three no results and one tie. The most recent fixture between them came as recently as January 2026, so both camps know each other’s strengths and weaknesses well. It is about as even a head to head record as you will find in international cricket.
England: Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Joe Root, Harry Brook (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Tom Banton, Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Sonny Baker.
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (C and WK), Charith Asalanka, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka.
Harry Brook is the obvious one to keep your eye on. He was absolutely brutal during the T20I series, plundering 170 runs across three innings at a strike rate of nearly 218. In ODIs this year he has averaged 43 at a strike rate of over 116, which is exceptional for the format. When Brook is in this kind of nick, he can take a game away from the opposition inside ten overs.
On the bowling side, Sonny Baker had a stunning T20I series, collecting six wickets across the three matches at an economy rate of just 3.72. That is extraordinary for T20 cricket. He made his ODI debut against New Zealand in June without making much of an impression, but on current form he looks a completely different proposition. Sri Lanka’s top order will need to handle him early or they could find themselves in serious trouble.
Sri Lanka were well below their best in the T20Is and have a significant batting depth problem compared to England. Brook and his side are playing with real swagger right now, and home conditions at Chester-le-Street give them another advantage. Sri Lanka’s bowling attack is capable, but England have too much firepower across the whole batting lineup to be contained for long. Jofra Archer adds genuine pace and threat with the ball, and Baker looks set to carry his T20I form into this format. Sri Lanka need to bat out of their skins and take early wickets to stay in this game, and right now they do not look capable of doing both.
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