England vs Sri Lanka preview

Posted on | April 4, 2007 | No Comments

England will take on Sri Lanka at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in a game that both teams know will be crucial to their chances of reaching the last four.

England have largely been unimpressive in their last four games, after an opening loss to New Zealand. They have managed to string the necessary results, but without inspiring any confidence in the hearts of their fans. The batting form of Paul Collingwood has been one of the reasons for England’s wins, but the top three of Joyce, captain Vaughan and Ian Bell know that they need to start performing. Joyce has had a couple of good innings, but they both came against Canada and Kenya. There are talks of Andrew Strauss replacing Joyce, but that is unlikely. Andrew Flintoff is fit to play this game despite having to leave the field for treatment against the Irish. Mahmood and Anderson are expected to share the new ball, and the pitch at the Vivian Richards stadium does help the seamers a bit, especially in the early part of the day.Bopara, Collingwood and Vaughan are expected to share the fifth bowler’s burden.

The Lankans, like their opponents, have not played a single game at the Vivian Richards stadium. But they have displayed great determination and team spirit, and the way they sent the West Indies packing would have sent shivers down the spine in the English camp. They nearly pulled it off against South Africa too, thanks to Malinga. Sanath Jayasuriya has had two hundreds to his credit in this tournament, and he was chiefly responsible for the thrashing that Tom Moody’s side gave the West Indies. The bowling will revolve around Malinga, Vaas and Muralitharan. Maharoof and Fernando have been alternated in this tournament, and one can only guess which one of the two will play. The English top order is fragile and if the Lankans can pick up early wickets, the likes of Collingwood, Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff will find things hard in the middle. Murali and Malinga have shared 24 wickets amongst them, and England will also be wary of the wily Vaas.

England have won all the world cup games between the two sides, barring a loss in 1996 in Faisalabad. The English face Australia next, and these two games will decide their fate in the competition. If they need to come good, now is the time. We have seen how they peaked in the VB series, and I think they can repeat it here. I’d tip England to pull it off,however difficult it does look on current form.Joyce, Collingwood and Anderson to play key roles for England. Freddie, Murali and Sangakarra to be taken note of too.

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