Ranked at 8th and 9th places, Sri Lanka and England, respectively, are gearing up to face each other with the intent of strengthening their campaigns in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023. Both teams find themselves in a must-win situation as they go head to head in the 25th match of the 2023 World Cup on Thursday, October 26, at 2:30 pm Bangladesh time. This crucial showdown will take place at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium at Bengaluru in India.

England vs. Sri Lanka ODI in ICC Men’s World Cup 2023: Match Preview

England Team’s Performance in the World Cup So Far

The England team is facing significant challenges. Having managed to secure just one victory out of their four matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 group stage, the defending champions are on the edge of a potentially embarrassing elimination. This disappointing turn of events has left fans disheartened. England, however, is not alone in their struggles. Just slightly ahead of them in the standings due to a better net run rate, Sri Lanka is sharing the bottom spot with England.

The 2023 tournament began on a sour note for England as they suffered a defeat against New Zealand. They appeared to regain their footing by defeating Bangladesh in the next match. Nevertheless, a surprising loss to Afghanistan halted England's resurgence, and a significant defeat at the hands of South Africa landed them in the ninth position in the league standings.

Jos Buttler's team suffered their most substantial ODI loss ever against South Africa, effectively signaling the demise of England's weak defense of their World Cup title at the Wankhede Stadium. The Proteas exhibited ruthless efficiency against an underwhelming England bowling unit, scoring 399 runs on the scoreboard in their allotted 50 overs, with Heinrich Klaasen demonstrating a brilliant display of aggressive batting. In reply, Buttler and his team struggled, and it was only a partnership between Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson that prevented England from facing complete humiliation.

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Performance of the Sri Lanka Team in the World Cup So Far

On the other hand, Sri Lanka commenced their campaign with three high-scoring matches, although they concluded with losses to South Africa, Pakistan, and Australia. A crucial win against the Netherlands injected some momentum into the Sri Lankan challenge. However, Sri Lanka's batting has generally been sharp, with scores exceeding 300 in two matches against South Africa and Pakistan and a successful chase of 253. However, their bowling has been somewhat inconsistent, particularly when facing stronger opponents. This is an area that England will likely aim to capitalize on, while the Lankans aim to capitalize on the confidence they gained from a win over the Netherlands.

When it comes to their team selection, England has already utilized all 15 players they brought along, leaving them with limited options. However, there is a remaining hope that Brydon Carse, who is set to join the team, can have a similar impact to Liam Plunkett, bolstering their performance in the middle overs. The batting department has underperformed, with only one century and four fifties so far, but they might find some comfort in facing a Sri Lankan bowling attack that initially struggled by conceding scores of 428 for 5 and 345 for 4 in the tournament.

Regarding Sri Lanka's aspirations, securing a spot in the top four is a tough challenge, especially with upcoming matches against India and New Zealand. Nevertheless, they have displayed flashes of their potential, primarily through Kusal Mendis, who has taken on the captaincy in addition to his wicketkeeping duties, and Sadeera Samarawickrama's batting performances. Additionally, Dilshan Madushanka has demonstrated his wicket-taking skill with the ball.

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ENG vs. SL Head-to-Head Records in ODI

In ODI cricket, England and Sri Lanka have played a total of 78 matches. Out of these 78 games, England emerged as winners in 38, while Sri Lanka won 36 matches. Three matches concluded without a result, and one match ended in a tie.

Table: England vs Sri Lanka Head-to-Head ODI Matches So Far

Predicted Playing XI for England

Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (capt, wk), Harry Brook, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood.

Predicted Playing XI for Sri Lanka

Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (capt, wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dushan Hemantha/Dunith Wellalage, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka.

Read more: ICC World Cup 2023: Schedule, Fixtures, Venues, Team List

English Players to Watch

Dawid Malan

Dawid Malan's remarkable innings of 140 against Bangladesh paved the way for England's only victory in the 2023 ODI Cricket World Cup as of the time of writing. Teaming up with Jonny Bairstow as an opening batsman, Malan has displayed occasional brilliance but has also struggled with consistency. However, his explosive potential is evident when he is at his best.

Adil Rashid

Once again, the ever-reliable Adil Rashid has been England's primary choice to stop the opposition's batting aggressiveness and capture key wickets, particularly during the crucial middle overs. Rashid has notched up six wickets in four matches in this World Cup and stands as the second most prolific bowler for the reigning champions, trailing only behind the injured Reece Topley.

Gus Atkinson

Gus Atkinson, who played only one match and bowled for nine overs, managed to take two wickets but gave away 60 runs in the process. He might be the solution to England's bowling needs. His upcoming contest against the effective Sri Lankan batters on Thursday could determine how the important game unfolds.

Sri Lankan Players to Watch

Dilshan Madushanka

To stop the English batsman from scoring, Sri Lanka is expected to bring in Dilshan Madushanka as their bowler. This left-arm fast bowler has been performing well in the tournament so far, taking 11 wickets in four matches, which is the second-best performance. In one of the matches, he took four wickets for 50 runs when they played against the Netherlands.

Sadeera Samarawickrama

Sadeera Samarawickrama has been performing really well. The 28-year-old has had a standout tournament, scoring a total of 230 runs in four games. Notably, he scored 91 runs in one match against the Netherlands and 108 runs against Pakistan. So, he can replicate this against England.

Kusal Mendis

Mendis played a crucial role in Sri Lanka's first two games. He scored 76 runs off 42 balls in a challenging chase against South Africa and followed that with a hundred in just 65 balls against Pakistan. It's worth noting that he's one of the four remaining players in the Sri Lankan team who were part of the squad that caused an upset by defeating England at Headingley in the 2019 World Cup.

Final Words

October 26’s ODI match between England and Sri Lanka is expected to be a closely fought contest, as both teams have been dealing to uplift their ranking in the points table. As both teams have had their moments of success in the past, any of them can win the match. Not to mention, the ENG vs SL ODI match in the ICC World Cup 2023 would be quite interesting and is full of possibilities.

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