England will face Sri Lanka in the 4th One-Day International (ODI) of the five-match ODI series at Kennington Oval, London. The series is in favor of England with a lead of 1-0 and with two matches in store this will an crucial match. 1st ODI was a thrilling tie, while the 3rd ODI was abandoned due to rain which took some shine away from the series. More so, for the visitors who are on the verge of losing back-to-back series’ after the three-match Test series was dominated by England. Another series loss will really have an affect on the belief of the Sri Lankan team. But that is exactly what the hosts will be looking to do in the next game. With the series up for grabs for England, here is what their starting XI could look like. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: England vs Sri Lanka , 4th ODI match at The Oval
Top Order: Alex Hales and Jason Roy didn’t start off the series on a good note, but they really demolished the Sri Lankan bowling attack in the second ODI at Edgbaston. Both of them looked in fine touch and made batting look easy, once they got set. However, Hales in the last ODI which was stopped due to rain, got out on a first-ball duck. The openers will surely hope for a fresh start at London. Joe Root on the other hand has not had much to do with the bat in the series, apart from the first ODI where was out cheaply. Nonetheless, England’s top-order will pose a threat for Sri Lanka. READ: England vs Sri Lanka 2016, 4th ODI at London, Predictions and Preview: Hosts eye series win
Middle-Order: England’s middle-order has only got one chance to show its skill and potential in the series so far. In the 1st ODI at Trent Bridge, where half the England side was back into the pavilion, Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler played crucial knocks to take them closer to the Sri Lankan target. England eventually managed a tie because of their resistance. Jonny Bairstow didn’t fire but he would certainly want to make most of the form that he displayed in the Tests prior to the ODI series.
Lower Order and Bowling: England bat right till the end. Their lower-order has shown in this and previously held series as well that, they can never be underestimated. Meanwhile, their bowling has been a treat to watch. They have stuck to plans and have not allowed the Sri Lankan run-rate to climb up right throughout the series. In Chris Woakes they have a reliable bowling all-rounder. Liam Plunkett has been superb in his bowling while taken wickets at regular intervals. David Willey has shown he can be good with the new ball as well. Spinning duo of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid have been economical as well. There could always be a choice between Ali and Chris Jordan, but that would depend upon the wicket at the Kennington Oval.
England Likely XI: Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan(c), Jos Buttler(wk), Jonny Bairstow, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, David Willey, Moeen Ali/Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid.
(Karan Dewan, a reporter with CricketCountry, loves following and playing sports. He is a Team India fan and loves winning. Follow him on his twitter handle@karan13dewan)
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