Sri Lanka beat England at Headingley to force ODI decider
Sri Lanka beat England by 16 runs in the second one-day international at Headingley on 24 September to take the series to a decider. The win at Headingley in Leeds squared the contest after the opener. Yorkshire County Cricket Club
The difference was captain Mendis. He scored 121 to set up Sri Lanka's victory against England. Seattle PI
A century in this format carries weight. An ODI, or one-day international, gives each side 50 overs, which is 300 balls, to bat. One batter staying in for a hundred-plus balls shapes the whole innings and sets the target the other team must chase.
The game was played at Headingley, Leeds, on 24 September 2026. That is England's well-known Test and white-ball ground in the north of the city. Sri Lanka's 16-run margin means the series cannot be decided yet, so the next match becomes the decider.
If you missed it, the BBC has packaged the evening for catch-up. BBC iPlayer lists the programme as 'ODI Cricket 2026: England v Sri Lanka: Second ODI Highlights'. BBC iPlayer
The highlights run for 44 minutes. The listing says the programme was first shown at 11pm on 24 Sep 2026. IPlayer also lists a '2026: England v Sri Lanka: First ODI Highlights' episode, so both games of the series so far are covered in short form.
For fans, this means a simple equation. England could have closed out the series in Leeds. Instead Mendis held firm, Sri Lanka defended their total, and everything now rides on the final game.
