Still recovering from their 87-run drubbing against Australia, Sri Lanka will now face a tough battle for survival when they lock horns with a dominant England in their World Cup fixture. The match will be played on 21st June at Headingley, Leeds and will be live from 3:00 PM IST.
The home team England will be looking to reclaim the top spot on the points table with a win in this encounter, Sri Lanka are in desperate need of two points. Jason Roy, who is currently recovering from his hamstring injury, missed the last game against Afghanistan and will not be available for this game either. The hosts made one more change to their side, replacing Liam Plunkett by Moeen Ali, and it will be interesting to see who they will prefer against Sri Lanka. One thing, however, is certain that England will continue with the Vince-Bairstow opening combination.
Player To Watch Out For – Joe Root
Sri Lanka came into the World Cup on the back of some poor performances in bilateral as well as multi-member series, but as luck would have it and their terrific history in ICC tournaments, they are at a pretty good position in this edition – largely due to the shared points in washed-out games. Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne has led the team from the front and played an immaculate knock, although in vain, in their previous encounter. Lankans would need their batsmen to step up and bowlers to play out of their skins to put Englishmen under any pressure whatsoever.
Player To Watch Out For – Dimuth Karunaratne
Pitch Report
This is the first match of this World Cup in Leeds but if the domestic One-Day Cup is considered, the pitch is expected to be absolutely flat. Rain is expected to play a part, as it has all tournament, which means the captain that wins the toss should look to the field.
Probable Line Ups
England – James Vince, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (C), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (WK), Moeen Ali, Liam Plunkett/Adil Rashid, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer.
Sri Lanka – Dimuth Karunaratne (C), Kusal Perera (WK), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perera, Milinda Siriwardana/Suranga Lakmal, Isuru Udana, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Pradeep.
PlayerzPot XI
PlayerzPot Prediction
England is expected to seal this match one-sidedly. Unless the Lankans put their best performance of the tournament.
