The reigning champions England will take on Sri Lanka in the 25th match of the ongoing World Cup 2023 at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Thursday. Both of these teams find themselves in the same boat as they have managed a solitary win out of the four games they have played.
Ergo, it will be a must-win for both of these teams, who are in the bottom half of the points table. We look at the current form, head-to-head, players to look out for, and squads of both teams in our match preview.
Current form for Sri Lanka: W L L L L
Sri Lanka was able to get the much-needed win against the Netherlands in their previous match as they won by five wickets. The Islanders have come up with a decent batting performance in the ODI showpiece but their bowling unit has lacked teeth, which has led to their downfall.
Current form for England: L L W L NR
Like Sri Lanka, England’s bowling unit has looked toothless in the competition. Furthermore, Reece Topley has been ruled out and Brydon Carse has been named as replacement. England will have to turn the tables with the ball and their middle order also needs to fire.
Head to Head: Matches: 78, Won by England: 38, Won by Sri Lanka: 36, NR: 3, Tied: 1.
England holds a slight advantage against Sri Lanka in H2H.
Players to look out for: Maheesh Theekshana, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Dinuth Wellalage, Dhananjaya de Silva, and Charith Asalanka will be the key players for Sri Lanka.
Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid will hold the key.
England squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
Sri Lanka Squad: Kusal Mendis (c), Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dushan Hemantha, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Kumara, Dilshan Madushanka, Chamika Karunaratne
