In a crucial World Cup clash happening today in Bangalore, former Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews is set to make a comeback. Mathews wasn’t initially part of Sri Lanka’s World Cup squad but was called in as a replacement for an injured player. It’s highly likely that he will be in the starting lineup, possibly taking the place of Chamika Karunaratne.
Sri Lanka had an optional training session yesterday, and Angelo Mathews, along with Dunith Wellalage, was among the two players who attended. Mathews had an extended practice, including net sessions and fielding drills. While he didn’t bowl in the practice, he is expected to bowl a few overs in the match since additional bowling options are important at this venue, where matches often result in high scores due to the small square boundaries.
Dunith Wellalage is also expected to join the lineup, potentially replacing Dushan Hemantha.
England, the defending champions, are facing a must-win situation. They have only managed to secure two points from four games, with just one win. Even if they win all their remaining matches, they would only reach 12 points, and their poor Net Run Rate makes it challenging for them to qualify for the semi-finals.
England has been dealing with injuries to key players, and overall, they have struggled to find their form in the tournament. A surprising loss to Afghanistan derailed their World Cup campaign.
Interestingly, Sri Lanka has a strong history against England in World Cup fixtures, having not lost to them since 1999. Over the past 24 years, these two teams have played four World Cup matches, and all four were won by Sri Lanka.
In this World Cup campaign, Sri Lanka has been close to winning in a couple of matches but made mistakes that cost them victory. In contrast, England has suffered defeats by significant margins and has struggled to compete effectively
England (Probable XI):
Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (Captain and wicketkeeper), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Gus Atkinson and Mark Wood.
Sri Lanka (Probable XI):
Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (Captain and wicketkeeper), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha and Dilshan Madushanka.
Umpires:
Chris Brown (NZ) and Adrian Holdstock (SA)
Third Umpire:
Ahsan Raza (PAK)
Match Referee:
Javagal Srinath (IND)
