England will host Sri Lanka in the third and final Test match of the series at cricket's grandest venue - Lord's -- from Thursday. England have been rampant in this three-match series, while Sri Lanka are looking to avoid a clean sweep. 

A demoralised Sri Lankan side will be running into an upbeat England team in the third Test. However, Sri Lanka will have some encouragement going into this match, as they have not lost a Test match at Lord's since 1991.  Although, they have not managed to win in the previous seven occasions on the ground.

Skipper Angelo Mathews will be looking to secure a consolation victory and keep that record intact. 

The weather is unlikely to hamper the match. After a torrid time in the north of England in Cardiff and Chester-le-Street, Sri Lanka will feel better in London conditions. 

Alastair Cook is aware of the fact that Sri Lanka are undefeated at Lord's. But this time, he believes that his side can complete a series sweep. Cook has urged his teammates to play good all-round cricket so that they yield a better result.

"We've certainly mentioned that in the past, the dead rubbers we've not played as well. We've got another opportunity here. Who knows what the wicket will produce - the last [few] games here against Sri Lanka have been draws. So the wicket might not allow it," Cook was quoted as saying by Cricinfo. 

"But we've got to make sure that if we want to get to where we want to, which is to be the best side in the world, these are the games we need to play better in."

England will be fielding the same XI as they did during the second Test in Chester-le-Street. Ben Stokes remains injured, while Jake Ball will not get his debut as Chris Woakes has been preferred. Nick Compton's form will be a point of concern, but Cook has kept his faith in him and has decided to give him another opportunity. 

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka may be forced to make a couple of changes ahead of the third Test. Milinda Siriwardana injured himself during a training session. In case he is unable to gain match fitness, uncapped Chaminda Bandara may be handed his debut for Sri Lanka. 

Expected playing XI: England (confirmed): Alastair Cook (C), Alex Hales, Nick Compton, Joe Root, James Vince, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, James Anderson.

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Angelo Mathews (C), Kusal Perera, Chaminda Bandara, Rangana Herath, Shaminda Eranga, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal.

Where to watch live:

The first day of the third Test match between England and Sri Lanka at Lord's is scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m. local time (10:00 a.m GMT, 15:30 p.m. IST and 6:00 a.m. EST).

Live coverage of England vs Sri Lanka third Test match in India and the Indian subcontinent will be on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports HD 1. The live streaming option will be available on Starsports.com.

UK viewers can tune into Sky Sports 2 and Sky Sports HD 2 to watch England vs Sri Lanka 3rd Test Day 1 live. Watch Sky Sports will stream the match live in UK as well.

Audience in the US can switch to ESPN3 for the live coverage of England vs Sri Lanka 3rd Test Day 1 and stream the same on Watch ESPN.

FoxSports will broadcast England vs Sri Lanka 3rd Test match live in Australia. Fans of the game can also livestream the match on Foxtel Play.

Sky Sport 3 and Sky Sport HD 3 will telecast England vs Sri Lanka 3rd Test Day 1 Live in New Zealand. The live streaming option will be available on SkyTV.