Sri Lanka vs England 2018: 5 players battles to watch out for 

The last time England travelled to Sri Lanka things were very different. Alastair Cook was still England’s ODI skipper and that series proved to be his last in limited-overs cricket. That series was also the last time Sri Lanka beat a higher ranked ODI side in a bilateral ODI series.

A lot has changed since then. England have become a dominating limited-overs side and enter the series as the No. 1 ODI team. While Sri Lanka have been dealing with quite a few issues, none bigger than their white-ball form. They have won just 10 out of their last 41 ODIs and they recently crashed out of the Asia Cup after losing to Afghanistan and Bangladesh in the group stage.

However, England will face a tough challenge as spin is expected to dominate the series. They have struggled against spin in the past and Kuldeep Yadav exposed that weakness further earlier in July this year.

Hence, in what is expected to be a fascinating series, let’s take a quick look at the top five player battles to watch out for in the upcoming 5-match ODI series.

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#5 Chris Woakes vs Niroshan Dickwella

Niroshan Dickwella is one Sri Lankan batsman who has constantly got starts in ODI cricket this year. However, he has failed to kick on and get a big score.

On the other hand, Chris Woakes has been one of England’s most consistent bowlers in white-ball cricket over the last couple of years. He has taken 15 wickets in 9 ODIs this year and has performed with the bat as well.

Woakes vs Dickwella will be one of the contests to watch out for. Dickwella loves going after the bowlers for the word go and Woakes has a nice habit of picking up early wickets. Also, in 2018, barring one, all of Dickwella’s dismissals have been against the quicker men. Hence, Woakes along with his opening new-ball partner Mark Wood will look to provide early breakthroughs while Sri Lanka will want the wicket-keeper batsman to convert his starts.

#4 Akila Dananjaya vs Joe Root

Akila Dananjaya has been in superb form over the last one year. It all started when he took a six-fer against India and ran through the line-up. He has troubled quite a few batsmen and has been Sri Lanka’s go-to bowler in crunch situations.

Joe Root is an excellent player of spin and he played the wrist-spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal superbly in the 3-match ODI series in July against India (when he scored back-to-back hundreds). He has the ability to go through different gears in different circumstances.

Thus, he with Akila Dananjaya will be a riveting one. The mystery spinner seems to be on the top of his game and Root is one of the best players of spin in this England line-up. Also, Root has a very good record against the Lankans (825 runs at 58.92) and he will be eager to continue his good run.

#3 Adil Rashid vs Dinesh Chandimal

Dinesh Chandimal has been in and out of the ODI side in the recent past. First, it was the ban that prevented him from playing in the series against South Africa before a fractured finger ruled him out of the Asia Cup. Chandimal has played just 5 ODIs in 2018 and has been impressive scoring 145 runs in 4 innings.

Adil Rashid is England’s highest wicket-taker in ODI cricket this year (36 wickets in 19 ODIs). He has been one of the keys to England’s white-ball success. Thus, England will be relying on Rashid to give them breakthroughs in the middle-order.

Hence, in the absence of Angelo Mathews, Chandimal will be the fulcrum of Sri Lanka’s batting line-up and for England, the onus will be on Rashid to provide them breakthroughs.

#2 Thisara Perera vs Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler and Thisara Perera are undoubtedly finishers for their respective sides. But the battle between the two will be an intriguing one. Thisara Perera is Sri Lanka’s highest wicket-taker in ODI cricket this year (24 wickets in 11 innings) while Jos Buttler has been in sensational form.

Perera has more often than not bowled well at the death and has found little support from the other end. He might be a touch expensive but he picks up wickets regularly. In fact, he has a strike-rate of 19.8 this year.

Buttler, on the other hand, has been finishing games single-handedly. He is in sublime form and is probably one of the best finishers in white-ball cricket at the moment.

Hence, the battle, Perera vs Buttler at the death could well be one of the subplots of the series.

#1 Lasith Malinga vs Jonny Bairstow

Lasith Malinga has come roaring back and has shown he still has some fire. In the Asia Cup, Malinga looked Sri Lanka’s best bowler and returned with 5 wickets in 2 games. He was lethal at the top with the new ball and looked good even at the death.

Meanwhile, Jonny Bairstow has bludgeoned multiple attacks at the top of the order. He has a strike-rate of 121.09 and is England’s leading run-scorer in ODI cricket this year.

Thus, Bairstow’s battle with Malinga at the top (with the new ball) may well decide the course of the series. Malinga will want to nip the England opener out early while Bairstow would want to continue his excellent white-ball form.