T20WC Preview: ENG vs SL

The in-form English team will take on Sri Lanka in this Super 12 game of the ICC World T20 2021. England have won three games in a row and have already qualified for the semi-finals while Sri Lanka is most probably out of the semi-final race. They need quite a few results to go in their favor and need to beat England for a chance of qualification.

England are on a roll. They have looked like the best team of the tournament, closely followed by Pakistan. Before the tournament, England had started as the title contenders and they're really playing like a champion team. The likes of Jos Buttler, Jason Roy, Moeen Ali, Tymal Mills, Adil Rashid, etc have been very consistent in the three matches and England will expect them to continue their good form and as a result, their winning streak as well.

Sri Lanka lost their last game against South Africa in the last over. Their batting has been inconsistent while none of the bowlers apart from Wanindu Hasaranga has looked threatening. They need to be at their absolute best if they are to beat this strong English team. Young players like Charith Asalanka, Pathum Nissanka have shown a lot of promise in the tournament and the Sri Lankan team and fans will hope that they continue their good form and perform consistently in the remaining matches. Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, and Chamika Karunaratne need to step up as well.

Head to Head

Overall: England lead 8-4
In T20WC: England lead 3-1

Probable Playing 11

No changes are expected in the English line-up.

England: Jos Buttler(wk), Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, Johnny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan(c), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Tymal Mills
 

Sri Lanka may bring in Dhananjaya de Silva for Avishka Fernando after his string of low scores.

Sri Lanka:  Kusal Perera (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva/Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, Maheesh Theekshana

Pitch Report

This game will be played in Sharjah. The pitch here is a bit difficult for batting. The wicket has low bounce, spinners and hit the deck pacers will be effective on this wicket. Scores of around 150-160 will be a good total on this wicket. Teams winning the toss will look to chase as the chasing teams have won almost every game in the Super 12 round.

Match-Ups

Buttler vs Chameera: 42 off 21 balls, no dismissals
Malan vs Chameera: 8 runs for 2 dismissals
Kusal vs A Rashid: 6 runs for 2 dismissals
Shanaka vs Jordan: 18 runs for 2 dismissals
Hasaranga vs Rashid: 6 runs for 2 dismissals
Moeen vs Right Arm Bowlers: Average 15, SR 139
Roy vs Right Arm Bowlers: Average 20, SR 139
Asalanka in last 3 innings: 136 runs

Key Players

England

• Jos Buttler: Jos has been in terrific form at the moment and has scored 113 runs in 3 games with just 1 dismissal. He scored a brilliant unbeaten 71 in just 32 deliveries against Australia helping England seal their semi-final spot. He should play a key role at the top in this game against Sri Lanka as well.
   
• Moeen Ali: Moeen has been brilliant for England with the ball. Morgan is using him really well against the left-handers in the power play and he has done really well. Moeen has 4 wickets in 2 innings at an economy of just 5. He will be very crucial for England with the ball considering Sri Lanka’s left-hand heavy batting line-up.
   
• Tymal Mills: Mills is the highest wicket-taker from the English side in the tournament with 7 wickets in three games. He has been very consistent with his line and lengths and has used his variations with a great effect as well.

Sri Lanka

• Wanindu Hasaranga: Hasaranga has been in great form with the ball. He is the only consistent performer with the ball for Sri Lanka in the Super 12 round. Wanindu picked 3 wickets in the last game against the Proteas and almost won the game for Sri Lanka. The Lankans will hope that he continues his excellent form in this game against England.
   
• Charith Asalanka: Asalanka is averaging 47.33 at a strike-rate of 142. He has been one of the best batters for Sri Lanka. He scored 80 runs in the first Super 12 game against Bangladesh and has got starts in the last two games as well. He will look to convert those starts into a big score in this game.
   
• Bhanuka Rajapaksa: Rajapaska is known for his hard-hitting and he has played in the same way till now. Batting at number 5, Rajapaksa plays very freely and attacks the spinners in the middle-overs. Sri Lanka will expect him to do well against the English spinners. Rajapaksa has scored 129 runs in 6 games at an average of 43 in the tournament so far. He played 2 crucial knocks in the Super 12 round as well.

Dream11 Prediction

Top Captaincy Picks:

• Jos Buttler
• Jason Roy
• Wanindu Hasaranga
• Tymal Mills (Bowling First)
• Johnny Bairstow (Batting First)
• Moeen Ali (Risky)

Disclaimer:  These teams are based on the writer's understanding of the game and do not guarantee a win in fantasy cricket. Users are advised to create their own teams with the information provided.