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2nd ODI Preview: In battle of bowlers, England eye series, Sri Lanka seek retrieval

There was a post flying around on the microblogging site Twitter, “The Sri Lankan batting genuinely needs some help with immediate effect and how the efforts from their bowlers are just going in vain.” 

The user was on spot in his observation as the Sri Lankan team has had a dismal run with the bat on this England tour. 

The visitors witnessed a batting collapse in the T20I series and the ODI series didn’t really bring many changes for the Kusal Perera-led side. They were bundled out for 185 in the first ODI of the series in less than 43 overs with just three players crossing the three-figure mark. 

The visitors were forced to make a few tweaks in the playing XI but that didn’t help either. Barring Perera and Hasaranga, none of the batsmen showed any intent and this has been the case for Sri Lanka for quite some time now. 

While the batsmen miserably failed to fetch any runs, the bowlers have put in a lot of effort. 

They have been made to bowl under crunch situations and they have put a fight. In the second T20I and in the first ODI they put England under the cosh after picking up quick wickets. With the series at stake, the Lankan lions need to fix their batting woes before they take the field in London on Thursday. 

On the other hand, England are looking pretty stable at the moment but the middle-order batting is still a concern for them as well. The instance of the same was seen in the first encounter against the Lankan team when there was a flurry of wickets despite a steady start. 

But it was Joe Root’s experience that didn’t let the game slip away from England’s hands and the Test skipper anchored them to a win. 

Match Details:

England vs Sri Lanka, 2nd ODI

Venue: Kennington Oval, London

Date & Time: July 1st, at 5:30 PM IST and 1:00 PM Local Time

Live Streaming: Sony Sports Network

Pitch Report

The two sides will move to Kennington Oval, London for the second ODI of the series. 

The track here would have something on offer to the batsmen and some high-scoring encounter is expected. So, the team that wins the toss should bat first and put runs on the board. 

Team News 

England: England had a decent start as far as their batting is concerned in the first match but it was only their middle-order that required some fine-tuning before walking out in the middle on Thursday. 

The presence of Joe Root in the ranks served a vital role in England’s successful run chase in the first ODI and his experience surely holds a lot of importance especially when the team is in some tricky position. Wicket-keeper batsman Jonny Bairstow looked good and went all guns blazing in the first encounter. 

If the right-hander continues to do his job in this manner considering the kind of pitch that Kennington Oval has to offer, he can give a hard time to the opponents. 

Fast bowlers Chris Woakes, David Willey and Mark Wood peppered the Lankan batsmen with some short deliveries and express pace. The trio didn’t really let the batsmen settle and the team management would want them to stick to the basics in the second match. 

In all, the hosts are in some good form and would seek to continue the momentum in this clash as well. 

Sri Lanka: The Sri Lankan team are facing some trouble both on and off the field. While nothing really has gone their way on the field on this tour, they have suffered some major blows off-field. Three players Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka, and Niroshan Dickwella were earlier suspended and were asked to fly back home for a bio-bubble breach. The three players are likely to face a one year ban. 

"They are likely to get a minimum one-year suspension if found guilty of several breaches of their contract," an official from the Sri Lanka Cricket said in conditions of anonymity while talking to AFP.

The miseries are way too much on the field. The batting collapse is becoming a major concern for the Sri Lankan team management as there has been no instance except for that partnership between Perera and Hasaranga in the first ODI where the batsmen have taken the onus and responsibility. The shot selection is as dismal as it could be while the problems against short deliveries have been persistent. 

The scoreline of the series might look pretty disappointing if you are a Sri Lankan cricket fan but the way the bowlers have fared on this tour, the batsmen only need to complement their efforts and stick to the basics. This would probably do the job. 

Probable XI

England: Jonny Bairstow (wk),  Liam Livingstone, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (c), Sam Billings, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera (c & wk), Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Ramesh Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Praveen Jayawickrama

Fantasy XI

Kusal Perera (vc), Jonny Bairstow (c), Eoin Morgan, Dasun Shanaka, Joe Root, Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, David Willey

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