SL vs ENG 3rd ODI Highlights - Colombo (27 January 2026)

Floated up on off and middle, Rathnayake pushes it down to long off for a single.

OUT! TAKEN! Another one bites the dust and this time, Ben Duckett makes no mistake. Adil Rashid wins the battle of the wrist spinners as well. This is tossed up on off, turning away. Wanindu Hasaranga backs away and looks to go for that favored inside-out shot over covers but doesn't time it all that well. Duckett comes charging in from deep cover and pouches it with both hands.

Excellent fielding from the substitute fielder. Dragged length around off, Jeffrey Vandersay hammers it away towards deep point. Luke Wood runs across the turf and cuts it off, saving a couple of runs for his side.

Safe enough for Vandersay. Flighted ball, down the leg side. Vandersay sits down to sweep but gets into a tangle and misses. The ball goes off the fore arm and lobs behind to first slip. Harry Brook gobbles up the catch and England sheepishly appeals for the catch. The umpire shakes his head but the review is taken. UltraEdge shows that there is no glove involved, and the ball came off the arm.

Dragged length on the stumps, turning away. Vandersay nudges it through mid-wicket for a single.

FOUR! Pavan Rathnayake moves to 99 now. Floated up wide outside off, Rathnayake steps down the track, converts it into a full toss and slogs it between long on and deep mid-wicket for a boundary.

Nagging length, in and around off, Vandersay blocks it off.

Flatter one on the pads, nudged down towards short fine leg for a single.

Tossed up on off, Rathnayake lunges to defend. Still on 99.

Beaten! Nagging length, drifted into off and middle. Rathnayake looks to rock back and punch but the ball turns away and beats the outside edge.

A MAIDEN ODI CENTURY FOR RATHNAYAKE! Tossed up around off, Rathnayake steps down the track and drills it to long off for a single. He takes off his helmet and soaks in all of the warm applause from the crowd. It has been a fine solo effort from him.

Good running. Full and outside off, driven to the right of deep cover and the batters sprint back for the second run.

Slightly dragged down around leg, Rathnayake presses back and nudges it around the corner on the leg side for a single.

Short ball on leg, Jeffrey Vandersay goes deep in the crease and pulls it just to the left of deep backward square leg for one more.

A wrong'un now, back of a length and turning in. Rathnayake stays back and plays it through mid on for a run.

Full and flat on off, Vandersay rolls his wrists nicely over the reverse sweep but hits it straight to backward poinnt.

Slow and short outside off, tapped away wide of the point region for a single.

FOUR! Poor delivery and Rathnayake just about gets enough on it. Floated up, full and down the leg side. Rathnayake goes down on one knee and drags the sweep aerially towards deep backward square leg. Rehan Ahmed over there dives to his right but the ball is out of his reach and bouces over the fence.

A shorter googly, turning in from well outside off. Jeffrey Vandersay backs away and taps it wide of point for a singe.

SIX! Rathnayake isn't done yet. Tossed up around off, turns back in. Rathnayake picks the googly and slog-sweeps it down on one knee and nails it over deep mid-wicket for a biggie.

Dragged length on the pads, Rathnayake rocks back and tucks it through mid-wicket for a single.

FOUR! That's skillfully done by Vandersay. Floated up around off, Jeffrey Vandersay sits down and goes for the reverse sweep, and gets it up nd ovr backward point for a boundary.

Nagging length on middle, turns away. Vandersay gets a bit squared up and edges it down through the gully region for a single.

Flatter delivery, on a good length and around off. Rathnayake jams it straight to covers for a quick single. A direct hit and Rathnayake would have been a goner. 61 needed now off 30 balls.

Flatter, and much fuller, on middle. Rathnayake miscues his flick to the square leg region. Dawson sprints to the ball and the batter gets the single. 

Slower through the air, down the leg side. Jeffrey Vandersay comes down te track and fends it back to the bowler. 

Yorker, on middle, Jeffrey Vandersay jams it back to the bowler. 

OUT! CAUGHT! England are just one wicket away from winning the series, but the danger man is still out there on the other side of the pitch. This is fuller, just outside off, turns it away from the right-hander. Jeffrey Vandersay shimmies down the track and tries to hoist it downtown, but gets the connection from the upper part of his bat. The ball balloons toward the long off region. Sam Curran runs from the boundary line and pouches the catch safely. Sri Lanka are 298 for 9 now. 

Fuller, on middle, Fernando pushes it back to the bowler. 

Full, around off, Fernando defends it down. Excellent over from Liam Dawson. Just a single and a wicket from it. 

FOUR! 300 up for Sri Lanka after that boundary! Sam Curran starts with the moon ball, around off, aiming the yorker length. Pavan Rathnayake shuffles across the stumps and sweeps it to the left of the short fine leg fielder for four runs. 

Oh my word, what a save that is from Jacob Bethell! This is fuller, on off and middle. Rathnayake slogs it up and over, toward the deep mid-wicket region. Bethell gets back and sees that the ball is flying over him. He leaps up, pouches the catch mid-air and pushes it away inside the field of play to save some crucial runs for his side. Two runs taken by the batters.  

Full, on leg, Rathnayake looks to flick it but misses and wears on his pad. 

OUT! BOWLED'EM! Sam Curran has hammered the last nail in the coffin. He bowls a beautiful yorker, on leg and middle. Pavan Rathnayake shuffles across the stumps and looks to flick it, but his shot is nowhere near the delivery. The ball manages to beat the inside edge of the willow, nutmeg the batter, and crash into the bottom of the stumps. Rathnayake departs after a valiant 121. England beat Sri Lanka by 53 runs and have won the ODI series 2-1.