If an injured player’s XI is to be made across the World Cup teams, England and Sri Lanka would have the most members. It’s the battle of the 8th and 9th-ranked teams. Both teams have struggled to find the perfect team combination till now, making changes in bulk.
Despite winning against the Dutch, Sri Lanka didn’t look dominating, they should have finished the game in the 46th over but they delayed it till the 49th over. They also failed to clear the tail of Holland; Sri Lanka’s spinners have looked the worst in this World Cup alongside Pakistan’s spinners. Maheesh Theekshana, their main weapon has taken only 2 wickets.
Jos Buttler before the World Cup said “We aren’t defending anything”, but till now it looks like they are neither chasing nor defending anything. England has been a flop among the big boys. Leaving the match against Bangladesh, England was dominated by opponents in other matches.
Team Preview
Sri Lanka
Dilshan Madushanka has been phenomenal with the new ball but was looking lonely till the match against Netherlands, but in the encounter against Netherlands, he got the assistance of Kusan Rajitha who took 3 wickets in the powerplay. Spin bowling is still an issue for the Lankan Lions.
Sadeera Samarawickrama in 2023 has been phenomenal. He plays perfect ODI innings starting slow and eventually accelerating after getting set. Pathum Nissanka has scored 3 consecutive half-centuries, but he should make them count big considering their slippery middle and lower middle order. The top 4 Lankans need to go big to challenge England on short Chinnaswamy boundaries.
England
England is also suffering injury woes; Reece Topley has been ruled out of the World Cup and Brydon Carse named his replacement. Caring about the vulnerable bowling lineup, the batting was shortened with David Willey coming at 7. England still needs to figure out their best possible unit.
Adil Rashid needs support from other spinners but Livingstone or Root isn’t that much threatening, England needs to look back to their vice-captain Moeen Ali. Jos Buttler’s form is also very concerning.
Probable Playing XI
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (c) (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya De Silva, Dunith Wellalage, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Kusan Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka.
Hemantha looked ordinary with bowl, Wellalage may replace him. Uncertainty on Maheesh Theekshana who got injured while trying a catch and bowled against Netherlands.
England: Dawid Malan, Johnny Bairstow, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c) (wk), Brydon Carse, David Willey, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid, Gus Atkinson.
Either of Woakes, Moeen or Brydon Carse can play considering the needs of the team.
Pitch Report
Bengaluru pitch has always been a batting paradise for ages, and it didn’t disappoint that trend in its first World Cup game. It’s going to be a graveyard for bowlers of both teams considering their shaky bowling lineups and short boundaries. Even a score between 380-400 runs isn’t safe on this ground.
The team that does exceptionally well with the bat will come out as winners.
Players To Watch Out For
Dilshan Madushanka
Came in the World Cup with the reputation of getting Virat Kohli cleaned bowled on a duck, Dilshan Madushanka has been a lotus shinning in the mud for the Lankan bowling lineup. He has handled the new ball brilliantly removing the top order of teams. Till now he has taken 11 wickets with an average of 21.18. Madushanka needs support from the other end, his efforts have been messed up by other bowlers. On his given day, Madushanka can win any match but he needs assistance from other bowlers.
Johnny Bairstow
Johnny Bairstow still hasn’t arrived at the World Cup, he has only 1 fifty out of 4 matches he played. Bengaluru pitch and short boundaries will help him attack from the start and do what Johnny Bairstow can do. He needs to play spin carefully as his spin game has gone downhill in the recent past. England are still in search of their vintage intent, which Bairstow needs to provide from the start.
Jos Buttler
Same as the case of Johnny Bairstow, Jos Buttler till now hasn’t arrived at the biggest stage. Buttler has managed to score just 87 in 4 innings, he played which is very low for a player of Buttler’s potential. The captain needs to step up for his team and lead from the front before it’s too needed for England. For a batter struggling with form, there’s no other better ground than Chinnaswamy to get his form back. Buttler would also be looking to do so.
ENG vs SL Dream11 Team for Match 25 of 2023 WC
Note: This is not our final Dream11 Team as we are not aware of the Toss Result/Final Playing XI of both teams at this moment.
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