England set the platform with a monumental innings from Harry Brook, who made 202 off 116 balls, hitting 21 fours and 10 sixes. Joe Root added 69 off 66 balls, and Will Jacks finished unbeaten on 66 off just 30 deliveries, as England posted 429/4 from their 50 overs. That left Sri Lanka needing 430, one more than England's total, after they had won the toss and chosen to field.
The chase began poorly. Kamindu Mendis and Kusal Mendis were both gone inside the first five overs, with the total on 24. Avishka Fernando (97 off 83 balls) and Pavan Rathnayake (130 off 106) rebuilt the innings, and the pair had taken the score to 323 before Rathnayake fell in the 40.2nd over. At that stage the target still looked a long way off, and the required rate was climbing with every over.
What decided the match was the acceleration that followed. Between Rathnayake's dismissal and the final ball, Sri Lanka added 107 runs in roughly nine and a half overs, and the spine of that surge was Dasun Shanaka, who scored 97 off 50 balls with eight sixes. Sahan Arachchige fell at 406 and Dunith Wellalage at 423, and the last two wickets both fell with 423 on the board, so the finish was tight enough that the winning runs came with a single ball remaining.
England's bowlers had their moments. Josh Tongue took 3/79 in 8.5 overs, Sam Curran returned 2/103 in 9 overs, and Liam Dawson took 1/71 in 10. On the other side, Wellalage's 2/56 in 10 overs was the most economical spell of note for Sri Lanka's attack, while Asitha Fernando (1/68) and Janith Liyanage (1/32 in 2 overs) chipped in. England's total was built on a big middle and late innings, but the 429 they posted was not enough, which is the lesson the bowling figures hint at: the wickets that mattered came too late.
As the third match of the Tri-Series, this result matters for the table, but the facts available here do not include the standings or the remaining fixtures, so the wider impact on the series cannot be measured from this scorecard alone. What the match does show is that a 430 target was reachable on this ground, and that Sri Lanka's batters were willing to take the attack on. The next question for both sides is whether that aggression can be repeated under pressure in the games ahead.