England vs Sri Lanka, ICC WC 2023, Today Match Prediction 26 October 2023

ENG vs SL Match Prediction & Analysis

England are having a nightmare of a World Cup. They kicked off the tournament with a loss against New Zealand. It seemed like they’d found their rhythm when they bounced back with a win against Bangladesh in the very next game.

However, both Afghanistan and South Africa outplayed the defending champions in their next two consecutive matches. Sri Lanka found their first win of the tournament in their last game against the Netherlands.

Sri Lankan skipper will be happy with the comeback from his batters who were humbled by the Aussie bowling attack in the previous match at the same venue.

Opener Pathum Nissanka has scored 3 consecutive fifties and will be a key batsman for Sri Lanka in the top order. Another positive for Sri Lanka is the comeback from the bowlers. After being very expensive in their first two matches, the bowlers found their rhythm against Australia and Netherlands. 

However, their clash against England will be in Bengaluru which is a batting paradise and the bowlers on both sides will need to work a lot harder to stay ahead in the contest.

RECENT PERFORMANCE

ENG

L L W L W

ENG

170/9 in 22.0 7.73

ICC WC 2023

South Africa beat England by 229 runs 21 Oct 2023

RSA

399/7 in 50.0 7.98

ENG

215/10 in 40.3 5.31

ICC WC 2023

Afghanistan beat England by 69 runs 15 Oct 2023

AFG

284/10 in 49.5 5.7

ENG

364/9 in 50.0 7.28

ICC WC 2023

England beat Bangladesh by 137 runs 10 Oct 2023

BAN

227/10 in 48.2 4.7

ENG

282/9 in 50.0 5.64

ICC WC 2023

New Zealand beat England by 9 wickets 05 Oct 2023

NZ

283/1 in 36.2 7.79

ENG

197/6 in 24.1 8.15

ICCWCWARMUP

England beat Bangladesh by 4 wickets (D/L) method 02 Oct 2023

BAN

188/9 in 37.0 5.08

SL

W L L L L

NED

262/10 in 49.4 5.27

ICC WC 2023

Sri Lanka beat Netherlands by 5 wickets 21 Oct 2023

SL

263/5 in 48.2 5.44

AUS

215/5 in 35.2 6.09

ICC WC 2023

Australia beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets 16 Oct 2023

SL

209/10 in 43.3 4.8

PAK

345/4 in 48.2 7.14

ICC WC 2023

Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 6 wickets 10 Oct 2023

SL

344/9 in 50.0 6.88

RSA

428/5 in 50.0 8.56

ICC WC 2023

South Africa beat Sri Lanka by 102 runs 07 Oct 2023

SL

326/10 in 44.5 7.27

AFG

261/2 in 38.1 6.84

ICCWCWARMUP

Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka by 6 wickets

03 Oct 2023

SL

294/10 in 46.2 6.35

HEAD TO HEAD

TEAMS PREVIEW

England Preview

If England win all of the remaining matches, they will finish with 12 points which may not be exactly enough to get through to the semi-finals. They are on a very difficult path now with some tough competition ahead in the tournament even if they beat Sri Lanka.

After this game, they will go to Lucknow to play the hosts India who are on a whole different level altogether. To get back in this tournament, England will need their key players to find consistency.

Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan will be crucial as openers followed by the experienced Joe Root at number 3. These 3 need to set the stage for a big score on a batting-friendly track and smaller boundaries at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Ben Stokes and Harry Brook who failed to get going in the last game will also be eager to go after the Sri Lankan bowlers and make a big impact in the middle-order.

Chris Woakes and Sam Curran failed miserably against Afghanistan and were quickly replaced in the next match. At least one of these two should be back in the side to add depth to the lineup.

Bowling has also been an issue with no reliable wicket-taker who would consistently deliver breakthroughs. Adil Rashid, Reece Topley, and Mark Wood will be the key bowlers to watch out for.

England Predicted Playing XI:

Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c & wk), David Willey, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley

England Actual Playing XI:

Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

Sri Lanka Preview

It has been quite a ride for Sri Lanka so far with many ups and downs. It started off with a high-scoring match where they conceded 400+ runs but in the subsequent matches managed to pull things back with the ball.

Losing to Pakistan in Hyderabad must have been a huge disappointment for skipper Dasun Shanaka. Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samawickrama scored a hundred each in the middle-order to take Sri Lanka to 344 runs while batting first.

And yet, Sri Lanka lost the match by 6 wickets. Dilshan Madhushanka, the left-arm fast-medium bowler has clearly been the pick of the bowlers. Though he has just 10 ODIs to his name, he’s been right on the target in recent outings.

Sri Lanka brought in Kasun Rajitha in the last match and he delivered a four-fer along with Madhushanka. Maheesha Theekshana will be the key spin bowler for Sri Lanka and though they’ve got Dhananjay de Silva in the side, he hasn’t found much success.

Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera will be keen on getting off to a good start on this ground. There is enough firepower in this top order with Kusal Mendis at number 3.

Mendis will need to build a partnership if Sri Lanka lose an early wicket. While there are the likes of Samarawickrama and Charith Asalanka at 4 and 5, the role of number 3 batters is of utmost importance in ODI cricket.

Sri Lanka Predicted Playing XI:

Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (c & wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dushan Hemantha, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka

Sri Lanka Actual Playing XI:

Maheesh Theekshana, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Lahiru Kumara, Dilshan Madushanka, Kasun Rajitha, Angelo Mathews

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch is a batting paradise where Australia scored 367 runs in the last ODI played at this venue. Spinners can also find some help off the surface but will find no room for error given the smaller dimensions of the ground. The weather will be mostly sunny with a high of 31 degrees Celsius in Bengaluru.

ENG vs SL Pitch Report

M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru will be the venue for the England vs. Sri Lanka clash. The average 1st innings score in ODIs at this venue is 235 runs but considering the recent match here, we reckon a 330+ runs 1st innings total will be competitive though not totally safe. 

Toss: To Bowl

Teams bowling first have won 20 of 39 ODI matches at this venue. It is a high-scoring ground where the chasing team has always had the upper hand. Both teams have some promising batters and at the same time, their bowling is in big trouble. It would make complete sense to bowl first rather than defend a score.