Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka gear up for 2027 ODI World Cup with tri-series

Shaheen Shah Afridi emphasised the importance of the tri-series against England and Sri Lanka in preparing for next year’s World Cup. | Photo Credit: AP

Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka will begin their preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup with a triangular series starting in Rawalpindi on Sunday, October 18.

With the 50-over World Cup, to be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, less than a year away, the series offers all three former champions an opportunity to assess their squads and combinations.

Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi stressed the importance of using the tournament to build momentum ahead of the World Cup, with the host set to face Sri Lanka in the opening match.

Pakistan, which won the World Cup in 1992, has not reached the semifinals since 2011 and finished fifth in the 2023 edition in India.

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England, the 2019 champion, endured a disappointing title defence in 2023, finishing seventh, while Sri Lanka, which won the tournament in 1996, also struggled.

Pakistan will welcome back former captain Babar Azam, who was omitted from the T20I series against Sri Lanka earlier this month. The host won that series 2-1.

England captain Harry Brook believes the competition will provide a useful measure of his team’s progress against two strong opponents. England begins its campaign against Pakistan on Tuesday.

The visitor will be without Jos Buttler, who is recovering from an injury, and fast bowler Jofra Archer, who has been rested.

However, England enters the tournament on the back of three consecutive ODI series victories, including two against Sri Lanka and one against India.

Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis also expressed confidence in his team’s preparations, saying the players were working towards their World Cup objectives and hoping to make further progress.

The three teams will face each other twice in a double round-robin format, with the top two advancing to the final in Lahore on October 31.