The English team was frustrated with the bad-light call during the second day of The Oval Test against Sri Lanka, where the hosts were forced to use spin. 

After England were bowled out for 325 runs, where the hosts lost the last six wickets for only 35 runs, the hosts’ pacers provided a strong start. 

While the opening partnership was broken through a run out, Olly Stone got two wickets in his five overs (2/28) and Chris Woakes (1/41) and debutant Josh Hull (1/26) got one wicket each. 

It actually started from the seventh over of Sri Lanka’s first innings. After the run out dismissal of the Sri Lankan opener Dimuth Karunaratne, fast bowler Chris Woakes was forced to complete his over by delivering the last four balls as a spinner. However, from the next over, England returned with the fast bowling.  

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The visitors Sri Lanka were once struggling at 93/5. At tea, the visitors were fighting on 142/5. However, England were forced to use the spinners in the third session due to the light issue. The on-field umpires Joel Wilson and Chris Gaffaney felt that the English fast bowling would be too dangerous in the bad light, so the hosts had to go on with the spin bowling options.

The English spin bowling resulted in a good comeback for the Lankans as they ended the second day on 211/5. Captain Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis remained not out on 64 and 54 runs, respectively. The skipper and Mendis already put up an 118-run partnership for the unbroken sixth wicket. 

The England captain Ollie Pope had to use only spinners during the entire 17 overs of the last session. In that final session, Sri Lanka scored 69/0.  

We'd have obviously loved to have bowled seam there: Olly Stone

At the end of the day, frustrated fast bowler Olly Stone said, "They're the rules, aren't they? You can't change those. It's taken out of our hands. We'd have obviously loved to have bowled seam there. It's just one of those things that's frustrating but has to be done."

During the first Test of the series at Old Trafford, England faced the same situation, where the hosts were forced to use spinners for 12 overs. It allowed the visitors to recover from 113/7 to 236 runs in the first innings. During the second Test of the series at Lord’s, England captain Ollie Pope had a similar fate. 

The Law 2.7.1, which talks about the bad light and any other weather-related issues, claims, "It is solely for the umpires together to decide whether either conditions of ground, weather or light or exceptional circumstances mean that it would be dangerous or unreasonable for play to take place. Conditions shall not be regarded as either dangerous or unreasonable merely because they are not ideal."

Everyone could see the ball, I guess: Olly Stone

Stone believes that everyone could see the ball in that bad light. However, he respected the umpires’ call. 

Stone added, "Everyone could see the ball, I guess. As a team we want to be out there for as long as we can and you have to go off what the umpires say, and unfortunately we couldn't bowl seam. I guess there's a point where it may become dangerous, and you don't want to see anyone get hurt. We'll keep providing the entertainment whether it be with seam or spin, and trying to take the game forward."

England have already secured the three-match home Test series against Sri Lanka by winning the first two Tests. However, the ongoing The Oval Test is also crucial for both of the teams regarding the 2023-2025 ICC World Test Championship points table. 

England are leading in the Test series but Sri Lanka will find confidence with how they went about in the previous Test. They gave a strong fight and will believe that they are in with a strong chance through the Test series.

ENG vs SL Match Details

Date: August 29th, 2024

Time:  3:30 PM IST

Venue: Lords, London

ENG vs SL Weather Report

Warm weather and rising temperatures are expected through the Test match.

ENG vs SL Pitch Report

With the season winding down the pitches could start being a little more worn. There will be some dryness and turn going around with pacers likely to have a role to play with seam and bounce rather than swing. Batting first could be a better choice.

ENG vs SL Predicted Playing XI

SL Playing XI

Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Prabath Jayasuriya, Kamindu Mendis, Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando

ENG Playing XI

Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Jordan Cox, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir

See Also: Today’s Cricket Match Predictions – Cricket Winner

ENG vs SL Key Players

Dan Lawrence

Ben Stokes and Zak Crawley being injured leaves Dan Lawrence with an opportunity after seventeen Tests on the sidelines. He finally gets a go after a long break and Dan Lawrence, with Three Tests to prove himself will be hoping to make a mark.

Angelo Mathews

Mathews, the most experienced player in the line-up is one of the few survivors from Sri Lanka's last Test visit in England. He was the captain on that trip and returns with Sri Lanka still in a similar spot, struggling with their ever long transition from a golden phase before that 2016 tour.

ENG vs SL Match Tips

England could be favorites with home advantage and a talented line-up.

Match Prediction: England Will Win The Match

Sri Lanka returns to England for a Test series after nearly eight years. The gap between both sides is evident with Sri Lanka getting very few opportunities to visit SENA countries. England though will not be looking at the opponents too much. They have a challenge within their own side with Ben Stokes out injured for potentially the rest of the summer. Ollie Pope though gets his own taste of leadership and will be eager after having showed leadership qualities numerous times, especially when he made the shift to number three early in his career.

ENG vs SL Match Details

Date: August 21st, 2024

Time:  3:30 PM IST

Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester

ENG vs SL Weather Report

Warm weather and rising temperatures are expected through the Test match.

ENG vs SL Pitch Report

With the season winding down the pitches could start being a little more worn. There will be some dryness and turn going around with pacers likely to have a role to play with seam and bounce rather than swing. Batting first could be a better choice.

ENG vs SL Predicted Playing XI

SL Playing XI

Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Prabath Jayasuriya, Kamindu Mendis, Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando

ENG Playing XI

Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Jordan Cox, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir

See Also: Today’s Cricket Match Predictions – Cricket Winner

ENG vs SL Key Players

Dan Lawrence

Ben Stokes and Zak Crawley being injured leaves Dan Lawrence with an opportunity after seventeen Tests on the sidelines. He finally gets a go after a long break and Dan Lawrence, with Three Tests to prove himself will be hoping to make a mark.

Angelo Mathews

Mathews, the most experienced player in the line-up is one of the few survivors from Sri Lanka's last Test visit in England. He was the captain on that trip and returns with Sri Lanka still in a similar spot, struggling with their ever long transition from a golden phase before that 2016 tour.

ENG vs SL Match Tips

England could be favorites with home advantage and a talented line-up.

Match Prediction: England Will Win The Match

Sri Lanka brought the World Cup to life last time after a surprise win against England helped move the table around. At the moment, the tournament has had a pretty straightforward movement with the top four not really being disturbed. The difference though here is that Sri Lanka and England are both at the bottom. They are both in must-win territory and the upcoming game could well make the rest of the tournament a formality for either side.

Head to head in World Cups, Sri Lanka have not lost to the English side since 2007. They are coming in after a gritty win and knowing Sri Lanka, a dogfight could be expected if they manage to get enough on the board to put up a battle.

England are a little confused with their line-up. They lose Reece Topley and have had a tough time balancing their all-rounders. Selection remains a concern that they will hope to find consistency with soon.

ENG vs SL Match Details

Date: October 26st, 2023

Time:  2:00 PM IST

Venue: Bangalore

ENG vs SL Weather Report

The weather looks pretty clear for the upcoming fixture.

ENG vs SL Pitch Report

Small boundaries and a good batting track will play in favor of England here. Batting first and putting runs on the board will be the strategy, applying a lot of pressure on the side batting second.

ENG vs SL Head-to-Head

ENG vs SL Predicted Playing XI

SL Playing XI

Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya De Silva, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theeskhana, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madhushanka

ENG Playing XI

Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Harry Brook/Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

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ENG vs SL Key Players

Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes returns. His presence last time around was pretty uplifting and as one of the leaders in the side, and a player who could influence proceedings, a lot rests on him. He was the one to come up with superhuman performances four years ago, and England will need him to come up with such performances once more with their tournament on the line.

Angelo Mathews

Sri Lanka bring back their most experienced player around. Angelo Mathews ideally should have been a part of the initial squad but with Sri Lanka continuously losing players he finds himself in now. He has experience and could come straight into the eleven and will have to be quick to make an impact.

ENG vs SL Match Tips

England are ideally favorites coming into such an encounter. Cornered, they are likely to come out as aggressive as ever, replicating what they did when they were cornered in 2019. If they manage to counter Theekshana and Madhushanka they should find it easy to get past Sri Lanka.

Match Prediction: England Will Win Today’s Match

ENG vs SL Match Preview

Match 25 of the 2023 Cricket World Cup pits two of the bottom three teams against each other in Bengaluru, as England takes on Sri Lanka. It is fair to say that England’s defense of the trophy they won in 2019 is not going as planned, as they have won only one of four matches and come into this game having lost by 69 runs to Afghanistan and by 229 runs to South Africa. England has been extremely disappointing in the tournament, and they have now lost Reece Topley, their best bowler in the previous game. Sri Lanka finally got their first win of the season on Saturday, and while it was against the Netherlands. It shouldn’t be overlooked given that the men in orange had just defeated South Africa.

ENG vs SL Match Details

England vs Sri Lanka – 25th Match

Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium – Bengaluru

Date & Time: 26th October 2023 at 02:00 PM IST 

Live Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar

ENG vs SL Venue Stats

ENG vs SL Pitch Report

This is a good batting wicket with a fast outfield and a fast surface. Spin bowlers will also benefit from bounce and turn at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium.

ENG vs SL Weather Report

The forecast calls for warm weather throughout the match, with temperatures ranging from 27 to 32 degrees. Humidity is not expected to be an issue because it will not rise above 40%.

ENG vs SL Last Five Matches

ENG vs SL Head-to-Head Stats

Injury News

No Injury. Will be added when there is an update.

Also Read: ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: England vs England, 14th Match – Toss Update, Playing XIs

ENG vs SL Probable Playing XIs:

England Probable Playing XIs

Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c) (wk), Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson

Sri Lanka Probable Playing XIs

Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (c) (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dushan Hemantha, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka

Topmost Picks for ENG vs SL Dream11 Prediction:

Top Picks – England

• Joe Root – With England’s batting line-up lacking in confidence, there will be plenty of pressure on the former Test captain to produce an understated big score to calm the rest of the squad.
• Mark Wood – The right-arm pace bowler was unable to stop Marco Jansen and Heinrich Klaasen on Saturday but we expect him to respond with far better figures in this game than 0-76 from 7 overs against South Africa.

Top Picks – Sri Lanka

• Pathum Nissanka – The opener comes into this match looking to hit his fourth successive half-century in the competition and was the only player in Sri Lanka’s top six with a strike-rate over 100 in Match 19.
• Kasun Rajitha – The right-arm medium fast bowler came back into the side and announced himself with 4-50, his best ever ODI bowling figures. He will fancy his chances against a low in confidence England batting side.

Suggested Playing XI N0.1 for ENG vs SL Dream11 Team:

Kusal Mendis, Jos Buttler, Pathum Nissanka, Dawid Malan(VC), Joe Root(C), Chris Woakes, Chamika Karunaratne, Kasun Rajitha, Adil Rashid, Gus Atkinson, Dilshan Madushanka

Suggested Playing XI N0.2 for ENG vs SL Dream11 Team:

Kusal Mendis(C), Jos Buttler(VC), Pathum Nissanka, Dawid Malan, Charith Asalanka, Joe Root, Chris Woakes, Kasun Rajitha, Adil Rashid, Gus Atkinson, Dilshan Madushanka

Captain and Vice-Captain Options:

Captain – Joe Root, Kusal Mendis

Vice-captain – Dawid Malan, Jos Buttler

Wicketkeeper – Scott Edwards

ENG vs SL Probable Winners

Both of these teams will be extremely disappointed with their results from the first four games, but due to the format of the Cricket World Cup, they still have a good chance of qualifying in the top four, but only if they go on a winning streak. Sri Lanka has suffered a slew of injuries, forcing them to field an inexperienced squad. England, on the other hand, has players who some consider to be too old to play, but there is also plenty of quality to choose from. We believe England will have enough to win this match. Considering the team combination, England is expected to win this match.

T20 World Cup’22, SL vs ENG: England 144 for 6 (Hales 47, Stokes 42*) beat Sri Lanka 141 for 8 (Nissanka 67, Wood 3-26) by four wickets

England defeated Sri Lanka by four wickets to advance to the semi finals of the T20 World Cup, eliminating Australia along the way.

After openers Jos Buttler and Alex Hales scored 75 for the first wicket in eight overs, a target of 142 appeared well within reach, but the chase was fraught with anxiety in the final match of Group 1. However, six wickets were lost in the space of 65 deliveries due to a series of unforced errors, adding only 54 runs.The triplet of Wanindu Hasaranga, Dhananjaya de Silva and Lahiru Kumara split those excusals equitably among them and briefly a steamed looked well and really on the cards.

Ben Stokes, however, continued to lead England to victory with 42 from 36 balls, two of which were fours. He also worked the scoreboard and Sri Lanka’s outfielders constantly, and Chris Woakes’ cut for four with two balls remaining sealed the victory. Stokes ranked No.3 after Dawid Malan fielded with an injury to his groin and displayed typical composure under tremendous pressure.

After Sri Lanka’s opener Pathum Nissanka scored 67 off 45 balls to get them off to a flying start, England fought back hard to keep them to a modest total, which was much closer than it should have been. With their own modest victory over Afghanistan on Friday, Australia, who are officially out of the running as champions, will be left to wonder what might have been had they not given up the chance to surpass England’s net run rate.

However, England’s collective attack served up cutters and slower deliveries that were responding well to the worn surface at the SCG, and Nissanka’s blitz had Sri Lanka 65 for 1 after seven overs. There was little around him for the blitz, which had Sri Lanka 65 for 1. The reply was led by Adil Rashid, who went 1 for 16 in his four overs. However, Mark Wood had the more impressive 3 for 26, two of which came in the 20th over, which also featured a run out, as Sri Lanka got to 141 for 8, which was the lowest total ever scored in the competition at this venue. When chasing, England also became the first nation to win at the SCG.

The team led by Buttler will now travel to Adelaide for the semi-final. In Group 2, which concludes on Sunday, they will play the winner

Stokes. Again

Even if the pre-tournament discussions regarding whether Stokes is in England’s best T20 team were justified, there was always going to be room for him. He once again opened up, finishing with 1 for 24 from three overs, which is as close to a revelation as you can get for a multifaceted cricketer who is admired worldwide. In many ways, it is his bowling that has been the closest thing to a revelation for him. But the real question was where to bat, and England didn’t realise how valuable he is until they were struggling in Sydney.

Even though opening for England is his best position, his assessment of the conditions around him – the tangible challenge of the pitch and the intangible stress of needing to save the day once more – was a reminder of his unrivalled value to England. He only hit two fours and ran for most of his runs because his problematic left knee was working harder and harder. He has yet to score fifty in T20Is, and this is only the third time in 35 innings that he has reached 40, but neither he nor his teammates will care.

There is no guarantee that Stokes will reprise his first-drop role in the semi-final if Malan’s injury is as feared. A batting replacement will need to be drafted in. No matter what position he plays, England’s best team is certain to have him in it.

Rashid dulls with class

There were four games, 16 bowled overs, and a wicket. Rashid has had a strange tournament, one in which the leg spinner has acted as a dampener rather than a disruptor. Even though the first position is extremely valuable in this format, the concern was that the shoulder injury, which has limited his usual speed on the field, would reduce his sharpness. Naturally, the reality may be closer to the fact that batters are more wary of him and are willing to play out his overs before making a run at the other end.

He married both sides here: In his four overs, he stopped Sri Lanka in their tracks and dismissed Nissanka. He did not concede a boundary.Things would have turned out very differently if he had failed at either task. He now has 90 wickets in T20Is, which is tied with Chris Jordan for the most by an Englishman.

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Change of pace

Here was a fixture that rewarded shifting down a few gears in a tournament where speed gun winners have taken centre stage. On this used pitch, the spinners were always going to shine, but the quicks got in on the act with their own variations. By the halfway point, England’s attack had discovered this, and pace-off deliveries were moving at 4.87 runs per over while pace-on deliveries were moving at 8.46. In the 18th over of the second innings, Sri Lanka’s own speedster Lahiru Kumara bowled six balls almost entirely reserved and into the pitch. These balls only resulted in two runs and the wicket of Sam Curran, leaving England needing over a run per ball for the final two overs. This was the most notable aspect of this.