England turn to the ODIs at Chester-le-Street as Sri Lanka await Kusal Mendis

England and Sri Lanka begin a three-match ODI series at the Riverside Ground on 22 September, with the hosts carrying a 3-0 Twenty20 sweep and the tourists still waiting to learn whether their named captain is fit to lead

The 50-over leg of the tour opens at Chester-le-Street three days after England completed a clean sweep of the Twenty20 matches at Old Trafford. Harry Brook captains the hosts in both formats.

Sri Lanka named Kusal Mendis as their ODI captain, but he took no part in the T20Is after sustaining a right hamstring injury at the Lanka Premier League. Sri Lanka Cricket has not published a recovery timeline.

England have restored Joe Root to the side for the longer white-ball format, eight months after his 247 runs against these opponents in Colombo.

A sweep built on Brook's hundred

England set the tone in the opening T20I at the Rose Bowl, posting 254 for 4 and dismissing Sri Lanka for 135 to win by 119 runs.

Brook made 114 not out from 49 balls, striking 10 fours and six sixes to take the match award.

The bowlers finished the job in Cardiff and Manchester. Liam Dawson took 3-32 as Sri Lanka were held to 145 for 9, and England chased 146 for the loss of four wickets.

At Old Trafford, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 124, Sonny Baker returning 2-17, and England knocked the runs off for the loss of two.

Root returns to the 50-over side

Root is one of 16 named for the ODIs, alongside Jos Buttler, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Tom Banton and Jordan Cox in the batting group.

Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Adil Rashid and Rehan Ahmed make up the bulk of the bowling.

The last time the sides met over 50 overs, in January in Colombo, Root scored 247 runs across three matches and was named player of the series as England recovered from a 19-run defeat in the opener to win 2-1.

An England squad thinned by injury

Jamie Overton returns after missing the India series through injury, and the uncapped seamer Henry Crocombe receives a maiden ODI call-up.

Sam Curran and Phil Salt remain unavailable, while Jacob Bethell is working his way back from knee surgery.

Sri Lanka wait on their captain

Mendis was ruled out of the T20I series on 4 September, with Charith Asalanka leading in his place and Pavan Rathnayake called up as cover. Dilshan Madushanka replaced the injured Binura Fernando.

Asalanka is vice-captain for the ODIs, in a squad that also carries Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana. Dasun Shanaka, a former Sri Lanka captain, is back in the middle order.

Nine players were named in both white-ball squads. Rathnayake, Sachindu Colombage, Asitha Fernando and Madushanka were picked for the 50-over matches alone.

Sri Lanka's last 50-over assignment was a happier one. Under Mendis in June, they made 303 for 7 at Sabina Park and dismissed West Indies for 262 to win by 41 runs, before rain washed out the remaining two matches.

That 1-0 result gave them their first ODI series win in the Caribbean since 2003.

Pietersen's brief runs to 2027

England's white-ball group has an additional voice this season in Kevin Pietersen, appointed a specialist mentor on a brief running to the 2027 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

"I was actually watching his highlights earlier, funnily enough. He was a phenomenal player," Brook said of Pietersen, adding that the former batter "always wants to try and look to put the bowlers under pressure, and I'm looking forward to working with him a lot more."

The series moves to Headingley on 24 September before finishing at the Kennington Oval on 27 September.

Catch the match live updates, highlights, and full match coverage on CricRadio. Get fast, accurate, and ad-free updates throughout the game. Download the CricRadio app from the Play Store to stay connected. You can also get the live scores of cricket series directly on the CricRadio website for real-time coverage.