Sri Lanka vs England, 4th ODI, Match Prediction: Who will win the Match?

Will Sri Lanka be able to pull off a surprise if the weather stays clear?

Published - 19 Oct 2018, 17:51 IST | Updated - 19 Oct 2018, 17:51 IST

2 Min Read

England have already taken an unassailable lead in the five-match series and they will not lose now. They have proved to be too good for the hosts who are struggling to find their feet in the 50-over format in the last couple of years. The rain has played its part in the series as well and it continues to threaten this game as well which might just end the series for Sri Lanka without giving them any chance to level it.

Dinesh Chandimal hoped an England-like turnaround for his team ahead of the ODI series but nothing has happened in the two matches so far. It has been a similar story for them with none of the batters converting their starts. The captain himself hasn’t been able to lead from the front which hasn’t given the bowlers any chance to give a shot at the victory. They did a good job in the second match, but the batsmen were at fault even then and an improved performance is expected.

Eoin Morgan was delighted after winning the curtailed 21 overs per side game in Pallekele. Before the start, there were some animated discussions as the visitors didn’t seem too keen to take the field but a terrific job from the groundsmen made sure that the stadium was deemed fit to play. England put on a stellar display with the ball and had a counterpunch to whatever Sri Lanka threw at them. Another such outing will seal the emphatic series win for them in the island nation.

Pitch and Weather

The rain is set to make its major presence felt in this game as well. The chances of pelting down along with the thunderstorms are high according to Accuweather and the temperatures will hover around 25-28 Degrees Celsius. The pitch for the last match was really good for batting and if the same strip is used in this game, then the spinners will get assistance.

Team Combinations

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka dropped Upul Tharanga for Kusal Mendis for the shortened third ODI. The latter has gone without scoring a run in his last three matches now which should see the more experienced Tharanga coming back in the XI. Niroshan Dickwella and Sadeera Samarawickrama did well opening the innings a couple of days ago and the middle-order comprising of Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva and Dasun Shanaka should come to the party. The bowling attack looks pretty settled and there shouldn’t be any changes in that aspect.

Probable XI: Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Upul Tharanga/Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal (c), Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Thisara Perera, Akila Dananjaya, Amil Aponso, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Pradeep.

England

With the series still not in the bag, the visitors will go against resting some of their top players. The openers Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy haven’t been at the top of their game so far and they would love to go big in this encounter. Joe Root looked good in the second ODI and would love to play a full 50-overs match which suits his style of play while Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler form one of the deadliest middle-order.

Adil Rashid was the star of the last match and he will have Moeen Ali to assist as Chris Woakes and Olly Stone are doing decently in the pace bowling department. Stokes’s economical spell in a shortened must’ve delighted Morgan as well. Even Tom Curran was exceptional picking three wickets in his comeback match and would like to continue n the same vein.

Probable XI: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (c), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Tom Curran, Olly Stone.