Follow UsGenerally, when England plays Sri Lanka in a white ball game, it’s branded as a David vs Goliath contest. However, things are the exact opposite this World Cup as both teams find themselves as the first and second runner-ups at this World Cup, but only if you look from the bottom.
Jos Butler said in the Captain's meet just before the World Cup that his team is “..not trying to defend anything” at this World Cup. Whatever he might have meant at that time, that statement of his is proving true. The way England have played so far in this tournament, they aren’t looking in a position to defend their title.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka were more than decent at the Asia Cup in home conditions. But once they arrived on Indian shores, their performance lacked intensity, and except for their win against the Netherlands (that came after a small scare), nothing has suggested that they’ll be able to make the top 4.
With the tournament reaching the halfway stage, both England and Sri Lanka are in dire need of a victory, and as they meet in Bengaluru tomorrow, both would like to get their World Cup campaigns on track finally.
Things to watch out for
England batters have a conversion problem
Look at the scores of the top 5 England batters this World Cup -
Jonny Bairstow - 10,2,52,33
Dawid Malan - 6,32,140,14
Joe Root - 2,11,82,77
Jos Buttler - 15,9,20,43
Harry Brook - 17,66,20,25
Out of the 20 innings played by their top 5 batters, they have 4 single-digit scores, 15 double-digit scores, and just 1 century amongst them
It’s enough to tell you that England batters have failed to make the most out of the starts they have got this World Cup. You can blame their attacking batting for it or their failure to adapt to certain conditions. Regardless, there’s no way a team can win a World Cup if their batters continue to get out at regular intervals and don’t go on to bat long in a 50-over game.
Add to that the fact that only 2 of them are averaging above 40, and you now finally get the misery that has enveloped the behemoths of white ball batting.
Where are the Sri Lanka spinners this WC?
Sri Lankan spinners have struggled to bowl well in this World Cup, as their spin unit collectively has an average of 125.3 in 4 games - the worst in this tournament, followed by Pakistan (100.3).
In the absence of Wanindu Hasaranga, the spin bowling responsibility lay with Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage, but the former is averaging 76 and the latter 98. In fact, no other spinner in this tournament has a poorer average and economy than Wellalage.
On a ground like Chinnaswamy, where spinners arrive but only their ashes return, Sri Lankan spinners will need to outperform themselves if their team wants to create an impact with the ball.
England Sri Lanka united in Pace struggles
The Sri Lanka and England pace units are the worst and second-worst bowling units this World Cup in terms of economy.
Not only that, if you leave Dilshan Madushanka and Reece Topley aside, none of the pacers from both teams have made any impact.
In fact, when you consider England's pace attack, Reece Topley has taken 8 wickets in 3 innings alone. All the other pacers combined have taken 7 wickets in 12 innings.
With Reece Topley out of the World Cup due to a finger injury, England would not only need their other pacers to step up, but they might also need God not to save their king and just save them tomorrow at the Chinnaswamy.
Tactical Insights
> Jonny Bairstow has been struggling to perform well in recent years, as he has been dismissed for single-digit scores in 42% of his ODI matches since 2022.
However, he has struggled the most against left-arm pacers among all bowling types. He averages just 9.3 against them in 6 innings and has got out to them thrice.
Dilshan Madushanka has been in some good form in this World Cup so far. At the time of writing, he is the third-highest wicket-taker and has dismissed batters in all phases of the game. If you look at the pitch map above, you’ll see that his stock length from around the wicket will trouble Jonny Bairstow a lot tomorrow.
> This year Kusal Mendis has chewed right arm leg-spinners like Indians chew pan and then he spits them on the ground to roll away in slime and misery.
This year, he is averaging 62 against them and is scoring at an SR of 126.5. However, tomorrow, he’ll be against Adi Rashid, a leggie who has got him out 4 times in 6 innings. It’s going to be an interesting contest.
Venue and Conditions
It’s not a state secret that M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru is a batter’s paradise. It has the highest batting run rate amongst all venues in this World Cup.
Australia scored 350+ with ease against Pakistan here and, at one point, were looking good for 400 and above. Expect the same tomorrow as well, as both English and Sri Lankan bowlers are struggling at the moment, and teams would just look to out-bat their opponent.
Probable XIs
Brydon Carse made his way into the squad as a replacement for Reece Topley, but it would be hard for him to find a place on this side. Chris Woakes should play in Topley's place. England would also look to play Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran again to deepen their batting in Chinnaswamy’s batting paradise.
England probable XI - Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (c) & (wk), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood/Gus Atkinson
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka slotted in the experienced Angelo Matthews in place of Pathirana, and he can be brought in the place of the out-of-form Dhananjaya de Silva if the team wishes to slot him there.
Sri Lanka probable XI - Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (c) & (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya/Matthews, Dushan Hemantha/Wellalage, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka