Sri Lanka vs England: Duckett's 167 Seals 55-Run England Win

Sri Lanka vs England ended in a 55-run win for England at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on Thursday, October 29, 2026. Ben Duckett made a career-best 167 off 132 balls and was named player of the match as England scored 386 for 5, and Liam Dawson then took 4 for 49 as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 331 in 45.1 overs, according to the ESPNcricinfo scorecard.

The game was a dead rubber, so it did not change the final. Sri Lanka play hosts Pakistan in the Pakistan ODI Tri-Series final today, Saturday, October 31, at the same ground, starting at 13:00 PKT (08:00 GMT, 13:30 IST and SLST, 19:00 AEDT). As of 11:40 IST (06:10 GMT) the final had not started. The details are in the short section below and in our Pakistan vs Sri Lanka final guide.

Sri Lanka vs England scorecard summary

Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis won the toss and chose to bowl with an unchanged XI. England brought in Sonny Baker for Jamie Overton, who missed out with a quad injury, ESPNcricinfo's match report said. The main numbers:

• England 386 for 5 (50 overs): Ben Duckett 167 (132 balls), Tom Banton 74 (75), Harry Brook 44 (34), Jordan Cox 43 (27), Will Jacks 30 (21), Sam Curran 21 not out (12). Asitha Fernando took 2 for 63.
• Sri Lanka 331 all out (45.1 overs): Pavan Rathnayake 118 (77), Kusal Mendis 89 (71), Avishka Fernando 48 (50), Sahan Arachchige 30 (24), Janith Liyanage 27 (17). Liam Dawson took 4 for 49 and Sonny Baker 2 for 75.
• Result: England won by 55 runs. Player of the match: Ben Duckett.
• Officials: umpires Ahsan Raza and Sharfuddoula, TV umpire Wayne Knights and match referee Jeff Crowe, as listed on the match page.

How England won by 55 runs

Duckett and Banton put on 163 for the first wicket before Banton dragged a ball from Dasun Shanaka onto his stumps. Duckett then added 107 in 75 balls with Brook, who promoted himself and fell for 44 trying to scoop Asitha Fernando. Duckett reached fifty in 46 balls and his sixth ODI hundred in 89, and was out in the 42nd over, scooping Eshan Malinga.

His 167 contained 24 fours and no sixes. Cox's 43 off 27 balls and quick runs from Jacks and Curran took England to 386, and Malinga's ten overs cost 101. England's batting was deep enough that Joe Root did not need to bat, BBC Sport noted.

Sri Lanka lost Kamindu Mendis early, bowled by Baker for 4. Kusal Mendis hit five sixes in his 89 before gloving Root down the leg side, with England overturning the not-out call on review. Rathnayake, who made 130 in Sri Lanka's 430 chase a week earlier, reached his hundred in 70 balls. Sri Lanka were 300 for 5 after 40 overs, ESPNcricinfo reported, and needed 87 from the last 10.

Then the chase fell apart, with the last five wickets going for 16 runs. Henry Crocombe, on debut, had Arachchige caught at long-on, and Dunith Wellalage was run out. Dawson then had Rathnayake caught off a miscued sweep in the 45th over, AFP reported via Gulf News. Curran finished the game by bowling Malinga with 29 balls left, according to Sky Sports.

Records from the Lahore ODI

ESPNcricinfo's stats analysis picked out several records from the match:

• It was England's first ODI win in Pakistan since the 2005 series, ending a run of six straight defeats there.
• The 717 runs scored are the second-highest aggregate in a men's ODI in Pakistan, behind the 859 from the same teams' Rawalpindi game on October 22.
• England's 386 for 5 is the third-highest ODI total in Pakistan, after the two 400-plus totals in Rawalpindi.
• Duckett's 24 fours are the most by an England batter in a men's ODI, one more than Alex Hales' 22 against Pakistan in 2016. His 167 is the second-highest men's ODI score without a six, behind David Warner's 173.
• Duckett now has three ODI hundreds in Pakistan, the joint-most by a visiting batter, level with Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara.
• All three of Rathnayake's ODI hundreds have come against England in 2026. Only Aaron Finch, in 2018, had previously made three in a calendar year against them.

The innings also beat Duckett's previous best ODI score, the 165 he made against Australia at the same ground in last year's Champions Trophy, AFP noted in its match report.

What the result meant for the tri-series table

The win gave England their only points of the tournament but left them third. The final group table on ESPNcricinfo's series page reads:

• Pakistan: played 4, won 3, lost 1, 6 points, net run rate -0.114.
• Sri Lanka: played 4, won 2, lost 2, 4 points, net run rate +0.654.
• England: played 4, won 1, lost 3, 2 points, net run rate -0.274.

The six group games, from the same page:

• October 18, Rawalpindi: Pakistan 305 beat Sri Lanka 268 by 37 runs.
• October 20, Rawalpindi: Pakistan 302 for 9 beat England 215 by 87 runs.
• October 22, Rawalpindi: Sri Lanka 430 for 8 beat England 429 for 4 by two wickets, with one ball left.
• October 25, Lahore: Pakistan 243 for 9 beat England 241 by one wicket.
• October 27, Lahore: Sri Lanka 114 for 2 beat Pakistan 110 by eight wickets, with 191 balls left.
• October 29, Lahore: England 386 for 5 beat Sri Lanka 331 by 55 runs.

Sri Lanka sealed their place in the final on October 27, when Dilshan Madushanka's five wickets bowled Pakistan out in 25.3 overs and Kamindu Mendis made 62 not out off 60 balls, the Daily Mirror in Colombo reported. The 430 chase five days earlier was Sri Lanka's first successful pursuit of 400 or more in ODIs, according to Sri Lanka Cricket.

What the captains and coach said

Brook said at the presentation that England had "learned a lot from the game when they chased 430," as quoted by AFP. He also admitted: "We haven't had the series we wanted, we'd have liked to be in the final on Saturday."

Kusal Mendis played down the defeat. "I am sure we will be up to the task come Saturday," he said, according to the same AFP report. Duckett told Sky Sports that "the pitches are really good to bat on here".

England coach Brendon McCullum praised Brook's leadership. "I think he's one of the best tactical captains I've ever come across," he told Sky Sports, as reported by ESPNcricinfo. On the selection questions raised by Banton's form and Jacob Bethell's return from injury, he said: "They're good problems for us to have," according to BBC Sport.

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka final: date, time and venue

The final is today, Saturday, October 31, 2026, at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. It is a day/night game starting at 13:00 PKT, according to the ESPNcricinfo match page and Cricbuzz, which is 08:00 GMT, 13:30 IST and SLST, 19:00 AEDT and 04:00 ET. The on-field umpires are Ahsan Raza and Wayne Knights.

As of 11:40 IST (06:10 GMT) the match had not started. Pakistan topped the group after winning their first three games, and Sri Lanka won the most recent meeting. In its preview, ESPNcricinfo expected Sri Lanka to keep the XI that played England, and Pakistan to choose between Fakhar Zaman and Sahibzada Farhan as an opener. In the UK, Sky Sports Cricket shows the final from 7.30am. Team news, squads and broadcasters in other countries are in our Pakistan vs Sri Lanka final guide.

What comes next for England and Sri Lanka

England head to Australia. They play a 50-over warm-up against a Western Australia XI at the WACA on November 7, then ODIs in Perth on November 13, Adelaide on November 15 and Hobart on November 18, followed by five T20Is starting at the MCG on November 21, Sky Sports reported. The ECB's squad announcement said Bethell is back after a knee injury and Jofra Archer returns after being rested for the tri-series.

Sri Lanka stay in Pakistan after the final. Their two-Test World Test Championship series starts on November 9 in Rawalpindi, with Kusal Mendis as Test captain, according to Sri Lanka Cricket.

Our take

Based on the scorecards and reports, this was England's most complete performance of the tri-series. They had lost their previous two games from strong positions, ESPNcricinfo noted, and Sri Lanka were on course again at 300 for 5. This time Dawson and the death bowlers closed it out, and McCullum credited Brook's captaincy for slowing the game down.

For Sri Lanka, the defeat cost nothing in the table, but it showed both sides of their batting. They have passed 330 twice in the tournament, yet lost five wickets for 16 runs at the end of this chase. As of October 31, 2026, the final had not begun; the Outlook India live blog of the England game and the match pages linked above have the full ball-by-ball record.

Frequently asked questions

Who won Sri Lanka vs England on October 29, 2026?

England won by 55 runs at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. They made 386 for 5 and bowled Sri Lanka out for 331 in 45.1 overs. It was their only win of the Pakistan ODI Tri-Series and their first ODI win in Pakistan since 2005.

Who was player of the match in SL vs ENG?

Ben Duckett, for 167 off 132 balls with 24 fours, his highest ODI score. Liam Dawson took 4 for 49 for England, and Pavan Rathnayake made 118 off 77 balls for Sri Lanka.

Did the Sri Lanka vs England result change the tri-series final?

No. Sri Lanka had already qualified by beating Pakistan on October 27, and England were already out. The final table had Pakistan on 6 points, Sri Lanka on 4 and England on 2.

When is the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka final?

Today, Saturday, October 31, 2026, at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, from 13:00 PKT. That is 08:00 GMT, 13:30 IST and 19:00 AEDT. As of 11:40 IST it had not started.

When do England play next?

England go to Australia for a warm-up at the WACA on November 7, then ODIs in Perth (November 13), Adelaide (November 15) and Hobart (November 18), and five T20Is from November 21 at the MCG.

Sources

1. Full Scorecard of England vs Sri Lanka, Pakistan ODI Tri-Series 2026, 6th Match, ESPNcricinfo
2. Duckett 167, Dawson four-for, guide England to consolation win, ESPNcricinfo
3. England vs Sri Lanka, 6th Match, Pakistan ODI Tri-Series 2026 (match centre), ESPNcricinfo
4. Stats - Duckett's records, England's first win in Pakistan since 2005, ESPNcricinfo
5. McCullum: Brook will have 'grown enormously' as captain after challenging tri-series, ESPNcricinfo
6. Pakistan ODI Tri-Series 2026 Schedule & Match Results, ESPNcricinfo
7. Pakistan vs Sri Lanka in the perfect finale to entertaining tri-series, ESPNcricinfo
8. Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, Final, Pakistan ODI Tri-Series 2026 (match centre), ESPNcricinfo
9. Sri Lanka vs England: Ben Duckett, Liam Dawson deliver ODI career bests for Harry Brook's side in consolation 55-run win, Sky Sports
10. Duckett and Dawson deliver in England's consolation win, BBC Sport
11. Pavan Rathnayake's 118 fails to save Sri Lanka against England (AFP), Gulf News
12. England beat Sri Lanka by 55 runs despite Rathnayake's century (AFP), The Peninsula
13. SL vs ENG Highlights, Tri-Series 2026: Ben Duckett's 167, Liam Dawson's Four-For Power England To 55-Run Win, Outlook India
14. Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, Final, Pakistan ODI Tri-Series 2026 - Commentary, Cricbuzz
15. Sri Lanka's Big Chase at Rawalpindi, Sri Lanka Cricket
16. Sri Lanka Test Squad for Pakistan Tour 2026, Sri Lanka Cricket
17. England Men announce white-ball squads for Australia, England and Wales Cricket Board
18. Sri Lanka storm into tri-series final, Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)

How we wrote this

GessyMorgan explainers are built from public reporting and official sources. This post draws on the 18 sources listed above, each linked where we use it. It was drafted with AI assistance and checked against those sources before publishing. We did not test products, attend events or interview anyone for this article. Facts are current as of October 31, 2026, and we update the post when they change.