England vs Sri Lanka live stream: How to watch Cricket World Cup 2023 online now, team news, England bowling

Mark Wood (L) walks off with his head in his hands ahead of the England vs Sri Lanka live stream from the Cricket World Cup

(Image credit: Getty Images / Alex Davidson-ICC)

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FREE England vs Sri Lanka live streams
Global England vs Sri Lanka live streams

Watch an England vs Sri Lanka live stream

Want a free England vs Sri Lanka live stream? Every game of the 2023 Cricket World Cup is being shown for FREE on the Hotstar mobile app in India. If you live in India but you're away from home right now you can use a VPN to unblock the free stream from anywhere. And for full details on how to watch England vs Sri Lanka in other parts of the world, keep reading.

The latest news is that England's Cricket World Cup crown is hanging on by a thread. They've been humiliated by a very tidy Sri Lankan bowling performance – bowled out for 156 after just 33 overs. They'll need a very special bowling performance from the likes of Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid and Mark Wood to avoid being knocked out of the competition today.

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Date Thursday, October 26

Time 1.30am PT / 4.30am ET / 9.30am BST / 2pm IST / 7.30pm AEDT

Watch FREE: Hotstar app (IND) | PTV Sports (PAK)

US live stream: Willow TV on Sling ($10)

Use ExpressVPN to watch any stream

England vs Sri Lanka: preview

With only two wins between them across eight games, it's now or never for England and Sri Lanka to kickstart their 2023 Cricket World Cup campaigns. They meet today at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru both knowing that defeat means they can start booking their plane tickets home.

For the reigning champions England, sitting rock bottom of the table after four matches certainly wasn't part of the masterplan to win successive crowns. Yes, the results have been poor – including that shock defeat to Afghanistan, of course – but it's perhaps the manner of the losses that have been even more concerning. The 229-run loss to South Africa doesn't tell the full story of just how much Jos Buttler and his men were obliterated by the Proteas. With bat, ball and in the field, nothing is clicking for the dejected-looking champs.

Sri Lanka know all about how hard retaining the Cricket World Cup is, crashing out in the group stages in 1999, three years after their astonishing triumph. The draw hasn't been kind to them, serving up games against South Africa, Pakistan and Australia to start with. But Sri Lanka have history in bloodying England's nose at World Cups – they recorded a famous victory at Headingley in this tournament four years ago during the hosts' ultimately successful campaign.

Batting first, England have brought in allrounders Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes to restore some extra death to the line-up. Harry Brook is notable for missing out. Old timer Angelo Matthews comes in for Sri Lanka, alongside fast bowler Lahiru Kumara. The playing XIs are:

England: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (captain), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (captain), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Dilshan Madushanka

Want to tune in? Here's how to watch the 2023 Cricket World Cup and get an England vs Sri Lanka live stream online from wherever you are, including FREE streaming options.

FREE England vs Sri Lanka live streams

Where to find FREE England vs Sri Lanka live streams

Just like every other game of the 2023 Cricket World Cup, England vs Sri Lanka will be live streamed for FREE via the Hotstar app for mobiles in India.

And in Pakistan, the game will be shown for FREE on PTV Sports, too.

Traveling outside India or Pakistan? Easy – use the no.1 cricket VPN to unblock your usual stream from anywhere. Details below.

How to watch England vs Sri Lanka live stream from outside your country

Below we've got you covered with your official broadcasting options for more cricket-loving countries (and the US!), but if you're outside your country of residence – whether that's India, Pakistan, Australia or anywhere else – and try to start streaming the 2023 Cricket World Cup via your typical broadcasting service, you'll soon discover that you can't, as it's location restricted. But there is a way to tune in regardless.

By downloading and installing a VPN, you can effectively trick your computer into thinking that it's back at home. That way you can enjoy your home coverage without having to find an illegal stream – assuming you comply with the broadcaster's fine print, of course – specifically its terms and conditions.

Use a VPN to watch England vs Sri Lanka from anywhere:

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Throw in its robust set of security features and ExpressVPN is the best all-round VPN for streaming – and perhaps best of all, it has a 30-day money back guarantee plus 3 months FREE when you subscribe for a year.

Access ExpressVPN via your laptop, iPhone, tablet, Android phone, PlayStation, Xbox and plenty more. Express is a do-it-all service that also benefits from 24/7 customer support.

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Global England vs Sri Lanka live streams

How to watch England vs Sri Lanka live stream for FREE in India

Every game of the 2023 Cricket World Cup is being live streamed for free via the Hotstar app for mobiles in the host country India.

However, if you want to tune in on a larger screen, you'll need to pay for Star Sports or a Disney+ Hotstar streaming subscription. Disney Plus Hotstar prices start at Rs 299 per month, or Rs 899 for a whole year.

England vs Sri Lanka is scheduled to start at 2pm IST on Thursday.

Anyone outside of India who wants to watch their home Cricket World Cup coverage can download a good VPN to securely live stream the action.

How to watch England vs Sri Lanka live stream for FREE in Pakistan

Select 2023 Cricket World Cup games – including England vs Sri Lanka – are being live streamed on the state-owned channel PTV Sports in Pakistan, which is fantastic news as PTV Sports is 100% free-to-watch, with only your phone number is required to verify your identity.

Anyone in Pakistan simply needs to head to the PTV Sports website or download the PTVFLIX app to tune in without paying a penny.

Not in Pakistan right now? You can still enjoy the same free Cricket World Cup coverage you would at home – all you need is a world class VPN service.

How to watch England vs Sri Lanka live stream in the UK

Sky Sports has the rights to show every 2023 Cricket World Cup game in the UK (the final will be shown by Channel 5 for free, too). Tune in to Sky Sports Main Event or Sky Sports Cricket for the 9.30am start.

Sky Sports subscribers can also watch the cricket via the Sky Go streaming service, which has dedicated apps for desktop, iOS, Android, and Xbox and PlayStation consoles,

If you want to sign up, you can check out our dedicated guide to Sky TV deals and packages for today's best prices.

Don't fancy being locked in to a long, expensive contract? Consider the more flexible streaming option, Now (formerly Now TV) with Day (£11.98) and Month (£34.99) Sports Membership options.

Or if you can wait for highlights later, Channel 5 and its My5 streaming service will show those for free and on demand from 7pm.

To access your usual streaming service from outside the UK, you'll need to download a good streaming VPN, as detailed above.

How to watch England vs Sri Lanka in Australia

With free-to-air Chanel 9 only showing Australian games, semi-finals and the final you'll need access to Fox Cricket 501 to watch England vs Sri Lanka. Coverage can also be live streamed via Foxtel Now.

Another cost-efficient alternative to Foxtel is the excellent sports platform Kayo Sports.

Kayo lets you stream on one device with its One plan (AU$25/month), two devices with Basic (AU$30/month), and three devices with a Premium sub (AU$35 a month). Unfortunately, Kayo has recently ended its free trial.

Kayo also gives you access to over 50 other sports including the NFL, NBA, PGA Tour golf, NRL, F1... the list goes on! Handy if you don't want to go all out on Fox.

This Cricket World Cup game will begin at 7.30pm AEDT.

How to watch England vs Sri Lanka live stream in the US (and Canada) and without cable

Every game of the 2023 Cricket World Cup is being shown on both ESPN Plus online and Willow TV in the US. Willow is also available in Canada.

We'd recommend ESPN Plus to sports fanatics watching online, as it also has the rights to the NFL, MLB, NHL, PGA Tour golf, Top Rank boxing and EFL, FA Cup, Bundesliga and La Liga soccer.

Monthly plans cost $10.99 a month, while the cost-saving annual subscription is priced at $109.99 a year.

But there's even better value to be had if you grab ESPN+ as part of the big Disney Plus Bundle. As well as ESPN Plus live sports and documentaries, you'll get access to the hugely impressive Disney Plus catalog, which features Marvel movies, every Simpsons episode ever, the complete Star Wars canon, Pixar films, and much more, plus all the great shows and movies that Hulu offers.

And the cost is super reasonable – you only have to pay $14.99 a month for the Disney Plus bundle – $24.99 if you want to ditch the ads.

Willow TV, meanwhile, is available from a number of cable providers including Dish, Spectrum, Xfinity, Verizon Fios and more. It's also accessible via OTT provider Sling TV across a range of devices. There are options to pay just for Willow (from $10 a month), or add it to your existing Sling plan. You can check out your options and sign up on its website.

Out of the US and want to watch your home coverage? No worries – just use a VPN as described below.

How to watch England vs Sri Lanka live stream in New Zealand

Adam was formerly the Content Director of Subscriptions and Services at Future, meaning that he oversaw many of the articles TechRadar produces about antivirus software, VPN, TV streaming, broadband and mobile phone contracts - from buying guides and deals news, to industry interest pieces and reviews. Adam has now dusted off his keyboard to write articles for the likes of TechRadar, T3 and Tom's Guide.