England captain Alastair Cook won the toss and sent Sri Lanka in to bat in overcast conditions in the first one-day international in Colombo on Wednesday.
The match will be played over 50-overs-a-side despite an hour's delay due to bad weather at the Premadasa stadium.
The teams are to play seven one-dayers in preparation for the World Cup that takes place in Australia and New Zealand in February-March.
England: Alastair Cook (capt), Moeen Ali, Ian Bell, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, James Tredwell, Harry Gurney.
Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kusal Perera, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Lahiru Thirimanne, Thisara Perera, Jeevan Mendis, Dhammika Prasad, Rangana Herath, Ajantha Mendis.
Umpires: Simon Fry (AUS) and Ruchira Palliyaguruge (SRI)
TV umpire: Steve Davis (AUS)
Match referee: David Boon (AUS)
Source: AFP