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Match Facts
March 27 2014
Start Time 1930 (local)
Big Picture
Not many would have expected this kind of performance from Sri Lanka. They responded to the pressure situation against South Africa and it was a clinical performance against Netherlands. With the win against the Dutch, Sri Lanka have virtually qualified for the knock-out stage of the tournament. They also have a superior net run-rate which could result in the favour. Even if Sri Lanka lose a game, they will make it to the knock-out stage of the tournament.
They clicked in all the departments of the game. The middle order also responded to the situation well against South Africa. The bowlers also handled the adverse situations brilliantly against the Proteas. So far the opposition team never forced Sri Lanka’s new captain Dinesh Chandimal to think out of the box. His captaincy has not asked questions and that’s where Sri Lanka’s drawback lies. If England can exploit this weakness, they could end their horror-streak in the T20s.
Why his captaincy has not asked questions is because of quality spinners in Sri Lanka’s squad. They also have quality bowlers who can take pace off the ball constantly which is required in sub-continent. Angelo Mathews did that against South Africa, and Malinga bowled some good slow deliveries in slog overs. Therefore the bowling has been on top of things. What happens if Malinga goes for plenty of runs and the spinners become ineffective? What would be the response from Chandimal? Will he be able to think out of the box? So, Chandimal will face a stern test as captain when he faces quality opponents.
England, on the other hand, have been completely out of sorts. Nothing went right for them since the terrible series in down under. Lost the Ashes 0-5, and it was followed by 1-4 loss in the one-day series. They also failed to win even a single Twenty20 match in Australia.
Apart from the performances, they had injury problems during their tour of West Indies. Stuart Broad sat out for the last T20s, and Eoin Morgan had some issues with his thumb. Joe Root was also ruled out of this tournament due to injury. With limited resources, Broad found it difficult to achieve the task in the first match against New Zealand.
Despite having two quality openers – Michael Lumb and Alex Hales – England found it difficult against New Zealand. Lumb had a wonderful Big Bash League and Hales is top ranked T20 batsmen. They perhaps didn’t fancy the slowness of the wicket. But the positive thing was the middle order offered resistance in the middle and kept the scoreboard ticking. However, the final total was not sufficient for England.
England must know that they have only few quality batsmen who are capable of clearing the fence. They also have an ideal No.7 batsman in the form of Jos Butler who can change the course of the match within few overs. And they don’t have a strong attack that can rattle the opponents’ batting line-up. Therefore England must have sufficient score on the board to defend. In Contrast, they should also not let the opponents to build a huge total.
Pitch and Conditions
The spinners haven’t found any assistance from the surface. The pitch has been under cover for 48 hours. There is possibility of rain and once again D/L method will decide the result.
Team News
Sri Lanka are likely to stick with winning combination. Though Kusal Perera suffered a thumb blow, he’s expected to be fit for the match.
Ian Bell has been suffering from stomach upset and hence Chris Woakes is likely to get a chance.
Players to watch
Ajantha Mendis has been the mystery spinner for Sri Lanka. He has an excellent T20 record, and he proved it against Netherlands. He has the ability to spin the ball and England aren’t fine players of spinners. He can also bring in a lot of variations. Therefore he will certainly pose problems to Moeen Ali.
Moeen Ali has impressed Broad with his performance in the first match against New Zealand. His role is clear – to attack the opponents. He can be a threatening batsman and can change the course of the match within few overs. Since England have few batsmen who can attack the opponents Moeen Ali will be holding the key.
Quotes
“Winning against Sri Lanka would be a big thing for us, a big confidence boost and that’s how we’re looking at it,” Bopara talks about the importance of the game against Sri Lanka.
“In the second game we showed what our standard was. We know if we win one of our last two games we can make it to the semi-finals but we are looking forward to winning both,” Chandimal looks to maintain the winning streak.
