ICC World Cup 2019 – Match 27: ENG vs SL – England Predicted Playing XI

The home team, England, has been unstoppable in the tournament. After that initial jolt against Pakistan, they picked themselves up really well in the last three games. All these three victories were registered with massive margins and the side has almost sealed a place in the knockouts. With 8 points already to their tally, England look to add plenty more to their tally.

In their next game, the team will be up against Sri Lanka who haven’t been performing as well. The hosts are surely favourites as they head into this match and will eye another dominative performance. While there are still a few injury concerns around, England is likely to make a few changes to the playing eleven for the upcoming game.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for England:

Openers (James Vince, Jonny Bairstow)

Jason Roy might require some more time to recover and James Vince will continue in the eleven in his absence. He is a great talent and is a sweet timer of the cricket ball. But what is frustrating is that he gets out at that point when everyone expects big things from him. Even in the last game, he looked good for his 26 but failed to make the most of that start. That is one area that he’s got to address soon.

Jonny Bairstow will be his partner at the other end. The 29-year-old batted with an immense sense of responsibility and knew that he had his task cut out against Afghanistan. Though, it is important for him to maintain the same kind of consistency in the next games of the tournament as well. Bairstow missed out on a well-deserved hundred in the last game and is due for a big one.

Middle Order (Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (c), Jos Buttler (wk))

Joe Root has been an impregnable force for England batting at number three. Runs are absolutely gushing from his bat just like a river in full flow. He averages an unbelievable 91.75 in the tournament and is a great asset at number three. Eoin Morgan is likely to play this game as well and might have recovered from the back spasm completely by now.

The skipper was implausible in the last match against Afghanistan and broke several records during the course of his innings. This knock will surely keep him in a very good space as he progresses forward in the tournament and he’ll want to bring out more of such exploits in the games to come. Jos Buttler missed out in the last match and will look to rectify the mistakes this time.

All Rounders (Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes)

Ben Stokes‘ role was very much limited in the last game. But whenever the team needed him, he delivered a strong performance. The all-rounder continues to be an important part of this squad and there is no doubt about his place in the eleven. Moeen Ali also might have strengthened his place in the side after the exploits in the last game. He scored 31 runs from only 9 balls providing his team with the final impetus.

With the opposition having a lot of left-handers, Moeen Ali’s responsibility increases in this game. A bulk of the job would be done if he manages to outfox one or two batsmen in the Sri Lankan top three. Chris Woakes, given the kind of balance he adds to the team down the order, is likely to retain his place. He also opens the bowling for his team and is great with the new ball.

Bowlers (Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood)

England needs bowlers who can restrict the run flow in the middle overs. While Adil Rashid has been amongst the wickets, he is quite expensive on the majority of the occasions. In that case, if Liam Plunkett recovers from his illness, he should be back in the playing eleven. He is not only miserly with the ball but also picks up a few crucial wickets.

Jofra Archer and Mark Wood will continue to be the other two pacers in the side. Both of them are lightning quick and great at any stage of the innings. Moreover, they have been picking regular wickets as well and are a vital part of the plans for England.