With Liam Dawson out for the series, England is ready to face Sri Lanka in the third ODI at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele, Kandy on Wednesday, October 17, 2018. The match will be a day-night affair and will be starting at 2:30 PM Local, 9:00 AM GMT. The visitors are leading the five-match ODI series 1-0, after securing a win in the second game. Following an abandoned first ODI, England beat Sri Lanka by 31 runs by DLS Method in Dambulla last week.
Where to watch
The England tour of Sri Lanka 2018 is been televised live on the Sky Sports Cricket in the United Kingdom, while in Sri Lanka MTV Channel and ITN FM will be televising the series live. The online streaming of the series is available on the app and website of SonyLiv but it is limited to certain countries.
Sri Lanka's last chance to win this series
Sri Lanka's batting has been a problem ever since the retirement of the three stalwarts. Even after a poor show in Dambulla, it is unlikely that the side will make any changes to their batting lineup. The bowlers should also be the similar ones from the previously ODI, hence three spinners and three pacers will be Sri Lanka's go-to option in Pallekele.
This match will be crucial as a loss would mean that there is no chance of Sri Lanka to win this series as well.
Olly Stone's debut was extremely well and he is unlikely to be dropped. According to Cricbuzz, the left-arm spinner Liam Dawson has left for England following a side strain. Joe Denly has been called up as his replacement, but he is likely to warm benches as he is only a part-time spinner and a top-order batsman. In this situation, the team should pick one more seaming option between Mark Wood or Tom Curran.
There are heavy chances of the rain spoiling another game in this series. The forecast in Kandy isn't the greatest and the match might be shortened if that happens. The pitch in Pallekele has been always good for batting, and hence if we get to see the match, it will produce good scores in both the innings.