England vs Sri Lanka – 2nd T20 International Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is England vs Sri Lanka taking place? Thursday 24th June, 2021 – 18:30 (UK)
Where is England vs Sri Lanka taking place? Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
What is the expected weather for England vs Sri Lanka? 17-20c in cloudy skies with a decent chance of rain
What channel is England vs Sri Lanka on? The match will be televised live on Sky Sports Cricket
Where can I stream England vs Sri Lanka? The match can be streamed live via SkyGo
LAST MEETING
England beat Sri Lanka by 8 wickets
THE TEAM NEWS
ENGLAND
- England produced a dominant performance with both bat and ball as they swept Sri Lanka aside in their opening T20 international match of the series and they will look to back that up in their second game in quick succession.
- There is little time for rest with this game coming just 24 hours after the start of the first contest and captain Eoin Morgan has suggested his side will rotate, although it will still be a strong line-up regardless with the likes of Tom Curran and David Willey waiting in the wings.
- Adil Rashid was the standout bowler with figures of 2-17 before Jos Buttler stole the show with an unbeaten knock of 68 and he did his chances of nailing down a spot as an opening batsman no harm with that performance.
SRI LANKA
- Sri Lanka will have to produce a huge turnaround if they are to avoid losing the series to England after two games after going down to a heavy loss in the opening clash of their three-match series.
- Having won the toss and opted to bat, Sri Lanka lost regular wickets as they stuttered their way to 129/7, a score that was never likely to be anywhere near enough to cause the hosts any problems and that proved to be the case.
- England were able to steadily reach their target with plenty in hand and having taken just two wickets in response, the bowling unit will be under pressure to hit the ground running or face another loss.
THE PREDICTION
England were simply too good for Sri Lanka in their opening T20 clash
and with the teams set to do battle for the second time in as many
days, the pressure is on the tourists to produce a better showing. Both
teams could opt to rotate but that is only likely to cause more
disruption for the Sri Lankans who already looked disjoined in last
night’s contest in Cardiff. With this game being at the same venue, they
will at least have a better idea of how the pitch will perform but that
is unlikely to be enough for them to overturn the result of the first
game. England were dominant and they should record another victory here
but having reached 130/2 with almost three overs in hand, there were
plenty of further runs available to England if they had needed them and
if they bat first here, they should be able to post at least 165.
