England vs Sri Lanka – 1st T20 International Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is England vs Sri Lanka taking place? Wednesday 23rd June, 2021 – 18:30 (UK)
Where is England vs Sri Lanka taking place? Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
What is the expected weather for England vs Sri Lanka? 16-18c in partly cloudy skies
What channel is England vs Sri Lanka on? The match will be televised live on Sky Sports Cricket
Where can I stream England vs Sri Lanka? The match can be streamed live via SkyGo
LAST MEETING
England beat Sri Lanka by 30 runs
THE TEAM NEWS
ENGLAND
- England return to the T20 scene for the first time since their dramatic series with India back in March and having failed to fallen to defeat during that five-game series, they will be eager to respond here as they host Sri Lanka over three matches.
- Having taken a 2-1 lead in India, England were left disappointed as they failed to get the job done in either of the final two games but in their bid to respond, they are still without injured duo Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer.
- Chris Woakes was something of a surprise call-up having returned to the fold following a six-year absence while there are also recalls for David Willey and Liam Dawson in what is a strong England squad with plenty of options with both bat and ball.
SRI LANKA
- Sri Lanka face a tough task as they come up against the world’s number one ranked T20 side on the back of an underwhelming one-day series in which they were defeated 2-1 by Bangladesh and they look set for further disappointment here.
- The Sri Lankans have struggled for a long period in the while ball arena and having named a 24-man travelling party, it looks as if they will rotate heavily during this series as they try to tie down some long-term options within their side.
- All players who were named for the Bangladesh tour have been retained with the exception of Ashen Bandara while there are also spots for the uncapped trio of Dhananjaya Lakshan, Ishan Jayaratne and Charith Asalanka.
THE PREDICTION
England will want to get back to winning ways after a somewhat
frustrating end to their last T20 series with India. They looked
well-set for a series win on Indian soil having taken a 2-1 lead but
they could not see it through and ultimately succumbed to defeat in the
final two matches. This however is a much different prospect for the
world’s number one ranked team as they face struggling Sri Lanka. You
have to go back to 2019 since the tourists last won a T20 series which
came against Pakistan but their white ball form since then has been
alarming and this could get ugly unless they produce some hugely
improved performances. With Jos Buttler stating he wants to open the
batting for England at the T20 World Cup, he will hope to prove he is
worthy of that spot and that sets up some inter-squad competition with
Jason Roy and in-form Jonny Bairstow. If that battle can lift their
level of performance, it can only be a good thing for England and with
the hosts likely to bat deep with a plethora of quality, they should
have little trouble in securing the win in this opening game.
