Nocturnal 
England and Sri Lanka are going head to head at The Oval on Sunday in a series decider that will bring the curtain down on the English international summer.
The two sides go into the third and final one-day international level at 1-1, setting up a proper shootout in south London. England skipper Harry Brook won the toss and chose to bat first, with the pitch reportedly on the drier side.
The series has swung both ways so far. England took the opener at Chester-le-Street by a comfortable 89 runs, only for Sri Lanka to hit back hard at Headingley, winning by 16 runs thanks to a brilliant 121 off 100 balls from captain Kusal Mendis.
Buttler ruled out with hamstring injury
The big team news ahead of the decider is the loss of Jos Buttler, who has been ruled out after picking up a hamstring injury during the second ODI, as first reported by CricketAddictor and confirmed by several outlets including Asianet Newsable.
England have called up Dan Lawrence as cover, though it’s Jordan Cox who steps into the starting XI in Buttler’s place for Sunday’s match, according to the Associated Press.
England made three changes in total. Alongside Cox coming in for Buttler, Liam Dawson and Sonny Baker replace Josh Tongue and Rehan Ahmed in the XI.
England’s line-up read: Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (captain), Jordan Cox, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Sonny Baker.
Sri Lanka went with: Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Mendis (captain), Pavan Rathnayake, Charith Asalanka, Janith Liyanage, Dunith Wellalage, Sachindu Colombage, Eshan Malinga, Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka.
How the match has unfolded
England’s innings got off to a shaky start, with Ben Duckett falling for a duck. But Tom Banton has since taken charge, playing some eye-catching shots against the Sri Lankan seamers.
By the 12th over, England had moved to 52 for 1, with Banton looking fluent on 35 while Joe Root was working hard for his 16, having found scoring difficult against the extra bounce on offer.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers, including Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka and Eshan Malinga, have all had spells with the new ball, while a dropped catch off Nissanka in the slips proved a costly let-off for England early on.
Both the Guardian and Sky Sports are running live coverage of the match, with BBC Radio 5 Live also providing commentary as fans follow the series decider from home.
Where things stand
With the series level and a place in the history books for whoever wins at The Oval, both teams have plenty riding on the outcome. England will hope Banton and Root can build a competitive total after choosing to bat first on a pitch expected to assist spin and cutters later on.
Sri Lanka, buoyed by their Headingley win and Kusal Mendis’s century, will fancy their chances of chasing down whatever target is set. The match remains in progress, with updates continuing throughout the day.
