Time: June 23, 10:30 PM IST
Venue: Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
Pitch report
In the ongoing English T20 League, the team batting first has won 3 of 4 games at Cardiff. The average first and second innings read 157 and 140 respectively. To put things into perspective, the pitch has been equally good for batters and bowlers. We have witnessed a team smashing 179 runs and a team bundling out for a mere 104.
Teams
Jonny Bairstow suffered an ankle injury last week playing for Yorkshire. Although the scans ruled out any serious injury and that he is doing better, England are likely to rest him for the opening game.
Probable XI for England: Jos Butler (wk), Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow/Liam Livingstone, Eoin Morgan (wk), Sam Billings, Chris Jordan, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes/David Willey, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
Sri Lanka coach Mickey Arthur has confirmed the top three batsmen but is yet to finalise the middle-order. It will be interesting to see where Niroshan Dickwella, who usually plays at the top, gets to bat.
Probable XI for Sri Lanka: Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Perera (c), Avishka Fernando, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Isuru Udana, Akila Dananjaya, Nuwan Pradeep, Dushmantha Chameera
Fantasy tips
We have opted for a fantasy cricket team based on the recent performances, overall impact, and credit points.
Players to watch out for
Dawid Malan is the only Englishman in the top 10 list of ICC T20I Rankings for batsmen, and to make matters more interesting, he tops the list. In a mere 24 T20Is, he has managed to score 1,003 runs at an average of 50 and strike rate of 144, including a hundred and 10 fifties. Talk about numbers!
Kusal Perera was the only centurion for Sri Lanka on their recent tour of Bangladesh. He will captain the team for the first time in the format, aiming for revival of Sri Lankan cricket in limited-overs.
On the very tour, Dushmantha Chameera took 9 wickets at an outstanding average of 11 in 3 matches. Given the conditions, he will be Sri Lanka’s go-to bowler.
Adil Rashid ranks No. 4 in ICC T20I Rankings for bowlers. He took a match-winning three-wicket haul for Yorkshire last Wednesday.
Jonny Bairstow’s scores in the England T20 League read 112, 82, 67, and 34. Enough said!
Wanindu Hasaranga has been a revelation for Sri Lanka. In his 16-T20I career, he has already taken 24 wickets with an impressive economy of 6.7. He is talented with the bat as well, scoring 74 in the first ODI against Bangladesh.
Prediction
While England are the No. 1 team in the format, Sri Lanka stutter at No. 8. In head-to-head contests, however, England are a meagre match ahead of the visitors.
All in all, England are a settled and experienced side. They will be playing without Ben Stokes, but their overall team composition is far superior to Sri Lanka, who are yet to find their balance in the format.