On Thursday, October 26, the ongoing ODI World Cup match between England and Sri Lanka will take place in Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium. There were sincere worries about the Sri Lankan team competing in the major competition. Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera, for example, were unable to travel to India before to the event because of injury. To make matters worse, after playing in the first two games, usual captain Dasun Shanaka and the gifted Matheesha Pathirana were forced to withdraw due to injuries.
The former World Champions’ campaign began with three straight defeats. Sri Lanka defeated the Netherlands in their most recent match, giving them their first victory in the 10-team competition after a terrible start. The team of Kusal Mendis is now ranked eighth on the points table with two points after four games.
In the meantime, it was anticipated that England, the defending champions, would fare well in the competition. However, with just two points from four games, they are mired at No. 9 in the standings. They only had one victory, over Bangladesh.
For now, there is still hope for Sri Lanka and England.
There is extremely little space for error, but they can still try to go to the semifinals. Both teams have substitute players for injured players. Pathirana, who was hurt, has been replaced by veteran Angelo Mathews, while Reece Topley has been replaced by young Brydon Carse. Both of the new additions might start the next game.
A batter’s paradise has long existed at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Last week, Australia played Pakistan here, and 672 runs were made in 95.3 overs. Because of their inexperienced bowling lineup, Sri Lanka may struggle in the batting-friendly conditions. How Sri Lanka curbs the fearless but exposed English batting order will determine a lot of things. With the new ball, left-arm seamer Dilshan Madushanka, who has so far taken 11 wickets in four games, will be crucial. Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama have been in good form at the plate, which could boost their team’s morale.
England will be hoping for a better performance with the bat, and if players like Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes show up, they’ll seem like a whole different team.
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