Sri Lanka vs England: Visitors dented after Jonny Bairstow suffers ankle injury

Team England has suffered a major dent ahead of the fourth ODI of their ongoing tour of Sri Lanka. The visitors are likely to miss out on the services of one of their premier batters in recent times, Jonny Bairstow, in the upcoming match. The two sides are set to lock horns in Pallekele on Saturday. Bairstow injured himself during a practice session and is likely to sit out of the fixture.

As per the recent reports in The Guardian, the opener twisted his ankle during a football warm-up prior to the team’s net session on the eve of the 4th ODI. It is worth noting that Bairstow is England’s leading run-getter in 2018 with 1025 runs to his name.

Potential replacements

In the absence of Bairstow, hard-hitting batter Alex Hales is in line to make a comeback to ODI cricket. The final call on team selection will be taken on the match day. As of now, Hales is the player on standby for the English side. Looking back in the timeline, Hales hadn’t done much wrong before being asked to sit out of the playing eleven.

Roy and Bairstow have cemented their spots as the preferred openers in the side. The two players have had a stellar run of form batting together. It was because of this flourishing partnership that Hales had to miss out on the action.

If Bairstow does not take the field for the 4th ODI, Hales should be the next preferred opener. However, the team management also has the option of going in with Joe Denly. The 32-year-old Kent cricketer is not only handy with the bat, but also a very able spinner. Denly was named in the squad as a bowling all-rounder and he had replaced injured Liam Dawson who was originally in the squad.

England hold a commanding position in the 5-match series, a win in the fourth ODI will give the visitors an unassailable lead of 3-0.

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