England's three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka comes down to a decider at The Oval on September 27, with the tourists having leveled matters 1-1 courtesy of Kusal Mendis' century at Headingley. England go into the finale without their first-choice wicketkeeper, after Jos Buttler was ruled out with a left hamstring injury sustained while running between the wickets in that second ODI.
Buttler pulled up sharply mid-innings at Headingley before eventually being dismissed for 69 — his highest ODI score in three years — but the hamstring issue has forced him out of the decider. Jordan Cox is set to take the gloves in his place, what would be only his fourth ODI cap, with Dan Lawrence — uncapped in white-ball cricket — added to the squad as further batting cover.
England took the opener at Durham by 89 runs, with Will Jacks' five-wicket haul sealing a defence of 265. Sri Lanka hit back hard in Leeds: Mendis' 121, backed by Kamindu Mendis' 54 and Pavan Rathnayake's 48, underpinned a 16-run win despite England's Ben Duckett and Tom Banton putting on 143 for the first wicket, with Dunith Wellalage's 3 for 49 helping close out the chase.
The Oval has generally favoured England's batting depth in recent white-ball cricket, and with Harry Brook and Jacks both firing this series, the hosts remain the stronger side on paper despite the late change behind the stumps. For Sri Lanka, Mendis arrives in outstanding touch, and containing him early will matter more than usual given how comprehensively he took the game away from England in the second match.
Cox's inexperience behind the stumps and in the middle order makes him a risky pick despite the gloves upgrade — England's proven scoring options in Brook and Jacks remain the safer captaincy calls. On the Sri Lanka side, Mendis' current form makes him the standout differential, with Wellalage offering value as an all-rounder who can contribute with both bat and ball.
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Scores, injury and squad details are verified against same-day match reporting, current as of September 26, 2026.
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