When Denesh Ramdin‘s cut shot off Kagiso Rabada helped West Indies beat South Africa in Nagpur, the England camp who were in their hotel rooms in faraway Delhi must have breathed a sigh of relief.
South Africa’s 3-wicket loss meant that if England defeat Sri Lanka, they would join the West Indies in the semifinals from Group 1. Hence, Eoin Morgan’s side have an excellent opportunity to showcase their burgeoning limited-overs credentials.
On the other hand, defending champions Sri Lanka are in a must-win situation in order to harbor any hopes of reaching the final four. However, they must confront their batting woes if they are to enliven the drama.
England overcame a middle-order crisis to edge past the spirited Afghans which could present an opportunity for the Lankan spinners to cause some damage. Skipper Angelo Mathews will yet again rely on senior pros such as Tillakaratne Dilshan and Rangana Herath to improve their chances.
England vs Sri Lanka 2016 LIVE Streaming Details
TV Channel: Star Sports 1, HD1 (English) and 3, HD3 (Hindi)
Online Stream: www.starsports.com, Hotstar App
Date: 26 March 2016, Saturday
Time: 19.30 IST, 14.00 GMT
Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Team News
England
Alex Hales seems to have recovered sufficiently from a niggle if practice sessions are anything to go by. Even if he is fit, it will not be a straight-forward decision for him to step in as James Vince showed encouraging signs against Afghanistan.
The bowling attack should not be tinkered with given the fact that Liam Plunkett‘s bustling pace was complemented well by the others.
Sri Lanka
Initially drafted in only as a replacement for the injured Lasith Malinga, rookie leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay grabbed everyone’s attention with a sterling spell against the West Indies in Bangalore.
He is likely to be joined by Herath and Sachithra Senanayake as Sri Lanka could hedge all their bets on spin. The presence of quite a few all-rounders adds depth to the lower-order.
Teams (Predicted XI)
England
Jason Roy, Alex Hales/James Vince, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (C), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (WK), Moeen Ali, David Willey, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett
Sri Lanka
Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dinesh Chandimal (WK), Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews (C), Chamara Kapugedara, Milinda Siriwardana, Thisara Perera, Sachitra Senanayake, Rangana Herath, Nuwan Kulasekara/Dushmantha Chameera, Jeffrey Vandersay
Recent Form
England: W-W-L-L-L
Sri Lanka: L-W-L-L-L
Key Stats
- Sri Lanka will draw comfort from their 4-2 Win-Loss record against England in T20Is.
- However, England have won 2 out of the 3 T20Is that they played against Sri Lanka in the ICC World T20.
- Tillakaratne Dilshan is the most experienced player for Sri Lanka in T20Is with 76 caps.
- Eoin Morgan remains the highest run-scorer for England in T20Is.
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