England vs Sri Lanka, Lord’s, Third ODI: Preview

Posted on July 3, 2011 by James Knight in 40/50-over

In a sentence:

England must bounce back, but after two one-sided encounters the series could do with a close contest.

The home team:

Probably unchanged, but there are a few (terrifying) rumours England might turn to Samit Patel again. If there are to be any alterations, Jade Dernbach may be the man to miss out, despite Stuart Broad’s poor form.

The away team:

Sri Lanka will almost certainly go with the same XI which crushed England in Leeds. The only real question mark is over the position of Thilina Kandamby, who found himself relegated below both Nuwan Kulasekara and Jeevan Mendis in mid-week. Given that he rarely bowls and isn’t much of an athlete in the field, he appears to bring little to the side.

Weather forecast:

The weather looks set fair. We should get another uninterrupted game.

The key battle:

England’s top order against the Sri Lankan spinners. Eoin Morgan said this week that England must learn from their mistakes and not allow themselves to get bogged down by Sri Lanka’s slower bowlers. At Headingley the two front line twirlers, Mendis and Suraj Randiv, took five wickets between them – including three of the top six – while also keeping the run rate well below what was required. This is not a new problem, and although Morgan’s criticism may have a hint of ‘brilliant me’ about it, he does have a point. If England can dominate the spinners as they did at the Oval, they will give themselves a fighting chance.