T20 World Cup, England vs SL: Preview, stats, and more
England and Sri Lanka will square off in the Super 12 match of the 2021 T20 World Cup on Monday. The Sharjah Cricket Stadium will host the only encounter of the day. England are on a roll, having claimed three one-sided victories against West Indies, Bangladesh, and Australia respectively. Meanwhile, the Lankans recently lost to South Africa and Australia. Here is the match preview.
Here is the head-to-head record
The two sides have met 12 times in T20I cricket, with England leading the head-to-head series 8-4. Notably, England are unbeaten against Sri Lanka in the last six encounters. In June, they routed the Lankans 3-0 in the three-match T20I series. As far as the T20 WC is concerned, England lead Sri Lanka 3-1. SL beat England in the 2012 edition.
Key details about the match
The match will be held at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. It will begin at 7:30 PM IST. SL recently lost the final-over thriller to South Africa on this venue. The surface here gets sluggish as the match progresses. Expect spinners to be in action. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream the same on Disney+ Hotstar.
Will Mark Wood feature against Sri Lanka?
England outplayed Australia in every department to claim a one-sided win. At the toss, skipper Eoin Morgan informed that pacer Mark Wood is yet to be fully fit. It remains to be seen if he plays against Sri Lanka. Probable XI: Jason Roy, Jos Buttler (wicket-keeper), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Morgan (captain), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Tymal Mills/Wood
SL might turn to Akila Dananjaya
SL did everything well while defending 142 against SA. However, Lahiru Kumara allowed David Miller to break free in the final over. Considering Wanindu Hasaranga's success, SL can bring back Akila Dananjaya. Probable XI: Kusal Perera (wicket-keeper), Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (captain), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana/Dananjaya, Lahiru Kumara
A look at the top performers
Jos Buttler is England's leading run-scorer in T20Is against Sri Lanka. He has smashed 256 runs from seven games at a strike rate of 147.12 against them. In the bowling segment, Chris Jordan has taken 15 wickets with the best bowling performance of 4/28. Meanwhile, Dushmantha Chameera has picked up six wickets for SL against England at an incredible average of 17.66.
