Sri Lanka and England Meet in Lahore With the Final Already Set

Sri Lanka have already reached the final of the one-day international (ODI) tri-series in Pakistan. On Thursday they face England at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, in the sixth match of the group stage. An ODI is a 50-over match for each side, and a tri-series is a short competition in which three teams play each other before a final.

Reuters reported that Sri Lanka's eight-wicket win over Pakistan on 27 October sent them through, and ended England's hopes of reaching the final. England's Liam Dawson said the squad was "gutted" after losing to both Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The final is set for 31 October in Lahore, with Pakistan playing Sri Lanka, according to Yahoo Sports.

The two sides have already produced one of the strangest finishes of the tournament. In their earlier meeting on 22 October, Sri Lanka chased down 430 and won by two wickets, finishing on 430-8 in 49.5 overs. Janith Liyanage scored 61 for Sri Lanka. Harry Brook hit a double century for England, but it was not enough. The Pakistan Cricket Board called the chase the second-highest winning chase in ODI history.

Thursday's match starts at 1pm local time, which is 8am GMT. It is a day-night fixture, so the final overs will be played under floodlights.

Sri Lanka won the toss and made no changes to their side. Kusal Mendis captains the team and keeps wicket, so he is also the player standing behind the stumps. Their XI includes Kamindu Mendis, Avishka Fernando, Dasun Shanaka and the spinner Dunith Wellalage.

England have one change. Sonny Baker comes in for Jamie Overton, who has a quad strain, meaning a strained muscle at the front of the thigh. Harry Brook captains England, and Jordan Cox keeps wicket. Tom Banton, Ben Duckett and Joe Root open the list of batters, and Gus Atkinson leads the bowling attack.

England can no longer reach the final, so this match is about finishing the tournament well. For Sri Lanka, it is a chance to keep their momentum going before the last game against Pakistan. Both sides have shown in this series that a total of 400 or more is no longer a safe score, and that a chase can change in a single over.