England eye series win as Sri Lanka test heads to Headingley
England walk out at Headingley on 24 September 2026 with a series to win and a year of repair work to continue.
Sri Lanka are the visitors for the second one-day international, a 50-overs-per-side contest that started at 12.30pm BST in Leeds. England lead the three-match series 1-0 and can seal it with a game to spare, according to The Guardian.
The lead came from Chester-le-Street. England were bowled out for 265 in 48.1 overs, with captain Harry Brook top-scoring with 67. Sri Lanka were then bowled out for 176. The 89-run margin was confirmed in live reporting on the second match, via the Indian Express.
That first ODI was Brook's 11th win as England's ODI captain. It matters because the recent past was rough. England lost 11 of 15 one-dayers in 2025. A win at Headingley would give them a third series victory of 2026 and a clearer sign that the reset is holding.
The broader tour has already tilted England's way. They swept the Twenty20 series 3-0 before the ODIs began. That run included a 119-run win in the first T20, powered by Brook's 114, followed by a six-wicket win at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff and an eight-wicket win at Old Trafford.
Sri Lanka still have room to fight. A touring side with nothing to lose in a short series can be dangerous, especially with the ball under lights. The Headingley fixture was listed as a day/night match, when the ball can swing a little more in the cooler evening air and chasing a target under floodlights brings its own pressure.
For fans, this means simple arithmetic. Win, and England take the Metro Bank ODI Series with one match left. Lose, and it all rides on the decider.
That decider is already set. The third ODI is scheduled for Sunday 27 September 2026 at the Kia Oval in London, with a 10:30am start. England's board lists that Oval finale as sold out, while Headingley was advertised as on sale right up to matchday.
Live coverage of the Headingley game was led by Rob Smyth and Taha Hashim. The official match hub for the fixture is provided by the ECB.
