England meet Sri Lanka in Lahore on Thursday in a dead rubber, with the tri-series final already decided: Pakistan will face Sri Lanka again on Saturday, 31 October, at Gaddafi Stadium. Sri Lanka booked their place by beating Pakistan by eight wickets on Tuesday, bowling the hosts out for just 110, while England lost all three of their matches and were eliminated.
With qualification no longer possible, England will aim to finish with a win and carry some confidence into their next assignments, including a tour of Australia for three one-day internationals and five Twenty20 matches starting on 13 November. Sri Lanka, by contrast, want to sustain the bowling discipline that dismantled Pakistan and take that form into the final.
Tuesday’s short match disappointed the Lahore crowd, but series organisers urged fans to keep supporting the tournament, pointing to the quality of cricket across the series. Saturday’s rematch gives Pakistan a swift chance to answer the heaviest defeat of their campaign, with the trophy now the only prize left.
Sources: Dawn, Cricbuzz. Written in our own words for information only.