England arrive in Pakistan for ODI tri-series with Sri Lanka

The England cricket team has arrived in Pakistan for a one-day international tri-series with the hosts and Sri Lanka, to be played in Rawalpindi and Lahore from October 18 to 31.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials welcomed the team at Islamabad International Airport before they travelled to their hotel, The Express Tribune reported. England will train at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

The schedule

• October 18: Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Rawalpindi
• October 20: Pakistan v England, Rawalpindi
• October 22: Sri Lanka v England, Rawalpindi
• October 25: Pakistan v England, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
• October 27: Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Lahore
• October 29: Sri Lanka v England, Lahore
• October 31: final, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

The top two teams after the group stage will meet in the final.

England’s squad

Harry Brook (captain), Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Tom Banton, James Coles, Jordan Cox, Mason Crane, Henry Crocombe, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Joe Root and Josh Tongue.

Blow for Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka will miss the tri-series after failing to get medical clearance, Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed, Geo News reported. He injured his left hamstring on Sri Lanka’s recent tour of England. Lahiru Udara has replaced him in the 16-member squad.

Former captain Charith Asalanka has been dropped after a poor run on the ODI leg of the England tour, scoring 1, 11 and 7 in his last three innings. He averages 40.55 in 88 ODIs.

Pakistan in form

Pakistan come into the series on the back of a 2-1 T20I series win over Sri Lanka. Under captain Sahibzada Farhan, they won the first two matches to seal the series before Sri Lanka took the final match in Rawalpindi.

Farhan scored 238 runs in the series, breaking India opener Abhishek Sharma’s record for the most runs in a three-match bilateral T20I series between full members.

Building towards the World Cup

The tri-series is part of Pakistan’s build-up to the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, where Pakistan open their campaign against Afghanistan on October 8, 2027. Young left-hander Maaz Sadaqat, who hit consecutive half-centuries in the T20I series against Sri Lanka, was left out of Pakistan’s ODI squad for the tri-series, Dawn reported. He said he would use the break to prepare for the World Cup.

A busy home season

After the tri-series, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will play a two-Test series in the World Test Championship, starting in Rawalpindi on November 9, with the second Test in Lahore from November 17 to 21.

Why it matters

Three international teams in Pakistan at once is another sign of cricket’s full return to the country. With England arriving with Root, Rashid and Duckett, fans in Rawalpindi and Lahore can look forward to two weeks of top-level one-day cricket. Read our reports on Farhan’s record and on Sri Lanka’s win in the final T20I.

This article draws on reporting by The Express Tribune and Geo News.