Squads –
ENG –
Jason Roy, Jos Buttler(w), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan(c), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Tymal Mills, David Willey, Sam Billings, Mark Wood, Tom Curran
SL –
Kusal Perera(w), Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Wanindu Hasaranga, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka(c), Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Maheesh Theekshana, Akila Dananjaya, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal
Team News –
ENG –
– The English team have won all 3 of their games played and are right at the top of the table. A win against Sri Lanka will guarantee their playoffs qualifications.
– Mard wood had a niggle and didn’t played 1st game. It will be important to see if he plays or not against Sri Lanka. Team can go with the winning combo.
– Roy and Buttler will open the innings. Buttler will keep the Wickets. Buttler smashed a 32 ball 71 in his last innings against Australia.
– Dawid Malan will bat 1 down. Malan is the no 1 t20 batsman according to rankings but has been demoted in the order lately.
– Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali and Captain Morgan will handle the middle order. Moeen can be promoted any day.
– Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali will lead the spin section of the team with Liam Livingston to assist with his leg spin.
– Chris Woakes, Tymal Mills and Chris Jordan will lead the pace attack.
SL –
– Sri Lanka have been playing some good cricket lately but the results haven’t been in their favour. They won 1 out of 3 games in this WC so far and a loss in this game would make them almost impossible to qualify for the playoffs.
– Kusal Perera ans Pathum Nissanka will open the innings. Perera has looked very much out of touch lately and have just scored 87 runs in last 6 WC games.
– Charita Asalanka will bat at 1 down. He was brilliant with his match winning 80* last game against Bangladesh. He is the in form man.
– Dhanajaya De Silva/Avishka Fernando will bat at 2 down. Avishka has been very much out of form so De Silva can replace him.
– Wanindu Hasaranga and Bhanuka Rajapaksa will bat in middle with Shanaka to follow. Rajapaksa and Shanaka are known for their big hitting while Hasaranga can anchor the innings.
– Matheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga will handle the spin section.
– Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara and Chamika Karunaratne will lead the pace attack of team.
Probable XI –
ENG –
Jos Buttler, Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingston, Eoin Morgan, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Tymal Mills, Chris Jordan
SL –
Kusal Perera (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapakse, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dasun Shanaka (c), Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Lahiru Kumara
Pitch Report –
Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
The games played here have been very low scoring and batting has been very hard here. Batting 1st can be preferred as there will be no due in the 2nd innings.
Team Blueprint –
WK –
Jos Buttler( Open, RHB + wk, amongst the top white ball batsman around, attacking 71* last game against Australia, Must have)
Kusal Perera( Open, LHB + wk, very attacking batsman but in poor form, averages just 14 in 6 games against England )
Dinesh Chandimal ( Open, RHB, very experienced, just 57 runs in 5 games against England, less chances of playing)
Jonny Bairstow ( 2 down, RHB, hard hitter of the ball, plays as a floater in the team, 66 runs in 4 games against SL in t20s )
BAT –
Jason Roy( Open, RHB, struggles against spin but averages 38 against sri lanka)
Dawid Malan ( 1 down, LHB, #1 t20 batsman in world cricket, averages 43 in t20 cricket, can be demoted any game )
Eoin Morgan ( Middle order, LHB, very attacking hitter of the ball, Batting very low recently )
C Asalanka( 1 down, 142 runs in 4 games with a brilliant SR of 140 so far this WC, must have , in form )
B Rajapaksa( Middle order, LHB, can strike the ball big, 129 runs in 5 innings this WC with a SR of 144)
Pathum Nissanka ( Open, RHB, very talented youngster, 72(58b) last game, don’t think will last long against English pacers )
ALL –
Moeen Ali( 1 down/middle order + off spin, 2 wickets in last 2nd game, didn’t bowled last game )
Wanindu Hasaranga ( Middle order + Leg spin, have been the top Allrounder for Sri Lanka in last year and half, 85 runs + 11 Wickets this WC including a hat-trick last game)
Liam Livingston( Middle order, RHB + part time leg spin, one of the cleanest hitters of the ball, 3 wickets in last 2 games, Must in GL )
Dasun Shanaka( Lower Middle order, RHB + medium pace, can strike the ball big, 12 runs + 1w against Australia )
BOWL –
Adil Rashid( Leg Spin, was brilliant with 4 wicket haul in opening game, 1w last game, must have)
M Theekshana ( Off spin, mystery bowler according to many folks, 8 Wickets in 5 games this WC so far )
D Chameera ( Right Arm Fast, hit the deck bowler, can bowl upto 150ks, 2 wickets in last game )
Chris Woakes( Right Arm medium fast, excellent in the powerplay as well as in death, 2w in last game )
Chris Jordan(Right Arm medium fast, death overs specialist, 3w in last game )
Mark Wood( Right Arm Fast, hit the deck bowler, bowls upto 150ks, Must have if plays)
Lahiru Kumara ( Right Arm Fast, has got some fierce pace but poor line and length, 8 Wickets in 6 games so far)
David Willey( Left arm medium fast, known for his swing , can also bat, will not play)
Tymal Mills( Left arm fast, known for his variations, 17 Wickets in 9 games this t20 blast, 7 Wickets in 3 games this t20WC so far, very good at 8cr )
C Karunaratne ( Right Arm medium fast, changes the pace very nicely, 4 Wickets in 6 games played this WC, can also be handy with bat )
C/VC Options –
ENG –
Moeen Ali
Jos Buttler
Jason Roy
SL –
Wanindu Hasaranga
Charita Asalanka
Kusal Perera