Sri Lanka win toss and bowl first in Rawalpindi
Tongue & Dawson replace Baker & Rashid for England
Game part of ODI tri-series including Pakistan
Image source, CricVizIn ODIs since the start of 2025, England are one of the worst performing sides against left-arm spin in terms of average (27.35). Of the 12 full member nations, only Australia and West Indies have a lower average against that particular type of bowling in the time frame.
Dasun Shanaka into the attack.
Ben Duckett takes a two in the covers off the seamer's opening delivery, with no further runs coming off the rest of the over.
Joe Root comes out to the middle and immediately takes a single down the ground.
Two runs and one wicket off Dunith Wellalage's third over - he's enjoying himself after surprisingly being left out of the team on Tuesday.
Alex Hartley
Former England bowler on Test Match Special
He's just picked out that fielder perfectly at long off. If you had to pick where to put a fielder it would be there. He didn't have to move an inch. Another diasppointing end to a Tom Banton fifty. He was striking the ball well and unfortunately for him, he's given his wicket away.
Banton c Liyanage b Wellalage 50 (Eng 74-1)
Image source, Getty ImagesTom Banton's handy innings comes to an end.
He shuffles towards leg and tries to lift Dunith Wellalage over extra cover, but picks out Janith Liyanage.
Banton looks disappointed - he was well set there.
Steven Finn
Former England fast bowler on BBC Test Match Special
It's the first time Duckett's timed one properly today and I think he just waited a little bit more. Back-to-back boundaries and both nicely timed.
14 runs from Eshan Malinga's over and they're all Ben Duckett's!
He hits a trio of twos and then finishes the over by hitting his first two fours, hitting through extra cover and mid-wicket.
He moves from nine to 23.
Image source, CricViz50* (49) for Tom Banton, who has found all but one of his boundaries through the offside through crisp stroke-play and innovative shotmaking against spinners. It's his fourth fifty in the format, and has moved his ODI average to just a shade under fifty (48.80).
Image source, Getty ImagesMore rain in Gqeberha. The Australian rain dance is working.
There should have been 75 minutes of play on the final day of the second Test by now.
Australia couldn't get away with this, could they?
One more single off Dunith Wellalage's over, with Ben Duckett chipping a single to backward square.
I was going to give you all of Duckett's ODI opening partners, wasn't I?
Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Rehan Ahmed, Zak Crawley, Jamie Smith, Phil Salt.
Eng 59-0
Image source, Getty ImagesA half-century for Tom Banton!
The opener reverse sweeps Dunith Wellalage for a single to backward point, bringing up his fourth 50 in 11 ODI innings.
It comes from 48 balls.
Three runs off Eshan Malinga's over with the fielders now back.
Tom Banton adds two behind square to move to 49.
Image source, CricVizA brisk start from Tom Banton, who has dominated anything full whilst rotating nicely against balls on a good length and slightly wide of off stump.
Click ' Get Involved' to have your say
What is the most asymmetric opening partnership when one batsman reaches 50?
Pete van den Bosch, Manchester
Tom Banton brings up the fifty partnership, reverse sweeping Dunith Wellalage over point for his ninth four.
England's openers add a couple of singles to end the powerplay - Banton is on 47 from 43, Duckett has six from 17.
Image source, Joe GuntripSouth Africa v Australia may be off for rain but we've got play at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. New Zealand are 199-4 in the first T20 with four overs to go. A promising game plus I just got my dipping sauce for free because the server thought I was very kind for letting a little kid go in front of me in the queue.
Joe Guntrip, Christchurch
You can follow the scorecard for that match here.
Meanwhile we've had news that play between South Africa and Australia at Gqeberha is going to get going at 10:00 BST.
Steven Finn
Former England fast bowler on BBC Test Match Special
That short ball meant Ben Duckett couldn't control that shot completely. It's a missed chance for Sri Lanka.
You can sense Duckett's frustration as well as it skewed off the bat. He looks to the ground and looks frustrated. Sri Lanka have to capitalise on that.
Eng 48-0
Oh dear.
Ben Duckett hasn't seen much of the strike today, but he has looked a bit scratchy when he has faced the ball.
He mis-times a shot off Eshan Malinga's penultimate delivery and Sahan Arachchige puts down what should have been a simple catch at point.
Just one run from the over and it was Tom Banton's.
Steven Finn
Former England fast bowler on BBC Test Match Special
You can see England are feeling settled now. Tom Banton, who has faced the majority of the deliveries, is taking on anything wide.
This is where he has to be ruthless. This is his opportunity. Jacob Bethell is not here and if Banton makes a hundred or makes a match-defining contribution then you feel he will have nailed his spot down but he has to make the most of it.
Banton 41 (34), Duckett 5 (14)
Tom Banton looks in excellent touch, hitting another pair of consecutive fours to move into the forties.
He hits Asitha Fernando, who has changed ends, through point and then past mid-off.
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dots | 4s | 6s | Minutes | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Banton,caught Liyanage, bowled Wellalage Banton, caught Liyanage, bowled Wellalage | 50 | 51 | 31 | 9 | 0 | 62 | 98.04 |
batting,Duckett,not out batting, Duckett, not out | 29 | 38 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 72 | 76.32 |
batting,Root,not out batting, Root, not out | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 83.33 |
Extras, no balls 0, wides 1, byes 0, leg byes 0, total 1 Extras, no balls 0, wides 1, byes 0, leg byes 0, total 1 | |||||||
Total,85 for 1 15.5 overs Total,85 for 1 15.5 overs |
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Dots | No balls | Wides | 4s | 6s | Economy rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Asitha Fernando | 4.0 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4.25 |
Madushanka | 3.0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 8.00 |
Malinga | 4.0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6.00 |
Wellalage, bowling | 3.5 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4.69 |
Shanaka | 1.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 |
| Fall of wicket | Batter |
|---|---|
74 for 1(13.2 overs) | Banton |
