England begin their seven-match One-Day International (ODI) series in Sri Lanka with the first game being played at Colombo on Wednesday. Shiamak Unwalla gives a statistical overview of England’s past ODI record in the Emerald Isle.
When one thinks of famous cricketing rivalries, “England vs Sri Lanka” will most certainly not be among the first that comes to mind. The two nations have hardly any history with each other — certainly nothing remotely as near as Australia vs England or India vs Pakistan — and play each other rarely. In fact, it is wholly unusual that the two teams meet each other again after Sri Lanka’s tour of England earlier in 2014.
England have played ODIs in and against Sri Lanka a mere 14 times since 1982. As a frame of reference, India have played Sri Lanka at home 56 times since 1985. Below is England and Sri Lanka’s ODI record in Sri Lanka:
Team
Period
M
W
L
T
NR
England
1982-2011
14
4
10
0
0
Sri Lanka
1982-2011
14
10
4
0
0
As seen above, Sri Lanka enjoy a clear advantage at home. However, given the small sample size, it would be unwise to read too much into this record.
Given that Sri Lanka is a difficult country for visiting batsmen to navigate, it is hardly surprising that only seven English players have scored over 100 runs in Sri Lanka, while no England cricketer has scored a century.
Name
Period
M
Runs
HS
Ave
SR
100
50
Alastair Cook
2007-2007
5
155
80
31
57.62
0
1
Graham Gooch
1982-1982
2
138
74
69
71.87
0
2
Graeme Hick
1993-2001
5
126
46
25.2
52.5
0
0
Owais Shah
2007-2007
5
121
82
24.2
66.85
0
1
Paul Collingwood
2003-2007
6
116
42
19.33
48.33
0
0
Kevin Pietersen
2007-2007
5
112
63*
28
71.33
0
1
Alec Stewart
1993-2001
5
109
55
21.8
57.06
0
1
The only batsman whose figures are not disgraceful is Graham Gooch. The former opener played just two ODIs and scored fifties in both matches to end with a healthy average of 69 and a strike rate of just 71.87, which might not be great by modern standards but was more than acceptable in that era.
Ironically, despite the presence of four players in the list who played in a far more modern era, his strike rate remains the highest.
Jonathan Trott‘s 86 in the ICC World Cup 2011 is the highest score by an English batsman in Sri Lanka. Since he played a solitary ODI, his average of 86 is also the highest. Of all batsmen with 100 runs or more, Gooch’s strike rate of 71.87 is the best.
As for their bowling, in 14 ODIs only 25 Englishmen have taken any wickets, while just two of them managed more than 10.
Name
Period
M
Wickets
BBI
Ave
Econ
SR
Ryan Sidebottom
2007-2007
5
12
Mar-19
13.83
3.44
24
Stuart Broad
2007-2007
5
11
Mar-36
19.27
4.64
24.9
Graeme Swann
2007-2011
5
7
Apr-34
31
4.42
42
Paul Collingwood
2003-2007
6
5
Feb-31
28.2
4.54
37.2
James Anderson
2003-2007
6
4
Feb-33
54.5
4.63
70.5
Ian Botham
1982-1982
2
4
Feb-29
18.5
4.11
27
Andy Caddick
2001-2001
2
3
Feb-42
26.33
4.38
36
Alan Mullally
2001-2001
3
3
Feb-37
37
4.26
52
Derek Underwood
1982-1982
2
3
Feb-34
23.66
4.43
32
Graeme Swann‘s four for 34 is the best bowling performance by an English bowler in ODIs in Sri Lanka.
Ryan Sidebottom is the leading wicket-taker, and also has remarkable figures in Sri Lanka with an average of merely 13.83 and a strike rate of 24.
The highest score managed by England in Sri Lanka is a paltry 234 for eight, which they managed in 2007 after Owais Shah scored 82 batting at No. 6 in a match England managed to win. Sri Lanka’s highest score has been 269 for seven in this same period.
The statistics are not pretty for England. Considering how rarely they have played in and against Sri Lanka, they could find the going quite tough. England will be playing half as many matches in the Island nation in this series alone as they have since 1982. One feels that it might not be the ideal preparation before meeting Australia and India in the tri-series in Australia early next year. A respectable performance will go a long way in galvanising an England limited-overs side that looks dangerously off-boil.
(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek and cricket fanatic. You can follow him on Twitter @ShiamakUnwalla)
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