England will host Sri Lanka in the opening ODI of the 3-match ODI series. This series will part of CWC Super League and it’s an important series for visitors for the WC 2023 qualification.
Match Timings: June 29, 3:30 PM IST
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Sri Lanka and England will battle out in the three-match ODI series which starts from today in Chester-Le-Street. This series is part of ICC’s CWC Super League and it will decide the qualification for the next ODI World Cup which is scheduled in India in 2023.
Sri Lanka’s poor form in international cricket continues as they have been thrashed by the hosts in the T20I series. England whitewashed Sri Lanka 3-0 in the T20I series and the worst thing is, Sri Lanka played like a mediocre side. They were outplayed by England in all departments. The last T20I showed us a bitter reality of Lankan cricket as they couldn’t cross 100 in the chase.
Before the series, the board suspended three players Kusal Mendis, Gunathilaka, and Dickwella for violating the bubble rule. It means Perera will take the gloves in the series and lead the side. This assignment is important for Sri Lanka as they have been the poorest side in Super League with just one win. They lost five games out of six this year in ODIs and these defeats came against West Indies and Bangladesh in away series. Their next assignment will be tougher as they will face India at home in July. If this continues, they can play WC qualifier to participate in WC 2023.
Meanwhile, England are rotating their players and trying all players this summer. They have the Pakistan series as well which is lined up in July. Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow will open for England. Joe Root is back in the side. Sam Billings and Livingstone both will try to boost their place in middle-order.
If we talk about England’s performance in ODIs, they are also not on the winning road since the Super League’s introduction. They suffered a home defeat against Ireland, followed by a 2-1 loss to Australia. This year, they toured India and lost the series 2-1. Their ODI series in South Africa postponed due to covid. England have won only four games in Super League out of nine and two came against Ireland. When the last time both sides met, Sri Lanka surprised the eventual title winner in World Cup 2019, thanks to Malinga’s 4-wicket haul. The story has been changed in the last two years and England will look to grab 30 points from this series.
Pitch Report
The Riverside Ground offers good help to the bowlers as pacers can get the extra bounce. Batsmen will take advantage later as the match progresses. Anything above 275 would be a competitive total and we might expect a 300 plus total tonight.
Possible XI
England
Jonny Bairstow (wk), Jason Roy, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (c), Liam Livingstone, Sam Billings, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Mark Wood
Sri Lanka
Oshada Fernando, Kusal Perera (c & wk), Avishka Fernando, Pathum Nissanka, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga, Isuru Udana, Dushmantha Chameera, Akila Dhananjaya, Binura Fernando
Key Players
England
Sam Billings
Jason Roy
Sri Lanka
Wanindu Hasaranga
Kusal Perera
