Eng v SL World T20 Preview: Batting concerns remain for teams ahead of a crunch game

After an ordinary batting performance against Afghanistan, England will be determined to get their act together against defending champions Sri Lanka in a crunch game in the World T20 for both sides at Kotla tomorrow. The islanders meanwhile also batted poorly against West Indies and suffered a loss. A win for England will take them closer to the semis while the same for Sri Lanka will keep them in contention.

England:

England struggled against Afghanistan spinners on a sluggish Kotla track and will be tested even more against a Lankan side that has the likes of left-arm spinner Rangana Herath and leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay. Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler and Moin Ali may hold the key in ensuring their team doesn’t collapse against the opposition spinners. Alex Hales is expected to be back in the playing XI after missing out against the Afghans.

David Willey proved his worth with the bat as well the ball in the previous match. His batting hasn’t been fully utilised by England in his short international career however he gave a glimpse of his talent to the team management. If needed, he could be promoted up the order to play aggressively and take the attack to the opposition. Adil Rashid’s four overs of leg-spin will once again be vital to England’s chances.

Sri Lanka:

Tillakaratne Dilshan, who is back in form, will like to use all his experience of playing on these tracks but he would certainly need to support at the other end. Sri Lanka, who are going through the transition phase have found it very hard to be consistent. Skipper Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal and Chamara Kapugedara will need to bat well if Sri Lanka are to have a chance of beating England.

With no Malinga in the lineup for the World T20, there is way too much pressure on Herath to lead the attack. Nuwan Kulasekara is an honest trier and moves the new ball however his presence is not as intimidating as Malinga’s and nor can he bowl the yorkers as consistently as the slinger. His new ball partner Dushmantha Chameera is talented but needs to more consistent to become a strike bowler for his team. There would be a lot riding on Thisara Perera, whose all round skills with big hitting prowess at the back end, can prove to be handy.

Form guide: (last five completed matches, most recent first)

England WWLLL

Sri Lanka LWLLL

Pitch and Conditions:

The dryness of the pitch caused due to the humid weather conditions has made the Feroze Shah Kotla a slow, turning track. It will be a difficult wicket to bat on and the team that wins the toss will want to bat first. A score of 140 plus could be a challenging target in the second half of the match.

Probable XI-

England:

Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (C), Jos Buttler (wk), Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, David Willey, Chris Jordan.

Sri Lanka:

Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Lahiru Thirimanne, Milinda Siriwardana,  Angelo Mathews (C), Thisara Perera, Chamara Kapugedera, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dushmantha Chameera, Rangana Herath.

Stats:

1. England skipper Eoin Morgan tops his country’s batting charts in T20Is with 1372 runs which include 7 fifties.

2. Nuwan Kulasekara needs 4 more to complete 60 T20I wickets. He is Sri Lanka’s third highest wicket-taker in the format.