Who will win England vs Sri Lanka (1st ODI)?
Sri Lanka will host England in the first ODI at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla. The match is scheduled for October 10 and the live action begins at 14:30 local time.
Sri Lanka vs England (1st ODI): Where to watch/Live streaming
TV channels: Sony Six, SuperSport, OSN Sports, Willow TV, Sky Sports, PTV Sports, Ten Sports, Gazi TV
Live streaming: SonyLiv, Willow TV Online, OSN Play, Foxtel Sports, Now TV
Toss Prediction
Bowling first will allow England’s pacemen to get the most out of the wicket, while Sri Lanka – as they did in August against South Africa – will look to bat first, for their spinners to bowl second on the crumbling pitch.
Read on for team previews, betting tips, latest odds and match prediction for Sri Lanka vs England (1st ODI).
Sri Lanka Team News & Playing 11
SL Team News
Angelo Mathews has been dropped from the Sri Lanka squad as the hosts look to reverse their recent poor ODI form. The former captain is axed for fitness reasons, while also missing are Kusal Mendis, Suranga Lakmal, Shehan Jayasuriya and Dilruwan Perera. Nuwan Pradeep is fit again, however. Having been a late call-up to the Asia Cup squad, Niroshan Dickwella retains his place despite Dinesh Chandimal’s return.
SL Key Players
In a disappointing Asia Cup campaign, there were at least bowling positives for Sri Lanka as Lasith Malinga claimed five wickers and Thisara Perera six – including 5-55 against Afghanistan.
Perera now has 19 wickets in his last ten ODIs, while Akila Dananjaya – who took 6-29 against South Africa in August – has 18 in his last nine in total.
Runs have been in short supply, but Upul Tharanga has scored 268 in his last ten ODIs – making good starts, but failing to capitalise on them, in both Asia Cup matches. His strike rate is a litte low, however.
Kusal Perera scored two half-centuries against South Africa on the other hand, and has a much better strike rate.
SL Team Form
Sri Lanka lost both matches at the Asia Cup in the UAE – and by big margins too. They were dismissed for just 124 in a 137-run loss to Bangladesh and were then bowled out for 158 by Sri Lanka in a 91-run loss to Afghanistan.
It followed a 3-2 series defeat to South Africa at home, which flattered the hosts considering they lost the first three matches. They did sign off on a big high, however, as Akila Danajaya claimed 6-29 from nine overs as they bowled South Africa out for 121 in pursuit of 299/8 in the final game in Colombo.
Sri Lanka’s only other matches in 2018 were in a tri series with Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, which they won despite losing their opening matches against both teams.
Sri Lanka Predicted Playing 11
Niroshan Dickwella, Upul Tharanga, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Perera, Dasun Shanaka, Dinesh Chandimal, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Pradeep, Akila Dananjaya, Lasith Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera
England Team News & Playing 11
ENG Team News
Liam Plunkett is unavailable for the first three games in the series due to his wedding, while David Willey is out with a back injury. Olly Stone has been called up for the first time in their place, while the Curran brothers are England’s other options – though neither played in the first warm-up match. Jason Roy and Alex Hales are competing for the opening batting spot alongside Jonny Bairstow – Roy got the nod for the warm-up game.
ENG Key Players
Joe Root and Eoin Morgan proved their form in the first warm-up match, as both hit unbeaten 90s to lead England to an eight-wicket win against the Sri Lanka Board XI. Root his back-to-back unbeaten centuries in his previous two ODIs as England came from behind India 2-1 in July’s ODI series, while Morgan was 88 not out in the deciding game.
England’s batsmen have been in stunning form, and the fact Alex Hales – despite his big-hitting brilliance against Australia earlier this year – is not guaranteed a starting place is testament to that. Jonny Bairstow has hit 615 runs in his last ten ODI innings – at a strike rate of 145.39 – while Jason Roy averages 52 in his last eight games, during which he has scored 416 runs.
With the ball, England’s spin duo will be key. Moeen Ali took three wickets in the warm-up game and has 15 in his last ten ODIs. Adil Rashid has been the main man, however, earning a test recall on the back of 23 wickets in his last ten ODIs.
ENG Team Form
England have won their last eight bilateral ODI series, including whitewashing Australia on the back of some record-breaking batting before coming from behind to beat India 2-1 most recently, with Joe Root hitting back-to-back unbeaten centuries to lead England to victory.
They did lose a one-off match against Scotland in between, but that has been a rare blip in a stunning run of form, which included their record-breaking 481/6 in a 242-run defeat of Australia at Trent Bridge in June.
Against India, they lost by eight wickets at Trent Bridge but bounced back thanks to Root’s batting. He scored 113* in a total of 322/7 before Liam Plunkett claimed 4-46 to dismiss India for 236, while in the decider, Adil Rashid and David Willey claimed three wickets apiece before an unbroken 186-run partnership between Root (100*) and Morgan (88*) led England to an eight-wicket win.
England Predicted Playing 11
Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
Oct 10, 2018
14:30 IST / 9:00 GMT
Rangiri Dambulla Stadium - Dambulla, Sri Lanka
Sl vs Eng 
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