England will go up against Sri Lanka in the first of the three-match T20I series on June 23 (Wednesday) at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.
The upcoming series will present Eoin Morgan with the opportunity to build their bench strength for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup. Chris Woakes and David Willey have made comebacks in this format and in all likelihood, only one of them will have a realistic chance of sticking around once Jofra Archer returns. All eyes will also be on all-rounder Moeen Ali, who returns to the scheme of things after warming the bench against India.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have landed in the UK with young cricketers as head coach Mickey Arthur keen to groom players for finishing duties ahead of the T20 World Cup. The Islanders will bank on captain Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendia, Dhananjaya de Silva, all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga, Nuwan Pradeep, and Niroshan Dickwella to deliver the goods.
Match Details
Match: England vs Sri Lanka, 1st T20I
Date and Time: 23rd June 2021, at 10:30 PM IST
Venue: Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
Pitch Report
A relatively high-scoring game is on the cards in Cardiff and the batters will try to go after the bowlers from the onset. The wicket is expected to slow down as the game progresses bringing the slower bowlers in the game. Both teams will ideally look to chase upon winning the toss.
Predicted Playing XIs
England
Jos Buttler (wk), Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan (c), Sam Billings, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali, Mark Wood
Sri Lanka
Danushka Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera (c&wk), Avishka Fernando, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga, Isuru Udana, Dushmantha Chameera, Akila Dhananjaya, Asitha Fernando
England vs Sri Lanka, 1st T20I – Dream11 Suggestions
Fantasy Suggestion 1: Jonny Bairstow, Kusal Perera, Avishka Fernando, Danushka Gunathilaka, Dawid Malan, Eoin Morgan, Sam Curran, Wanindu Hasaranga, Adil Rashid, Chris Jordan, Isuru Udana
Captain: Jonny Bairstow. Vice-Captain: Wanindu Hasaranga
Fantasy Suggestion 2: Jonny Bairstow, Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Danushka Gunathilaka, Dawid Malan, Jason Roy, Sam Curran, Wanindu Hasaranga, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Isuru Udana
Captain: Dawid Malan. Vice-Captain: Sam Curran