ENG vs SL World Cup Preview: Sri Lanka game is England’s best chance to bring their best out in the tournament

This England vs Sri Lanka match is going to be a bottom of the table clash in the ongoing World Cup. At almost the half-way stage, I don’t think England would have hoped and will be happy to be in this position. They are nowhere near their best form clearly. They lost to South Africa in their last match and that defeat has further dented the semi-finals chances. It looks unlikely they will make it to the top four. But not impossible.

England will surely look to give a solid fight in the coming games. I had said at the start of the tournament that one of the key factors (which can define their campaign) could be the fact that they have not played huge ODI cricket in lead up to this World Cup compared to the one in 2019. It was going to challenge their understanding and knowledge of the conditions and they have been found wanting in that department. But I think the overall problem for England is that so many of their players have been out of form, out of touch and out of confidence. It is inevitable that in such a long tournament, you have one or two players not playing up to their potential. However, in England’s case, the number is more. There are many players in this England setup who are far from their best.

It is quite hard to explain how that has happened. Looking forward, I think Mark Wood is going to miss out. Reece Topley has gone back home due to an injury. I don’t see Topley’s replacement Brydon Carse playing on Thursday Vs Sri Lanka in Bengaluru. But he is an exciting cricketer. He played some ODIs in the summer and looked good. It is a great opportunity for him, but it will change the dynamics of the side if he comes into it. Topley was a strike bowler with the new ball. Carse will have a different role to play.

Talking about the strike bowler, I would like to leave out Wood and bring back Chris Woakes. I know he has not been at his best of late. But you need someone to use the new ball as effectively as possible without Topley in there now. I also want to see Moeen Ali back in the side. I think England are a better side with Moeen Ali in it. He brings leadership skills; he adds balance to the side with all-round skills and has experience of playing in India. He is a senior figure who could be of huge help to Buttler. I am actually very surprised that they have not played Moeen Ali consistently in the World Cup. I was also surprised with the balance of the bowling that they opted for against South Africa. I had thought that it would be a combination of 3 spinners and 3 pacers. I hope that they go with the same combination at Bengaluru vs Sri Lanka. Bengaluru is a very challenging place to defend for sides. It is a high-scoring ground. I feel England will need Moeen back in the side for the same reason.

It will be interesting to see what Buttler does if he wins toss vs Lankans. Chasing has not worked well for England in the last couple of games But Bengaluru, as I said earlier, is a difficult ground to defend. Several factors will question England going into that game.

Coming to Sri Lanka, I feel for them. Injuries in the camp have hurt their campaign immensely. If the number of injuries right before the World Cup was not enough, they continue to lose players due to fitness issues. Dasun Shanaka and Matheesha Pathirana h ave been the two players out due to different injuries since the start of the World Cup.

Sri Lanka too find themselves at the bottom of the table. One of the reasons for that is their inability to play all 50 overs with the same intensity they started with. I feel their top -order is in great form. Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera and Kusal Mendis have set things up as far as batting is concerned. But they tend to fall away in the middle overs with little support from the middle order. One can say the same for the bowlers as well. Kasun Rajitha and Dilshan Madushanka start things well with the ball. But the others cannot keep up the good work.

With the restrictions they have got with the injuries, they have good signs in the field, but the Lankans have not been able to sustain it through the 50 overs. Completing a performance will be their challenge. They have got players in form, but they have not been able to display a complete show.

Someone like Maheesh Theekshana, who is a very good bowler, can trouble the English batters with his mystery spin even at M Chinnaswamy, which has short boundaries. It is a shame that Matheesha Pathirana is out due to injury as well. He is a real blow for them even though he had been expensive for them. But he is an X-Factor player.

It is a situation where both sides have nothing to lose in terms of their qualification chances. I hope, from England’s perspective, the Sri Lanka game brings the best out of a side which has so far underperformed.