Sri Lanka eyes to disrupt England s semi-final qualification celeberation in today game
England have won their last seven T20Is against Sri Lanka, but they will be wary of the threat of Theekshana and Hasaranga on a worn pitch
November 5, 2022 10:47 AM
Sri Lanka have no hope of making the semi-finals, the Lankan tigers will play against England in ICC T20 World Cup match.
New Zealand are already on seven points following their win against Ireland. Australia have now matched that tally. What Sri Lanka can do, however, is ruin England's chances of progressing to the knockouts. This is must-win for England, thanks partly to washouts, but also to their having lost to Ireland earlier in the tournament.
England hope to make better SCG World Cup memories, but Sri Lanka won't make it easy for them
The good news for them is that bad weather is not forecast for Sydney on Saturday (another washout would rule them out). The better news is that their net run rate is well clear of Australia's, so all they need to do is win, by any margin. The even better news is that Sri Lanka have not beaten England since 2014. None of the likely Sri Lanka players have any memory of defeating England in a T20I. England have won their last seven encounters, spread over four countries.
That England have firepower right through their batting order is well-known, but in this tournament, they've also showcased some excellent bowling variety. Despite having played only three matches because of the rain, Sam Curran has nine wickets, with an economy rate of 6.28. Mark Wood, the fastest bowler of this World Cup so far, has six wickets. Ben Stokes has four with an economy rate of 5.04.
Although the bad losses to Australia and New Zealand put major dents in Sri Lanka's World Cup campaign, a victory against England to finish will have them heading home upbeat. This is still a young team, and though they perhaps didn't quite live up to their dark-horse billing, they will have salvaged something out of a rough tournament, in which they lost their best quicks very early, and have been pinballed around Australia more than most other teams.
A loss leaves a different flavour; they'd have defeated only teams they were expected to beat (Netherlands, UAE, Ireland, Afghanistan). And that's all after they lost to Namibia.
Pitch and conditions
There is only an outside chance of rain. The surface will be worn - two matches having been played on it already. This should suit the spinners, of whom Sri Lanka have a superior contingent. England's quicks know how to take the pace off the ball too, though.