Sri Lanka put in a much-improved performance in the second ODI of the series against England but were unable to prevent their hosts from claiming the three-match series with a game to spare.
England and Sri Lanka will now be afforded the opportunity to experiment with different combinations.
England vs Sri Lanka | 4 July | Bristol County Ground, Bristol | 12:00
To Win Match
England 1/14
Tie 25/1
Sri Lanka 15/2
England
Unsurprisingly England have been dominant in the series so far, and have yet to really find themselves under pressure against a Sri Lanka side who are well off the pace.
As the only uncapped player in the squad, left-arm quick George Garton has a shot at making his debut, while England could also hand a match to in-form batsman Tom Banton.
In the second match, their chase was masterfully administered by the cool heads of Joe Root and Eoin Morgan, demonstrating the value of experience.
Sam Curran had done the business up front and Sri Lanka’s weakness against left-arm pace might be exploited again in the final match with David Willey also finding a good rhythm.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s failure to build partnerships has hamstrung their efforts in the series to date as they posted two sub-par totals for England to chase down.
There have been some positives, with Dhananjaya de Silva proving he came get a shimmy on even when batting with the tail. Not to lean on cliche’s but the tourists must find a way to bat in pairs and stop the procession.
Spinner Wanindu Hasaranga shows great promise but cannot be expected to work miracles for this team which lacks outright pace in their ranks. He has been exposed by aggressive batting on occasion but that can be put down to a lack of adequate support.
Having brought a large touring party, Sri Lanka have several options to change things up but are unlikely to gain the upper hand.
Verdict: England 1/14
England should sweep the series. Find a bit more value by backing England to hit more sixes at 33/100.
