Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis won the toss and elected to field against Pakistan in the opening match of the ODI tri-series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday, 18 October 2026. The tournament, which also involves England, runs from 18 to 31 October and carries more weight than a typical bilateral fixture: the 50-over World Cup is now officially less than 12 months away, with the tournament set to begin on 2 October next year.
For both sides, the series is less about silverware and more about answers. Pakistan want to keep building on a bowling-led ODI series win over Australia. Sri Lanka, in the middle of a difficult 2026, are still hunting a settled combination under a new captain and a new set of selectors.
Why This Tri-Series Matters With the World Cup Under a Year Away
The schedule gives each side six round-robin matches before a final in Lahore on 31 October. Pakistan meet Sri Lanka twice in Rawalpindi and once in Lahore, England appear at every venue, and the tournament closes at Gaddafi Stadium.
That volume of cricket is exactly what two teams in transition need. Pakistan have players and strategies to trial; Sri Lanka’s white-ball squads have been in serious flux all year as their selectors search, often fruitlessly, for a winning formula. With the World Cup countdown formally under way, every innings and every spell between now and next October is an audition.
Pakistan’s Case for Optimism: Minhas, Afridi and a Bowling Engine
Pakistan arrive in Rawalpindi having won their most recent ODI series 2-1 against Australia, a low-scoring contest dominated by their bowlers. The standout was Arafat Minhas, the left-arm spinner and lower-order batter who claimed the Player of the Series award with seven wickets at an average of 12.28. He has carried that form into the past 10 days, taking five wickets across the three T20Is against Sri Lanka.
Shaheen Afridi and legspinner Abrar Ahmed also delivered excellent performances in that Australia series, and Cricinfo’s projected XI lists Afridi as captain, with Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman expected to open in the absence of Sahibzada Farhan and Maaz Sadaqat from the ODI squad. Hasan Nawaz, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, wicketkeeper Ghazi Ghouri, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah round out the likely line-up.
The form guide is respectable rather than dominant — Pakistan’s last five completed matches read W-L-W-L-W — but the trajectory is upward, and the conditions should help. Rawalpindi surfaces have tended to be batting-friendly, with short boundaries on offer, and the forecast is fine weather in the mid-to-low 20s.
Babar Azam’s Familiar Hunting Ground
No Pakistan batter has more history against this opponent than Babar Azam. Four of his 20 ODI centuries have come against Sri Lanka, at an average of 58.33, and the last time these teams met, in November last year, he made 29, 102 not out and 34 — all in Rawalpindi.
His recent numbers are modest by his standards. In 2025 he averaged 34 across 17 innings, but a series against Australia in which he top-scored for Pakistan — 40, 16 and 69, averaging 41.66 — offered encouragement. Nobody is calling it a return to his heyday, yet with the one-day World Cup approaching and ODI cricket now the only format he plays, Rawalpindi’s friendly tracks are the right place to build.
Sri Lanka’s Search for a Winning Mix
Sri Lanka begin this match having won exactly one international in the past week, and the context says a lot about their year. Their 2026 record stands at 22 losses against 10 wins. The solitary recent victory came in a dead-rubber T20I against Pakistan — the series already lost — when new captain Kusal Mendis carried the team home with 87 not out off 48 balls after an encouraging outing from the seamers.
The batting order remains a work in progress. Avishka Fernando may be brought straight into the XI at the expense of Kamil Mishara, whose run of scores has been modest, while the selectors must also decide on their spin attack, with Maheesh Theekshana likely to be favoured over legspinner Sachindu Colombage. Dushmantha Chameera, Eshan Malinga and Asitha Fernando are among the seam options in the projected XI, alongside Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka and Dunith Wellalage.
Lahiru Udara’s Late ODI Audition
The most intriguing selection storyline belongs to Lahiru Udara. The 32-year-old hit 188 against West Indies three Tests ago, only to be left out of the squad entirely for the forthcoming Test series — a decision many feel was harsh. With Pathum Nissanka ruled out of the ODIs through an ongoing hamstring problem, Udara has surged into contention on the back of a good T20I innings last week.
He has never played an ODI and has only three List A hundreds from 102 innings, so the clock is ticking. At his age, and with the World Cup on the horizon, there may be no better format than this one to force his way into the picture.
History Favours Pakistan at Home
The head-to-head record offers Sri Lanka little comfort. Since 2019, Pakistan have won all five of their home ODIs against Sri Lanka, including three in Rawalpindi. Sri Lanka’s form line of L-W-L-W-L over their last five completed matches underlines how fragile their momentum is, even after Mendis’s match-winning knock.
Still, dead rubbers have a way of revealing character, and Sri Lanka’s seamers were encouraging in that final T20I. If Chameera and company can exploit any early moisture after Mendis asked to field first, the visitors could test a Pakistan top order that is still finding its shape.
The Commentary Row Hanging Over the Series
Off the field, the series opens against the backdrop of a simmering dispute. The Pakistan Cricket Board has named a six-member commentary panel for the tri-series — Waqar Younis, Aamir Sohail, Bazid Khan and Urooj Mumtaz from Pakistan, Sri Lanka’s Roshan Abeysinghe and England’s Mark Butcher, with Zainab Abbas as presenter — and prominent English commentators Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain are missing from the line-up. The PCB has not provided any reason for their absence.
The omission comes two months after the pair interviewed Kasim and Sulaiman Khan, sons of jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister and cricket legend Imran Khan, during the Lord’s Test between England and Pakistan in August 2026. The 18-minute interview, conducted by Atherton and aired by Sky Sports, raised concerns over Imran Khan’s health in prison, with his sons alleging the authorities were ‘blatantly trying to kill him’ through neglect and isolation.
The PCB objected to the political nature of the segment and filed a formal complaint with Sky Sports, and the situation reportedly intensified to the point that the board threatened a player walkout, with Pakistan considering staying off the field for an afternoon session in protest. Sky Sports aired the interview regardless, although Pakistan’s state broadcaster PTV censored the segment. Atherton later defended his involvement on a podcast with Hussain, saying the Pakistani state was attempting to ‘airbrush Imran almost out of existence’. Both men were part of the broadcast team when England last toured Pakistan for a three-match Test series in October 2024.
Waqar Younis will join the panel from the second fixture, when Pakistan meet England at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on 20 October. Sri Lanka then face England in Rawalpindi on 22 October before the action shifts to Lahore for the final four matches, including the second Pakistan-Sri Lanka meeting on 27 October and the final on 31 October.
What to Watch in Rawalpindi
Three threads run through this opener. Can Minhas extend a breakout run that began against Australia and continued against Sri Lanka’s batters in the T20Is? Will Babar convert on a ground where he has historically feasted on Sri Lankan bowling? And can Udara, handed an unexpected ODI chance at 32, make the selectors who omitted him from the Test squad reconsider?
Add Mendis’s captaincy audition and a toss that hands Sri Lanka’s bowlers first use of the conditions, and the World Cup countdown has a fittingly competitive starting gun.
FAQ
Who won the toss in the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka tri-series opener?
Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis won the toss and elected to field against Pakistan at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on 18 October 2026.
Which teams are playing in the ODI tri-series and when is the final?
Pakistan, Sri Lanka and England are contesting the tri-series from 18 to 31 October 2026. Matches are split between Rawalpindi and Lahore, with the final at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on 31 October.
Why are Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain not commentating in the tri-series?
The PCB has not given a reason for their omission from the six-member commentary panel. It comes two months after the pair interviewed Imran Khan’s sons during the Lord’s Test in August 2026, a segment the PCB objected to and complained about to Sky Sports.
What is Babar Azam's record against Sri Lanka?
Babar Azam has struck four of his 20 ODI centuries against Sri Lanka at an average of 58.33, and made 29, 102 not out and 34 the last time the teams met, in November last year, all in Rawalpindi.
When does the 2027 World Cup start?
The World Cup is set to begin on 2 October 2027, which is why this tri-series, starting less than 12 months out, is being treated as an important preparation window.