Sri Lanka vs England, 2018: 5 reasons why Sri Lanka can beat England

England are in the island nation of Sri Lanka where they will lock horns with a team in disarray in a 5 match ODI series starting from 10th October 2018 at Dambulla. England will be refreshed after their convincing performances against a strong Indian side at home. Their performance in the limited overs formats have been on the upswing in past 15-18 months.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have lost 30 out of their last 40 ODI matches. After their pathetic performances against Bangladesh and Afghanistan in the recently concluded Asia Cup, they sacked their captain Angelo Mathews.

Despite all the odds stacked in favour of the visiting English side, Sri Lanka in their home conditions pull off a shock by defeating England. Here’s looking at 5 reasons why Sri Lanka could beat England in the 5-match series:

Sri Lanka would look to capitalize on a fresh and fit Dinesh Chandimal

There have been far too much chopping and changing with regards to the captain’s position for Sri Lanka in recent times. The island nation has tried players like Angelo Matthews, Upul Tharanga, Suranga Lakmal and even Dinesh Chandimal with very little success to show.

After a dismal Asia Cup campaign where the team under Angelo Matthews were outclassed by Bangladesh and Afghanistan, the team management have decided to hand the reigns back to Dinesh Chandimal in a bid to gain some semblance of stability heading into the World Cup to be played next year.

Dinesh Chandimal comes into this ODI series fresh-physically and mentally. He has been in the news recently for his bad conduct leading to him being banned for few test matches. Post that an elbow injury ruled the batsman out of action in the past few months. He missed the Asia Cup as well so on a personal level he won’t have any mental blocks post that debacle.

It is this fresh and positive energy of his that Dinesh Chandimal should look to pass on to his team. As the captain, he must lead from the front by setting aggressive fields and making smart bowling changes that can affect England’s momentum.

And with their middle order in tatters, Sri Lanka could very well use the services of their captain who has scored 3433 runs in 126 ODIs at a decent average of 32.70. It’s the lack of consistency that has plagued the batsman’s growth. But returning to the national side post a slew of injuries should have probably made him understand how important and imperative it is for him to let his bat do the talking in the ODI series.

A team reeling from recent performances that have been shoddy and would look at a returning Dinesh Chandimal to provide them with the much-needed morale boost they require to challenge England.

The presence of Lasith Malinga would boost Sri Lanka

Lasith Malinga

Sri Lanka’s ace speedster Lasith Malinga made a comeback into the ODI squad after a prolonged stint away from the team owing to his performances and injuries. But putting all that aside from a leaner and fitter ‘Slinga’ Malinga made an impressive comeback in the recently concluded Asia Cup, 2018.

If Sri Lanka are to pose a threat and stop the England batsmen from getting away from them, then Dinesh Chandimal muse use Lasith Malinga smartly by bowling him in short spells. Not only can he be potent and at the start of the innings, but his ability to provide variety with regards to his unique action and the fact that he is among the best at the death stages would also definitely worry England.

The speedster may be ageing and that might result in reduced speeds now but still you can’t rule someone who has got 302 ODI wickets with a hat-trick in his career. With 15 ODI’s left for the World Cup 2019, Sri Lanka would most certainly hope that their most experienced player stays fit and can finish off a fabulous career on a high.

A complacent England can help Sri Lanka cause an upset

Sri Lanka

If one were to rule out Sri Lanka posing too much of a threat in their upcoming ODI series against England, they would be perfectly right. After all Sri Lanka have lost 30 of their last 40 ODI’s, didn’t give a fight against Bangladesh or Afghanistan in the Asia Cup, 2018. Nothing seems right in their ODI game.

This could make England a bit complacent as they may play with reduced intensity as they are up against an opposition completely out of form and confidence. This could propel the hosts to put up a spirited performance.

With not many people expecting Sri Lanka to compete against England, they can go all out and push England. With Dinesh Chandimal back as the captain and with the team boasting of some youngsters who would want to make the right noises, it’s a boon to be written off before the start of the series. That will help the players express themselves and take away the pressure of performance.

England would want to be at the best of their performance and not let complacency get to them and come in the way of them securing an ODI series win in Sri Lankan soil.

The spin trio led by the talented Akila Dananjaya could rattle the English batsmen

Akila Dananjaya

A big advantage of playing in the spin-friendly, slow pitches in Sri Lanka is that the spinners will define where the series is headed. Pitches even in ODI’s in Sri Lanka are spin-friendly apart from being flat belters. It’s the lack of ability and skill of the touring teams to play spin that leads to their downfall.

Similar would be the threat for England in this ODI series. Sri Lanka have variety in their spin department. They have the left arm chinamen Lakshman Sandakan, a left arm off-spinner in Amila Aponso and Akila Dananjaya who is the leader of the pack.

In hot and humid conditions which would be on offer when England play in Sri Lanka, these spinners can make things real hard for the visitors. Although players like Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler and Alex Hales have a good amount of IPL exposure which makes their battle against spin less hard, the challenge of tackling these spinners on their home turf would be daunting.

It is this battle- Sri Lanka’s spinners against England’s attacking batsmen which would define the outcome of this series. Can the Sri Lankan spinners deliver, or will the visitors dominate?

The return of Niroshan Dickwella, the batsmen and wicket-keeper are a big positive

Niroshan Dickwella

Among the finer talents coming from Sri Lanka in recent times would have to be the feisty left-handed opening batsman and wicket-keeper Niroshan Dickwella. The southpaw opens the batting for Sri Lanka and is usually very aggressive in his approach. Some people would be reminded of Sanath Jayasuriya in the way he attacks the bowling from the word go.

In his 41 match ODI career so far, he has scored 1232 runs at an average of 32.42. Lack of consistent performances meant the impressive batsman lost his spot in the Sri Lankan side.

Niroshan Dickwella has a wide range of shots. Along with the traditional cricketing shots, he is good at playing scoop and ramp shots. However, often, he has been found guilty of throwing away good starts, and that’s reflected in a rather inconsistent career so far. He needs to learn the art of building an innings and bat for longer periods of time.

Niroshan Dickwella has all the ingredients in him to develop into a fine wicket-keeper batsman. He just needs to work on the mental aspect of his game. The coaches and the support staff also need to work on him too.

Now that he’s back in the ODI side for the series against England, it’s very clear that he is in Sri Lanka’s plans for the World Cup in 2019. With 15 matches left before the World Cup, it’s the perfect opportunity for the wicketkeeper-batsman to string together some good performances and book his spot in the squad for the World Cup.