England will face Sri Lanka in a must-win situation at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on 26th October 2023. It promises to be an exciting encounter as defending Champions England lost their previous match by 229 runs against South Africa and would look for a dominating performance against the Lankan side.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka defeated the Netherlands to register their first win of the tournament. They would look to perform as a unit and leave a mark with some lovely performances. Both teams have good quality players who can change the course of the game and hope to create an impact with their abilities.
Here we look at the 5 Players To Watch Out For
- Jonny Bairstow
Jonny Bairstow is an attacking batter who puts pressure on the opponent bowlers right from the word go. Chasing down 400 runs in the previous match against South Africa, he tried to slog every ball and was dismissed cheaply.
He would look to improve his record with 181 runs from 12 matches (9 innings) with best score of 43. The pitch at Bengaluru promises to be a batting paradise which can create enough doubt against Sri Lankan bowling. Bairstow would be hoping to provide a solid start along with Malan in the first 10 overs that will help England win the match and stay alive in the tournament.
- Kusal Mendis
Kusal Mendis failed to contribute many runs against the Netherlands. He played a rash stroke against Aryan Dutt on a tough Lucknow pitch. His ability to put enough pressure on the bowlers would dominate the England bowlers.
His performance against England in ODI has been decent enough with 277 runs from 9 matches (9 innings) with the best score of 77 including 3 fifties. He would be looking to showcase his class coming at number 3 and make life tough for England bowlers. Mendis would lead from the front and make sure that Sri Lanka could register victory staying alive in the tournament.
- Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler looked impressive in the short stay against South Africa. He put enough pressure on the South African bowling but failed to convert into a big score. Buttler must lead from the front and keep the pressure on Lankan bowling. He has a brilliant record against Sri Lanka in the ODI format with 574 runs from 25 matches (19 innings) including the best score of 121.
He had one good score against New Zealand but could not contribute to the next matches. Buttler will play a key role in the middle order to help England post or chase down the target.
- Dilshan Madhushanka
The left-arm pace bowler Dilshan Madhushanka had a dream spell in the previous match against the Netherlands. He bowled with great control having swing and seam. He took the wickets of Nidamanuru, and Bas De Leede to put enough pressure on the Netherlands’ batting.
Madhushanka bowled with great in the death overs dismissing dangerous Sybrand Englebrecht and Roelf Van der Merwe. It was a good bowling effort with figures of 4 for 50 in 9 overs.
He would play a key role in picking early wickets that will put pressure on England’s batting lineup. It will be his first match against the England side in the ODI format and would look to help Sri Lanka register victory.
- Adil Rashid
The right-arm leg spinner Adil Rashid had decent figures of 2 for 61 against South Africa. He bowled in the middle overs and picked 2 key wickets that stem the flow. It was a disciplined bowling effort by Rashid as other England bowlers went for runs.
His performance against Sri Lanka in the ODI format has been decent enough with 15 wickets from 14 matches at an economy of 4.93 runs per over with best figures of 4 for 36. He would play a key role in helping England pick wickets that would put Sri Lankan batters under pressure. Rashid would be hoping for a great performance and keep Sri Lankan batters under check on a superb batting pitch.
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