England to play Pakistan and Sri Lanka in ODI tri-series this October
England will travel to Pakistan in October for a one-day international tri-series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka — their first three-team ODI tournament in more than a decade.
The series runs from 18 to 31 October across Lahore and Rawalpindi, with each side playing the others twice before the top two meet in a final on 31 October in Lahore (BBC Sport).
Pakistan and Sri Lanka open the contest on 18 October. England's first match comes two days later, against Pakistan in Rawalpindi on 20 October, followed by a meeting with Sri Lanka at the same venue on 22 October. The action then shifts to Lahore, where England face Pakistan again on 25 October and Sri Lanka on 29 October. Lahore also hosts the final.
An ODI tri-series is a rarity in the modern cricket calendar — three nations play each other in a round-robin format, with the best two advancing to a title decider. England have not competed in one since a series against Australia and India held in Australia before the 2015 World Cup (BBC Sport).
The Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed the arrangements in a press release announcing Pakistan as hosts for the tri-series as well as separate T20Is and Tests involving the visiting sides (PCB).
For England, the tournament kicks off their winter schedule. Once the tri-series wraps up, they move straight into a white-ball assignment against Australia — three ODIs and five T20s (the shortest international format, 20 overs per side) starting 13 November (BBC Sport).
The PCB's broader home season is a packed one. A separate T20I tri-series featuring Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka is scheduled for Rawalpindi and Lahore from 17 to 29 November (PCB), while Pakistan and Sri Lanka will also contest a three-match ODI bilateral series at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from 11 to 15 November (PCB).
For fans, this means a stretch of near-continuous cricket in Pakistan through October and November, with three visiting teams rotating through two cities. England's involvement carries its own intrigue: a format they have not touched in tri-series form for over ten years, played in conditions that demand different skills to anything the English summer offers. The subcontinent's slower pitches and spin-friendly surfaces will test touring batters used to seaming tracks at home, and the round-robin structure means no side can afford a slow start — every result carries directly into who reaches the 31 October final.
