England v Sri Lanka 2nd ODI

[BigMozzyDog]

This game gives Sri Lanka the chance to level the series, and England a chance to go 2-0 up. And based on their performance last time, one result today looks very likely.

A ten wicket victory, with Hales and Roy smashing rapid fire tons, has set the tone for this England side, who needed to show a real improvement on the first ODI where Liam Plunkett rescued a tie.

The last Royal London Fixture at Bristol yielded nearly 650 runs, so we can expect a decent deck, and the possibility of 350 being very chaseable.

England have played the brand of cricket we all hoped they would when Trevor Bayliss took over. They’ve been bold, inventive, and prepared to take calculated risks. If they continue in that vein, the future looks bright.

Their side has remained pretty settled, with Roy and Hales at the top, followed by the likes of Root, Morgan, Bairstow and Ali. Sensibly, Jos Buttler is being used as a floater, to add impact when required. And he certainly did that last time, alongside Chris Woakes, who now looks more of a batter than a bowler in my eyes.

This is an England side that is well capable of punishing this average Sri Lankan bowling.

As for the visitors, they’re sweating on the fitness of Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal, two of their star men. And the two top order players who could bat long. If they pass late fitness tests, this game may be slightly closer.

They have the destructive Kusal Perera back in the side, who has shown glimpses of his best at times in this series, but still seems a little lacking in match practise.

Perera is a man England need to be very aware of. He can turn a game in minutes and can score runs against anyone.

Seekkuge Prasanna is another player to look out for. His 95 against Ireland included a nine sixes. That’s special. He’s been playing with Northants too, so he’ll be accustomed to the conditions. At 30 years old, you wonder where he’s been, but his 28-ball 59 in the first game was frightening. Seriously.

Upul Tharanga, a man with 11 ODI tons may well earn a promotion to the top of the order, adding a little stability, but they do look out classed. England should win, and win comfortably.

In search of a little value, we’re taking on the highest opening partnership field, where England could dominate again.

You can back England to have the highest opening partnership at 8/13 with Skybet.

As for the player markets, outright batsman looks tasty.

England could well score heavily at the top, but against a mediocre attack, Jos Buttler could prove very dangerous later on. He showed in the first game, just how destructive he can be, and his record here is very impressive.

 

You can back Buttler to be top batsman in the match at 17/1 with Paddy Power.