Playing cricket might seem like the last thing to do on this emotionally draining day, but that is exactly what Sri Lanka and England will need to do when they take to the field in Hambantota for the 3rd ODI on Wednesday.
After a poignant, teary funeral of Phil Hughes, the Sri Lanka and England cricketers need to find a way to somehow focus their minds of cricket.
England will be the ones who need it most after their losses in the first two ODIs. Despite a decent effort with the bat, a chase of well in excess of 300 proved to be too much for England in the first one-day international, while they succumbed to spin rather alarmingly in the 2nd ODI en route to crashing to a heavy defeat.
"I think we need to front up and get out there and face everything that is put in front of us," England fast bowler Steven Finn said. "If we can bat the way we did in the first ODI, that is a great template for us moving forward and as bowlers we need to adapt to conditions better. In fact, as a team we need to adapt better.
"That is something we can keep improving on and working on. It is about being smart when you're out there on the pitch and training smart beforehand for the conditions you're going to face. We are definitely moving in the right direction."
Pressure is pretty high on skipper Alastair Cook, who has struggled with the bat so far, which does not help one bit considering plenty already think the left-hander should not even be in the ODI team, let alone skippering it.
The England team have rallied around their captain, however, and the only way for Cook to quieten those critics is by making the bat talk in the remaining five one-dayers, starting with the 3rd ODI on Wednesday.
At the other end, Sri Lanka will be buzzing with confidence following their two consecutive wins, wins which have helped them forget that drubbing handed by India. However, Sri Lanka will have to go into this 3rd ODI without one of their main men, with Mahela Jayawardene, who has struck two half-centuries so far in this series, including a man of the match performance in the second match, opting out owing to personal reasons.
Ashan Priyanjan has been called into the squad to cover for Jayawardene's absence, but veteran Thilina Kandamby looks like being the candidate to fill-in for his more illustrious compatriot in the playing XI.
"Mahela is a big loss," said Lahiru Thirimanne. "He is normally our backbone, because he strengthens up our middle order. But this is a good challenge for our [other] players as well, because we have to replace him some day. This is an opportunity for them to show what they're capable of."
Rain, which has played its part in the first two games, is again a threat, and there is a good chance that the match will be disrupted heavily on Wednesday, which could force the reserve day Thursday to come into play.
Where to Watch Live
The 3rd ODI is scheduled to begin at 2.30 pm local time (2.30 pm IST, 9 am GMT, 4 am ET) with live coverage on Ten Cricket in India and Ten Sports in Sri Lanka. The match can also be watched via live streaming online on Ten Sports Live.
Watch the match in the UK on Sky Sports 2, while audience can also catch the match by live streaming on Watch Sky Sports or Sky Go. Viewers in the US can watch the game on Willow TV or live stream the action on Willow TV Online.
