England begin their Super 8 campaign at the T20 World Cup with a tricky match against joint hosts Sri Lanka in Pallekele.
Harry Brook’s side only just made it out of their group, and improved performance levels are required if the Three Lions want to progress further in the tournament.
New Zealand and Pakistan are England’s other opponents in the Super 8s, but up first is Sri Lanka – and expect an incredible atmosphere in the stadium on Sunday!
Check out our full match preview below, and we have picked out some cricket betting tips based on NetBet’s latest T20 World Cup odds.
Where can I watch Sri Lanka vs England in the UK?
Sri Lanka vs England will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Cricket, with the match scheduled to start at 1:30pm UK time.
Sri Lanka vs England Preview
The group stage really was a struggle for England, with a four-run win over Nepal followed by a 30-run defeat to the West Indies.
Brook’s men then beat Scotland by five wickets, before claiming a vital 24-run victory over Italy. But there were plenty of nervy moments in those matches – as was the case vs Nepal.
Had it not been for two cameos with the bat from Will Jacks against the Nepalese and Italy, England would almost certainly have surrendered the points and be joining Australia on the plane home.
But the Super 8s marks a fresh start for the two-time winners, and this is certainly a winnable fixture on paper.
While Sri Lanka were brilliant in their eight-wicket triumph vs Australia, a three-wicket defeat to Zimbabwe highlighted weaknesses in their bowling department without injured duo Wanindu Hasranaga and Matheesha Pathirana – who have both been ruled out of the tournament.
So it is a fantastic opportunity for England to silence the home crowd, which they did in the three-match T20I series before the competition started.
Brook’s side won 3-0, even defending a low total of 128 on a spinning track in the third and final game.
Furthermore, all three matches were played in Pallekele, so England should have no trouble adjusting to the conditions – a huge bonus in the subcontinent!
Sri Lanka vs England Odds
*All odds are subject to change
Despite having home advantage, Sri Lanka are the pre-match underdogs at a price of 2.25. A victory for England is at odds of 1.54.
Sri Lanka vs England Betting Tips
England top batter – Will Jacks @ 17.00
A risky one, we know. But even though he is operating as low down as No7, Jacks has been England’s best and most consistent batter at the tournament so far. Match-winning knocks of 39* (18) vs Nepal, and 53* (22) vs Italy, could even see him promoted up the ranks in the right situation, given his power-hitting ability. So while the selection relies on England’s top order misfiring once again, it is a risk we are willing to take!
Sri Lanka top batter – Pathum Nissanka @ 3.25
A slightly safer option here. Nissanka represents probably the biggest danger to England, aside from maybe Maheesh Theekshana and his mystery spin. Opening batter Nissanka guided Sri Lanka to victory against Australia with a splendid 100* (52), and he top scored for his nation again vs Zimbabwe, eventually dismissed for 62 off 41 balls. The inventive batter is in superb nick, and averages 29.60 vs England in T20Is with a very healthy strike rate of 148.00.
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