The series may have already been lost but that hasn’t eased the pressure on England’s captain Alastair Cook. Despite assurances from the England Cricket Board, Cook is under immense pressure to turn both his own form and that of his team around. His own form is woeful, he’s scored just the 87 runs in the series thus far (interestingly, vice captain Eoin Morgan has only scored 86 as well) and his strike rate of juts 67 is worrying. He needs runs or a win, preferably both.
Sri Lanka on the other hand have a settled captain and a settled middle order. The evergreen pair of Kumar Sangakkar and Mahela Jayawardene are set to play their last one day international match at their home ground of the Premadasa. A huge crowd is expected to farewell the two legends and it is only fitting that Sri Lanka deliver them a win for their troubles. After all 4-2 sounds a lot more commanding than 4-3, and in truth, a more accurate reflection of the gulf between the sides.
The Last Time These Two Met
Kumar Sangakkara gave Sri Lanka the series win the las time the two teams played. His scores have gradually increased throughout the series, but it would be difficult to expect more of the same from him this time around. Instead a Jayawardene classic is in the script as he celebrates his last home appearance.
The Teams
Sri Lanka (likely): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Dimuth Karunaratne/Dinesh Chandimal, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Seekkuge Prasanna, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Sachithra Senanayake, 10 Suranga Lakmal 11 Lakshan Sandakan
Sri Lanka need to find an opening solution quickly so will likely give either Dimuth Karunaratne or Dinesh Chandimal a go at the top. Chandimal’s run in the previous match could give him the edge.
England (likely): 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Alex Hales, 3 James Taylor, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Ravi Bopara, 8 Ben Stokes, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 James Tredwell, 11 Harry Gurney
England could use the dead rubber to give games to other members of their touring squad in a bid to find out more about them including Alex Hales, Harry Gurney, Ben Stokes or Ian Bell, mind you, there’s little more they could find out about Bell. That could see Moeen Ali and the impressive Chris Woakes miss out.
The Key Players
James Tredwell – The unheralded spinner does not elect much praise for his work but he should. He’s building a nice reputation as an accurate and economical spinner, and his series numbers thus far stack up well. His 4 wickets have come at an average of 42, but the impressive stat is the economy rate of 4.33. An entire run per over better than the second cheapest England bowler (Moeen Ali).
Mahela Jayawardene – Whether he bats four or at the top the right hander is a dangerous prospect. In this dead rubber he has an excellent chance to audition for a permanent World Cup opening spot, which will in turn solve a difficult conundrum for the Sri Lankan selectors.
The Odds*
Sri Lanka – $1.59
England – $2.36
*International Cricket odds courtesy of BetEasy.
The Prediction
England to steal a pride saving win by 2 wickets. Oh an Alastair Cook is paying $20 to score a century for anyone who is brave enough.
