After playing out a thrilling tie in the first ODI, winning the second ODI by 10-wickets and witnessing the third ODI being abandoned, England are set to host Sri Lanka in the 4th ODI at The Oval on Wednesday. Sri Lanka haven’t had a tour to remember so far, as the hosts managed to outclass them 2-0 in the Tests, and are currently leading 1-0 in the ODI series. England will be itching to make it a double and eventually wrap up the series, although Sri Lanka can have a huge say if they win this fixture and go into the final match with series tied at 1-1. The visitors have been struggling to get those runs up the board and their bowlers need to up their performance if they need to survive in this series. But knowing their previous side were able to put up commendable total in 1st and 3rd ODI, this is the XI that the Sri Lankan might put up in this must-win encounter: FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: England vs Sri Lanka , 4th ODI match at The Oval
Top-Order: Kusal Perera and Danushka Gunathilaka need to pull up their socks to provide an impetus at the top. If the openers fail to do heed, the following batsmen will find it difficult to start all over again. Perera has been decent enough in comparison to Gunathilaka with his score of 24, 37 and 9 respectively, whereas Gunathilaka has managed to put up just 9, 22 and 1. Their form is definitely worrisome for Sri Lanka. At No.3 is Kusal Mendis who was excellent in the third ODI. If he manages to pull off another half-century like the previous game, a top score on board can be expected.
Middle-Order: Sri Lanka has survived on their middle-order in the matches played so far. When Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews go ticking, the game is safely to reach beyond 150. Chandimal is a perfect find for Sri Lanka as he has already garnered 147 runs from past three outings. As for Mathews, he has done his job as skipper with 163 runs so far in this series. At No.5 is Seekkuge Prasanna showed his caliber in the first game and found his performance deteriorating as he was bundled out for single digits in the last two outings. If he can get another half-century to his name in this crucial match, Sri Lanka can be on the winning side. At No.6 Upul Tharanga has done his part in the lower middle-order with his knock of 53 and 40 to keep the scoreboard ticking and will be expected to continue his consistency. ALSO READ: ENG vs SL, 4th ODI, Preview: Hosts eye series win
Bowling: Sri Lanka’s new all-rounder Dasun Shanaka has been the talk of the town in this edition after his fifer and cameo in the lower middle-order during the ODI series against Ireland. Although he has been unable to replicate the same against England and has maintained a low profile, Sri Lanka will expect him to step up to show his stance once again. After all the hype, all-rounder Farveez Mahroof received for returning for the national side after four years, he has been unable to carry forward that hype in further matches. He has just a single wicket to his name in ODI series so far and hopefully can witness to see some more wickets bagged by the ace bowler. Suranga Lakmal has been decent enough with his bowling stance bagging three wickets so far and will be expected to continue the same in this crucial tie as well. In hindsight, Nuwan Pradeep will be expecting to double his wickets as he takes on England.
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