England vs Sri Lanka, Headingley, Second ODI: Preview

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Dan in 40/50-over

In a sentence

After an emphatic and arguably unexpected victory on Tuesday at The Oval,  England will look to take a firm grip on this series with another commanding performance.

The home team:

Expected to be unchanged with no injury concerns reported.

The away team:

Sanath Jayasuriya has done a Sinatra and retired again, so a change will be required at the top of the order.   However it is his bowling which will be most missed, so it’s conceivable that Mahela Jayawardene will move up to open the batting with skipper Tikkeratne Dilshan,  and Thisara Perera will be brought into the side.

Weather forecast:

For once this summer, promising.  There may be some light showers in the late afternoon but Messrs Duckworth and Lewis shouldn’t be having to get their calculators out today.

Key player: England

Eoin Morgan.  Looks in fine touch and as England’s premier ODI batsman (the less spotlight we put on Jonathan Trott the better, as otherwise we end up with people moaning about his perfectly acceptable strikerate) will be hoping to continue his eye-catching form.

Key player: Sri Lanka

Lasith Malinga.  If he can rip out England’s top order then Sri Lanka would have a real chance of squaring the series; outwith him, the attack looks as anodyne as that which toiled through the truncated Test series.