![Sri Lanka team celebrating [Source: X]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1792688602523_SriLankateamTRnew.jpg?type=hq)
Sri Lanka team celebrating [Source: X]
Sri Lanka have won their first ODI encounter against England in the Pakistan ODI Tri-Series 2026. The third ODI match, played at Rawalpindi Cricket Ground, saw the Kusal Mendis-led team win the match by two wickets in a thrilling last-over finish.
The win came at a cost for Sri Lanka, with England quickly regrouping after a solid batting display from Avishka Fernando, Pavan Rathnayake, and Dasun Shanaka.
How did Sri Lanka pull off a mammoth win over England?
After England came in to bat first, Tom Banton scored a 51-ball fifty, with opener Ben Duckett getting dismissed for just 29 runs. Joe Root, who made a massive record for himself and for England, also scored 69 runs before getting dismissed by Asitha Fernando.
It was captain Harry Brook who came in at number four and posted a mammoth total of 202 runs on the board from just 116 deliveries. The furious knock, alongside Will Jacks' unbeaten 66, helped the English team post a mammoth total of 429 runs on the board at the loss of just four wickets.
Sri Lanka, in reply, tumbled early, with Kamindu Mendis and Kusal Mendis both gone in the fourth and fifth overs, giving Sri Lanka a disastrous 24 for 2.
Nevertheless, Avishka Fernando and Pavan Rathnayake later paired up for 166 runs to stabilise the game. Rathnayake also partnered with Dasun Shanaka for 133 runs, which eventually kept the game alive and slowly took the match away from England's hands.
Last-over drama wins the heart of internet
However, the drama began in the last two overs. When 13 runs were needed in the final two overs, Dunith Wellalage and Janith Liyanage were at the crease, scoring only five runs off Jamie Overton's spell. The equation came down to just eight runs off the last six deliveries.
As Josh Tongue came in to defend the target, he dismissed Dunith Wellalage and immediately bowled out Eshan Malinga to go on a hat-trick.
However, as Asitha Fernando came in to face Tongue, he took a single to hand the responsibility to Liyanage, who slammed a six off the penultimate ball to win the match.
The internet praised the historic win by Sri Lanka while trolling England’s performance. Let’s take a look at how the internet reacted:
"ODI CRICKET PEAKED IN RAWALPINDI. 🥶Liyanage smashes the six that seals history for Sri Lanka. Ice-cold stuff," - @CallMeSheri1_
"Janith Liyanage what a freakkkkk of a finisherrr !!!!!!!!! He hails from a middle class family from Sri Lanka affected from Civil war but each day he practiced cricket with honesty & honestly I just love when hardworkers get their due returns," - @trollmaster_xx
"BLOODY HELL SRI LANKA WOOOOOW WHAT A BLOODY CHASE"- @Shaheen10
This win for Sri Lanka turned into an incredible, history-making victory over England, with the Islanders surviving the chaos and early collapse to cross the finish line in style.
Notably, Sri Lanka also recorded the second-highest successful run chase in ODI history, despite Avishka Fernando and Dasun Shanaka's dismissals at 97 runs in the innings.
