England vs Sri Lanka, 3rd T20I: Fantasy Preview

With the series already in the bag, England will look to clean sweep the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka when they face off in the final match on Saturday at Southampton. Sri Lanka will look to go into the ODI series confidently by winning the third game while presenting the new players with more chances.

T20I HEAD-TO-HEAD

Overall: Matches 11 | England 7 wins | Sri Lanka 4 wins

Last five matches: England 5 wins | Sri Lanka 0 wins

SUGGESTED TEAMS

While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your own team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. Based on algorithms, we have come up with one team.

GROUND AND TEAM COMBINATION

Since 2019, the Ageas Bowl at Southampton has hosted 14 T20 matches including the T20 Blast and three internationals between Australia and England. The surface had something for spinners and pacers with the fast bowlers slightly ahead among wickets having claimed 83 of the 145 wickets. However, the spinners have a better strike rate of 19.2 compared to pacers' 21.3 and also enjoy a slightly better economy of 7.1 to the pacers' 7.8.

Over the 25 innings played at the venue since 2019, teams have scored 160 or above six times, which explains the high economy rates for the bowlers. Right-arm pacers (56 wickets), leg-spinners (25 wickets) and left-arm spinners (23 wickets) were the most successful during this time, so its good to go with three pacers, two spinners and six batsmen.

CAPTAIN SELECTION

Liam Livingstone played a crucial role in the second match with a measured 29 off 26 balls which sealed the series for England. He also provided a breakthrough in the first game which slowed down Sri Lanka through the middle overs.

Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Livingstone will score 35-53 runs in this match.

X-FACTORS

Adil Rashid was excellent in the first two matches as his leg-spin stifled Sri Lanka from getting a move on in the final ten overs. With the Southampton pitch offering good amount of turn and bounce Rashid is a dependable option.

Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Rashid will pick up 0-1 wicket in this match.

Kusal Mendis was the pick of the Lankan batsman in the second T20I as he fared better against the likes of David Willey and Adil Rashid while the other batsmen struggled on a slow pitch. He has been one of the better judge of the English conditions so far and could be in a for big innings at Southamtpon.

Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Mendis will score 25-37 runs in this match. 

Jonny Bairstow was dismissed early in the second T20I but he has been a reliable limited-overs batsman in English conditions. With wicket-keeper's slot open after Jos Buttler's injury, Bairstow is a good option to have for a couple of catches.

Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Bairstow will score 43-65 runs in this match.