Expert Analysis of ENG VS SRI CWC 2023 & Betting Tips

Match Analysis In Brief

Date	Thursday, 26^th October, 2023, at 14:00 (IST) and 09:30 (UK)
Venue	England vs. Sri Lanka will take place at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, India
Weather	Conditions are expected to be extremely hot with bright sunshine and temperatures of 31c at the start of play despite consistent light winds, although things should cool down later on as night falls and clear skies emerge
TV & Streaming	Viewers in India: you can watch this match live on Star Sports channels or stream it via the Disney+ Hotstar app.
	Viewers in Pakistan: you can watch this match live on both PTV Sports and A-Sports or stream it through the PTVFLIX App.
	Viewers in Sri Lanka: you can watch this match live on Maharaja TV or stream it on Sirasatv. Lk.
	Viewers in Afghanistan: can watch this match live you on Ariana TV.
	Viewers in Bangladesh can watch it on Gazi TV or stream it through Rabbithole.
	Viewers in the UK: can watch this match live on Sky Sports or stream it via the Sky Go App.
	Viewers in Australia: can watch this match live on Fox Sports or stream it via the Foxtel or Kayo Sports app.
	Viewers in South Africa: can watch this match on SuperSport channels or stream it via the SuperSport app.
	Viewers in the USA and Canada: can watch this match live on Willow TV, whilst viewers from the USA can also stream it via the ESPN+ app.

KEY BETTING STATS

England have won eight of their last ten ODI fixtures against Sri Lanka in which a result was possible – To Win the Match
Adil Rashid has taken five wickets across England’s last two 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup matches – Team – Top Bowler
Pathum Nissanka has scored a fifty in each of Sri Lanka’s last three 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup matches – Batter to Score a Fifty in the Match

BETTING ANALYSIS For ENGLAND

If a crushing 229-run defeat at the hands of South Africa this past weekend wasn’t bad enough for England, they were dealt a further blow with the news that bowler Reece Topley would be ruled out of the remainder of the World Cup with a fractured finger. The left-arm pacer was England’s top wicket-taker across the tournament so far with eight scalps (including three vs the Proteas). He has been replaced by fast bowler Brydon Carse but with a short turnaround between him landing in India and England’s next match, Carse is unlikely to feature here, meaning a potential recall to the starting XI for Sam Curran.

Contents

Bengaluru has played host to one World Cup group game already, which saw 672 runs scored over the course of the match between Australia and Pakistan. With that in mind, England’s batters will be expected to cash in here, particularly Joe Root, one of the best players of spin in the world. Back Root to score 70+ runs (3.40) for a third time in the group stage. It would be no surprise if England’s opening pair of Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan profited in the Powerplay whether they are batting first or second, so also explore backing England to record an opening partnership of over 36.5 runs (1.90).

One bright spot for England over the course of this World Cup campaign so far has been the emergence of Gus Atkinson. Thrown in against a formidable South African batting unit, fast bowler Atkinson took 2/60 across his nine overs amid hot bowling conditions in Mumbai. Atkinson offers good value to finish as England’s top bowler (4.75) against Sri Lanka, but wait until his place in the starting line-up is confirmed before investing.

BETTING ANALYSIS For SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka will be desperately hoping that their first win of the competition on Saturday against the Netherlands can serve as a springboard for them moving forward in the group stage. But injuries continue to ravage their squad with Matheesha Pathirana the latest to be struck down. A shoulder problem has seen the 20-year-old fast bowler miss Sri Lanka’s last two games and is expected to end his tournament. Travelling reserve Dushmantha Chameera could take his place.

The recent consistency of Pathum Nissanka has been a real positive for Sri Lanka recently, the opener accumulating scores of 54, 61 and 61 in his last three innings. Against an England bowling attack who gave up 399 runs to South Africa last time out, back Nissanka to score a fourth consecutive fifty here (3.25). A small stake on Nissanka to finish as Sri Lanka’s top batter (5.00) is also worth considering.

Another batter who has enjoyed a fruitful group stage campaign as it stands is Sadeera Samarawickrama. Coming off the back of an unbeaten 91 vs Netherlands, Samarawickrama has racked up 230 runs at an average of 76.66 and is well worth backing via the ‘Batter Milestones’ market to score 30+ runs (2.10). However, whilst teammate Kusal Perera boasts a top score of 78 against Australia, his other three innings have seen him dismissed for a single-figure total. Consider backing him to score under 24.5 runs (1.83).

CRICKET 8’S EXPERT PREDICTION

This feels like a win or bust fixture for both nations when taking into account that they have each won one and lost three of their four group games played so far. Small boundaries and a good batting surface at M Chinnaswamy Stadium should lead to a high-scoring encounter, the only previous fixture here so far at this World Cup having seen Australia score 367/9 before bowling out Pakistan for 305.

This doesn’t mean that the spinners won’t potentially play a key part in this match. Australian leg-spin bowler Adam Zampa took four wickets against Pakistan and England have a world class leg-spin bowler at their disposal in Adil Rashid. Often England’s go-to man when they need a breakthrough with the ball, Rashid has taken over 1.5 wickets in each of his last two appearances and regardless of whether England come out on top against Sri Lanka, Rashid is worth backing to find himself among the wickets again.