The One-Day International (ODI) series between England and Sri Lanka is set to take an interesting turn as the two teams face each other in the third match at County Ground, Bristol. England currently have the advantage in the series after a successful 2-0 hunt in the Test series. They are ahead in the five-match ODI series by 1-0 already. The third match is a do or die for Sri Lanka as they will have to win this match to keep their hopes alive by winning this crucial tie. England broke all the records the in the previous game chasing target with all wickets to spare. Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews will have to take steps cautiously so before the match, here are the probable XI: LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: England vs Sri Lanka , 3rd ODI match at Bristol
Top-order: The Sri Lanka top-order has potential and that was reflected in the ODIs against Ireland. Kusal Perera did a brilliant job in the Ireland series and the player will need to replicate the performance against England as well. Perera has Danushka Gunathilaka as his partner while opening and if the duo gets going, the Lankan batting will get a good boost of runs. Mathews prefers to send Kusal Mendis while he has a very good option in Upul Tharanga who looks in a very good form and should be played up.
Middle-order: The main strength of Lankan batting lies in the heavy and experienced middle-order. Dinesh Chandimal, who comes out at No. 4, is currently in great touch and he finds great support from skipper Angelo Mathews. However, both the players are known not to be completely fit and that is what Sri Lanka’s main concern will be. Kusal Mendis, who generally comes at No. 3, has not been very successful in the position and can be tried at No. 6. After these three, the Lankan tail comes out to bat. Seekkuge Prasanna did well with the bat down the order and will be expected to repeat the performance.
Bowling: Mathews left Dasun Shanaka out of the XI in the second ODI. However, he can try bringing him back and giving him another chance looking at his previous performances. Suranga Lakmal has been quite effective with the ball while Farveez Maharoof has been decent. The bowling needs to improve. If Mathews is fit, he will be one big option with the ball. Nuwan Pradeep needs to be more economical and consistent with his line to get wickets. Another option lies in Prasanna and if the bowling attack act as a pack, they can run through the England batting and restrict them at a low score.
(Paulami Chakraborty, a singer, dancer, artist, and photographer, loves the madness of cricket and writes about the game. She can be followed on Twitter at @Polotwitts)
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