Sri Lanka bat first in Colombo after England's Rehan Ahmed replaces Will Jacks

His withdrawal prompted a reshuffle to the XI named on the eve of the match, with leg-spinning allrounder Rehan Ahmed drafted in as his replacement.

Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first, a decision shaped by both conditions and history. Colombo is traditionally a difficult venue for teams chasing, and with warm, fair weather at the time of the toss, the hosts were keen to post a total on the board. There is, however, a chance of showers later in the match that could yet influence proceedings.

England captain Harry Brook said he would also have opted to bat first had the toss gone his side's way, conceding the perceived advantage of setting a target at the ground.

Despite Jacks' absence, England retained their preferred balance by turning to Ahmed, albeit with a different spin profile.

Sri Lanka named a youthful bowling attack, a selection that appears designed to rest senior figures ahead of upcoming T20 internationals.

Neither Wanindu Hasaranga nor Maheesh Theekshana were included in the XI, placing greater responsibility on a less experienced spin group.

Left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage and legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay lead the spin options, supported by the part-time bowling of Dhananjaya de Silva and Charith Asalanka.

The seam attack is spearheaded by Asitha Fernando and Pramod Madushan, both identified as frontline quicks.

England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Joe Root, 4 Jacob Bethell, 5 Harry Brook (capt.), 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Sam Curran, 8 Rehan Ahmed, 9 Jamie Overton, 10 Liam Dawson, 11 Adil Rashid

Sri Lanka: 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kamil Mishara, 3 Kusal Mendis (wk), 4 Dhananjaya de Silva, 5 Charith Asalanka (capt.), 6 Janith Liyanage, 7 Pavan Rathnayake, 8 Dunith Wellalage, 9 Pramod Madushan, 10 Jeffrey Vandersay, 11 Asitha Fernando 

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