We have an unstoppable England against an average Sri Lankan side in match number 29 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. The match is in Sharjah, and both teams will be eyeing to win this contest, but for different reasons. England is looking strong in this World Cup, and their performances speak for themselves. They are on top of the table of Group 1 and are just a win away from a confirmed semi-final spot. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, after a blistering start with four consecutive wins, including Round 1 matches, is now finding it difficult to win a match after two consecutive defeats against the West Indies and South Africa.
It will be a tough task for Sri Lanka to stop this superior English team in a must-win game to keep their hopes for the semi-final berth alive. Conditions in Sharjah will aid the Sri Lankan spinners, who will love to bowl on this slow pitch, and the English batters will look to target the shorter boundaries. It is a clash between the Sri Lankan spinners and the English batters. Let’s see who comes out on top.
Head-to-head in T20I
England has always had the upper hand over the Lankans from the beginning itself. England has won eight out of the 12 matches, whereas Sri Lanka has only managed to win four. In their last five encounters, which go back from 2016 to this year in June, England has managed to win all five. Sri Lankans have had no answers to this dominant performance by the English side in these recent years.
England looks at its best in this World Cup, while Sri Lanka has also shown promise and has looked like their best side since the retirement of Jayawardena and Sangakkara. It will be an exciting contest, and if Sri Lanka manages to upset this English side and gets back to winning ways, it will make the spot for the semi-finals an interesting one.
Key players
England
England has looked like a complete side in this edition of the T20 World Cup. One of the main reasons for that is their opening batter, Jos Buttler. The English wicket-keeper looked mind-blowing in their previous encounter vs Australia. Buttler has struck at a strike rate of 156.94 and has given blistering starts to this English team. His performances have been match-winning, and he has completely bossed the opening position alongside Jason Roy.
The other player to watch out for is the veteran leggie, Adil Rashid. Sri Lankans have suffered against leg-spin in recent years, striking at just 106 against them. To add to this, the last time these two sides met, Rashid picked up brilliant figures of 3/11. Rashid will love to bowl on the slow pitches of Sharjah to add to his tally of amazing performances in this edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Sri Lanka
This Sri Lankan side has looked promising in this edition of the World Cup. They have looked like the vintage Sri Lankan side and have surprised most of the other teams. The main credit for this goes to their bowling unit, especially their spinners. One of them is their prime leg-spinner and World number two in ICC Men’s T20 rankings for bowlers, Wanindu Hasaranga. Hasaranga has already taken a hat-trick in this edition against the quality batting unit of South Africa. He has picked up 11 wickets at an outstanding strike rate of 14. Hasaranga is one of the key bowlers in this match, and Sri Lanka’s hope will be on him to win them this game against England.
The other player to watch out for is the promising mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana. Theekshana has been the find of this tournament. His variations are hard to pick, and he has already picked up eight wickets in five matches. He has bowled at an average of 12.87 and an incredible economy rate of 6.05. Theekshana has to spin his way through this mighty batting unit of English to win the match for Sri Lanka.
Probable playing XI
England: The English team is on a winning streak, and they need not change their winning combination. England would go with the same team and confirm their semi-final berth with a win in this match. After this match, they might change a few players and give their pace bowlers some rest before the big stage. They have ticked all the boxes and have looked commanding in this tournament.
Sri Lanka: It’s been an up-and-down start for Sri Lanka in the Super 12s, but their batting line-up has kept them in it thanks to the explosive Asalanka and Nissanka’s big innings against South Africa. Avishka hasn’t looked at his best, but the middle-order batter has great potential and might get one more chance. The only change they might go with is replacing the pacer, Kumara, with the leggie Akila Dananjaya. Akila should do well on the dry pitch of Sharjah.