Hey friends, Dularchandra Kushwaha here – owner of dcmindunicorn.com. I’m a big cricket fan from Patna, and today’s match between Sri Lanka and England got me glued to the screen. It’s the first ODI of the series on January 22, 2026, at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. What a start to the white-ball tour!
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first – smart move, because chasing at Premadasa can be tricky, especially with dew later. England captain Harry Brook said they would have batted too, but no luck there. Also, England had to make a change: Will Jacks was out sick, so Rehan Ahmed came in.
Sri Lanka’s innings was steady, not explosive, but very solid. Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara gave them a decent platform with a 50-run opening stand. After that, Kusal Mendis took over. What a knock! He stayed not out on 93 off 117 balls with 11 fours – calm, classy, and in control the whole time. He built partnerships with everyone: 43 with Dhananjaya de Silva, 88 with Janith Liyanage (who hit a nice 46 with some big sixes), and a quick finish with Dunith Wellalage’s 25* off 12 balls.
Sri Lanka ended at 271/6 in 50 overs – a good total on this pitch. The last over was fun, 23 runs off Jamie Overton! Extras helped too (20 in total).
For England, Adil Rashid was the star bowler – 3/44 in his 10 overs, picking up key wickets like Mishara, de Silva, and Liyanage. Sam Curran and Rehan Ahmed got one each, but the spinners kept things tight.
Now England need 272 to win. It’s going to be a good chase – the pitch has some turn, and Sri Lanka’s bowlers will be confident. Let’s see if Brook’s boys can pull it off.
I think 271 is competitive, but England have the firepower. What do you guys think? Drop your predictions in the comments!