Jos Buttler has been ruled out of England’s ODI series decider against Sri Lanka at The Oval on Sunday, with Jordan Cox likely to replace him and keep wicket. Don Lawrence  who is yet to win an international cap in either white-ball format, has been called up to the squad as cover.

Buttler pulled up with a left hamstring injury while running between the wickets in Thursday’s second ODI at Headingley and received treatment from England physio Steve Haw, a recent recruit from rugby union club Exeter Chiefs. He faced two more balls before retiring hurt, and briefly hobbled back to the middle before holing out as England slipped to a 16-run defeat.

Buttler’s eventual 69 was his highest score in ODIs in three years, but his injury will be something of a concern. He is now 36, and has been affected by various soft-tissue injuries in recent years. These have mainly been calf injuries, but he also suffered a similar left-hamstring issue during the 2024 IPL season.

England do not yet know the extent of Buttler’s injury but expect to have more information early next week once he has been for an MRI scan.

In Buttler’s absence, Cox is likely to win only his fourth ODI cap on Sunday and is expected to take the gloves ahead of Tom Banton. Kevin Pietersen, England’s new white-ball mentor, said on Thursday night that opportunities available through injuries would help build depth ahead of next year’s World Cup.

“[We need to] have certain players in certain positions, in order for us to know that if something like this happens to Jos in, say, the final round of whatever game in South Africa, and you’ve got to go and play a quarter-final, that somebody can step up into Jos’s boots – like we’re going to need to have on Sunday,” Pietersen said.

Lawrence, who made three half-centuries in four innings in England’s recent Test series win over Pakistan, has been withdrawn from Surrey’s ongoing Country Championship match at Somerset, having made his sixth hundred of the season on Thursday. He will train with the ODI squad at The Oval on Saturday.

Lawrence was previously called up to England’s ODI squad to face Pakistan in 2021 when their first-choice side went into Covid isolation, but did not play a game in the series. He has only played 28 List A games in his career, the most recent of them in May 2019.

(Cricinfo)

by Reemus Fernando

Rumesh Tharanga’s remarkable rise has forced enthusiasts to pin their hopes entirely on the World Ultimate Javelin Champion for a gold medal at the ongoing Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. In Sri Lanka’s athletics contingent of more than twenty athletes, there are two other javelin throwers: former national record holder Sumedha Ranasinghe and women’s national javelin record holder Dilhani Lekamge.

‎Lekamge heads into today’s competition with a realistic opportunity to add another major continental medal to her collection, although the women’s javelin field is expected to be highly competitive.

‎The experienced Sri Lankan thrower already knows what it takes to reach the Asian Games podium. At the 2023 Hangzhou Games, Lekamge produced a 61.57m throw to win silver behind India’s Annu Rani, while China’s Huihui Lyu took bronze.

‎Her current form also provides encouragement. Lekamge has been on the rise, throwing 56.79m to win silver at the Asian Throwing Championships in South Korea in May, before producing a significantly better 58.98m at the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting in Bhubaneswar in August. That effort placed her second, just 15cm behind Brazil’s Jucilene Sales de Lima.

‎At the recently held National Championships, she went further, clearing 59.46m.

‎The veteran’s 61.57m national record, set in Hangzhou in 2023, remains a significant benchmark. If she can reproduce anything close to that distance in Nagoya, she would put herself firmly into medal contention.

‎The Asian field has developed considerably in recent times. At the 2025 Asian Championships, China’s Su Lingdan won with 63.29m, Japan’s Momone Ueda was second with 59.39m and Sae Takemoto third with 58.94m, while Lekamge finished sixth with 55.53m.

‎This season, China and Japan have dominated Asian rankings, their throwers accounting for eight of the top ten performances recorded by female athletes.

‎Hence the challenge is clear for the athlete trained by Pradeep Nishantha.

‎”She is in good form. She has peaked well, and if she can deliver her best, she will win a medal,” Nishantha told The Sunday Island.

‎Lekamge needs to match the level that carried her beyond 60 metres while maintaining the consistency she showed in Bhubaneswar and at the National Championships.

‎Lekamge, who turns 40 in less than three months, brings something equally valuable to the competition — extensive experience at major championships. Her Asian Games silver, Asian Championships medals and two top-eight Commonwealth Games finishes underline her ability to perform at major events.

‎With the women’s javelin competition set to feature several throwers capable of approaching or exceeding the 60-metre mark, Lekamge’s medal prospects could ultimately hinge on one big throw. Her silver-winning feat at the last edition did not receive the attention it deserved. Whether the evergreen javelin thrower wins another podium finish at these Games or not, her perseverance in a less rewarding career should be celebrated.

by Rex Clementine

After four straight drubbings, there is finally a pulse in Sri Lanka’s campaign in England. Their come from behind victory at Headingley not only kept the three match ODI series alive but also offered a timely reminder that this side, for all its recent shortcomings, still has some fight left in it.

England needed 71 runs from the final 80 balls and appeared to have the game firmly within their grasp. Then came a remarkable exhibition of reverse swing. Sri Lanka conceded just 54 runs during that period, squeezing the life out of the chase to secure a hard fought 16 run win.

Dunith Wellalage showed that there are new strings to his bow. Long regarded as a clever left-arm spinner with plenty of batting ability, he demonstrated greater maturity with the ball and considerable muscle with the bat.

More importantly, after the misery of the T20 series, Sri Lanka breathed life back into their tour by making some bold calls. They need more of the same if they are to arrest this wretched run that has left supporters frustrated and disillusioned.

Take Maheesh Theekshana. Not so long ago, he was the number one ranked ODI bowler in the world. He remains fourth in the rankings currently, so leaving him out at Headingley was no small decision.

For too long, Sri Lankan selectors have been reluctant to move away from established names, even when performances demanded it. Their continued reliance on Dasun Shanaka is a case in point. So too was the decision to hand Niroshan Dickwella yet another lifeline after all those scandals.

But in backing the relatively unknown leg-spinner Sachindu Colombage, the selectors have shown that they are capable of thinking outside the box. That sort of courage needs to become the rule rather than the exception.

Another, much harder, decision is looming.

What do they do with Wanindu Hasaranga?

Hasaranga remains one of Sri Lanka’s most gifted white ball cricketers, but his recurring fitness problems can no longer be brushed aside. Ahead of virtually every major tournament there seems to be an injury concern. Sri Lanka felt the pinch again during February’s T20 World Cup when he was withdrawn with a hamstring injury.

Now the same problem appears to have resurfaced.

With the 50 over World Cup little more than a year away, Sri Lanka have to decide whether they can continue building their plans around a player whose availability has become increasingly difficult to predict. It may be time for a golden handshake and to look beyond him rather than arrive at another World Cup scrambling for alternatives.

There are indications, too, that the management, having patiently watched events unfold, is prepared to read the riot act. Test captain Dhananjaya de Silva is not the only established player whose position should come under scrutiny. Reputation cannot continue to provide immunity when performances are not forthcoming.

ODI cricket remains Sri Lanka’s strongest format in terms of the rankings and that gives them something tangible to build on. If they move purposefully from here, identify the right personnel and give them clearly defined roles, there is no reason why they cannot travel to South Africa next November believing they can make a serious impression at the World Cup.

Winning this series in England would provide a considerable morale boost. There are more ODIs to come in Pakistan and New Zealand before next year’s Asia Cup, giving the selectors enough cricket to assemble the pieces of the jigsaw before the sport’s showpiece event.

The key word, however, is continuity.

Sri Lanka have made a mockery of World Cup planning in the last two editions.

In 2019, several players were recalled despite not having played ODI cricket for more than two years, while some had been out of the international game for nearly four years. Four years later, Sri Lanka went to the 2023 World Cup with a non playing captain, while a hastily conceived youth policy spectacularly backfired.

There is nothing inherently wrong with a youth policy. Sidath Wettimuny showed years ago how regeneration should be handled: identify talent, back it and give players enough time to grow into their roles. What Sri Lankan cricket has lacked in recent years is not talent but clarity and continuity.

The selectors should perhaps identify a core group of around 20 players now and ask one simple question of each of them: can this player help us win games in South Africa?

Every subsequent selection should be made with that World Cup in mind.

Not long ago, Milan Rathnayake was being groomed as a seam bowling all-rounder, with the thinking that his skill set could provide the balance required in South African conditions. That experiment appears to have been quietly abandoned. If the selectors have changed their minds, there should at least be a cricketing rationale behind it. Otherwise, you are left wondering what happened to the long term plan.

Headingley showed what can happen when Sri Lanka are prepared to make brave calls. One victory, of course, does not erase four successive hammerings. But it can provide a starting point.