Sri Lanka vs England: Preview and Prediction

Matches are coming hither and thither in the 2023 World Cup and game 25 of the coveted event will see Sri Lanka square off against England on Thursday at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
Both teams- England and Sri Lanka have the same number of points but there’s a healthy difference in the net run rate. They have quite a lot of things in common. Both teams are batting heavy and their weak leaks are the bowlers. They have conceded way too many runs in varied assignments which has led to the downfall of the unit.
Sri Lanka had to scratch hard after facing three defeats to see the winning account get some number. Currently, they are positioned in ninth place with a couple of points from four matches. The cricketers of the Island nation are coming off fresh after an all-round display against the Netherlands. The last time when they defeated the Dutch was a few months back in June in the World Cup Qualifier Final.
Their regular skipper Dasun Shanaka was ruled out and Chamika Karunaratne has been added to the squad and playing XI. The management also roped in Angelo Mathews and Dushmantha Chameera as travelling reserves as Matheesha Pathurana and the usual skipper got injured.
Meanwhile, England’s approach to playing an aggressive game of cricket is getting counter-attacked several times. They were humiliated by New Zealand in the curtain raiser and were also on the wrong side of an upset when Afghanistan thrashed them. They also suffered a humongous loss against Proteas. Despite the arrival of Ben Stokes, they failed to go past the finishing line against South Africa.
England has failed to gel as a unit thus far in the competition. More importantly, it is their bowling that has let them down in more circumstances. Also, their batters haven’t looked at their best during the blockbuster event. There have been individual performances from Joe Root, Harry Brook, and Dawid Malan but consistency is something that has been lacking.
What have they done so far?
Sri Lanka initiated their campaign with a hat-trick of losses. They were belted for 428 runs in their first game by South Africa. Unfortunately, the Dasun Shanaka-led unit was on the wrong end of a historic feat. The team was trounced by Pakistan and Australia in consecutive games.
Despite scoring 344 runs in the first innings against Pakistan, the Lankan bowlers let the team down and fell prey to a masterclass from Mohammad Rizwan. Right after, they were drubbed by the Australian unit. However, after suffering three heavy defeats, Sri Lanka bounced back with a win over the Netherlands.
On the flip side, England have blown hot and cold so far in the tournament. They kicked off their campaign in a poor fashion after twin tons from the Wellington Firebird duo of Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway led the chase of 283 runs with ease.
However, the Jos Buttler-led unit bounced back in style after enforcing a thumping defeat to Bangladesh. But things didn’t turn out as expected in the next matches. The Afghanistan team earned their first-ever victory against England in a World Cup. It was followed up by a humiliating loss against South Africa by a margin of 222 runs.
Head to Head Record
England and Sri Lanka have indulged in fierce battles over the past in the ODI format. Out of 78 games, England leads the tally by 38 triumphs whereas Sri Lanka is just two wins short of its counterparts. One of the games was a tie whereas three of them had no result.
Key Players

Kusal Mendis has scored a century against Pakistan in the WC 2023
Kusal Mendis (Sri Lanka): The interim captain of Sri Lanka lit the mega-event ablaze with centuries and half-centuries overflowing off his bat. Mendis was dismissed twice in the nervous nineties during the recently concluded Asia Cup. But when it came to the World Cup, the wicketkeeper-batter converted it into a ton against Pakistan.
Mendis notched up a scintillating 158 during the warm-up fixture against Afghanistan, scored a marvellous 122 off 77 balls against Pakistan and also blasted 76 off 42 deliveries against South Africa. He has piled up 218 runs in four innings and is definitely one of the mainstays in the middle order.
Joe Root (England): England’s middle order heavily relies on Joe Root’s grafting role. Root is one of the best in the business afriss formats and he showed it by shutting the critics with two half-centuries at the start of the bonanza event.
Despite a couple of low scores, Root is the second-highest run-scorer for the Three Lions in the World Cup 2023. He has etched 172 runs in four innings as he romped 77 runs off 86 balls and 82 runs off 68 balls against New Zealand and Bangladesh respectively.
Predicted XIs
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis © (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushan Hemantha, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka
England: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler © (wk), Sam Curran, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson
Prediction
On a surface where runs are expected to be liked up, one may expect the chasing team as the favorites.
Though England does look like the favorites to win this encounter, one cannot underestimate Sri Lanka after making it to the final of Asia Cup 2023.