🏏Cricket World Cup 2023: Match #25: England vs Sri Lanka on 26 Oct 🏏

🏏Cricket World Cup 2023: Match #25: England vs Sri Lanka at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on 26 Oct at 2PM IST🏏

Cornered lions England and Sri Lanka aim for miraculous resurrection

Both teams are near the point of no return, with two points each from four games

So, how's that whole "attacking champions" thing working out? Jos Buttler may always regret saying England wouldn't be "trying to defend anything" out in India - a statement that appears to be coming true uncomfortably quickly - but they are not quite at the point of no return, despite only being kept off the bottom of the table by Bangladesh's thumping defeat to South Africa on Tuesday. Cornered lions, anyone?

Peeling off five wins in a row in order to reach 12 points - which would include beating the behemoth that is India on their own patch - looks a tall order, even before you account for the trough into which England's ODI form has fallen. But if the miracle resurrection is going to start somewhere then it will have to be in Bengaluru against fellow stragglers Sri Lanka on Thursday.

As the sun was beating down on England in Mumbai - it can get quite hot in India, who knew? - during that epochal shellacking by South Africa, several hundred kilometres to the north, Sri Lanka were quietly working their way on to the board at this World Cup, ending a debilitating run of three consecutive defeats with a five-wicket win over Netherlands. Expectations were not so high but, like England, they have found themselves on the ropes, pummelled for a record World Cup total by South Africa in their opener, then succumbing to a record World Cup chase against Pakistan.

These teams have plenty of World Cup history, too. Before England stumbled against New Zealand in Ahmedabad, Sri Lanka were the last World Cup holders to lose their opening match - beaten by the hosts (yep, England) in 1999. But Sri Lanka have won all four encounters in the competition since then and five out of the last six, along the way handing out memorably brutal lessons in Faisalabad, Colombo and Wellington.

What to expect this time? England are clearly in a hole after three chastening losses, and it will take a confidence trick of sizeable proportions to turn things around. They have tried shrugging off defeat, they have tried "letting it hurt", they have tried the old "go harder" mantras. From the outside, Matthew Mott has not had to intervene much since taking charge of the white-ball teams in mid-2022 (in which time, of course, they have added a T20 World Cup to the trophy cabinet) but some inspiration is now required if this campaign is not going be ranked alongside the worst of their horror run between 1996-2015.

In terms of selection, having already used the 15 players they took out, there are few cards left for England to play - although there is a lingering hope that the incoming Brydon Carse can prove a Liam Plunkett-esque battering ram to raise their threat in the middle overs. The batting has misfired more than anyone expected, with just one century and four fifties so far, but a Sri Lanka attack that began the tournament by conceding scores of 428 for 5 and 345 for 4 might be more to their liking.

As for Sri Lanka's hopes, with fixtures against India and New Zealand still to come, it's a hard road to get into the top four. But they have shown glimpses of their abilities, mainly through Kusal Mendis (who has assumed the captaincy alongside the gloves) and Sadeera Samarawickrama with the bat, as well as Dilshan Madushanka's wicket-taking ability with the ball.

Their impressive World Cup record against England won't maintain itself but victory would leave at least one Englishman happy, with head coach, Chris Silverwood, coming up against the side he used to coach for a second time (Sri Lanka having lost a tight game in the group stage at last year's T20 World Cup). On the ground where England famously tied with India and lost to Ireland in 2011, we might even be due a close finish…

Tag Credit: Sutapasima

England vs Sri Lanka Pitch Report

The pitch in Bengaluru is a batting paradise. The boundaries aren't too big as well, which is why fans should expect a high-scoring clash between England and Sri Lanka. Both teams have some in-form batters in their squad. The team that bowls better should win this contest.

England vs Sri Lanka Weather Forecast

The skies will be clear with periodic clouds during the England vs Sri Lanka match in Bengaluru. The temperature will hover around 26 degrees Celsius, with close to 0% chances of rain in the match hours.

Pitch and conditions

The M Chinnaswamy Stadium has a reputation for high-scoring games and lived up to it when the World Cup finally arrived in Bengaluru with Australia vs Pakistan last week - a game in which 672 runs were scored across 95.3 overs. The strip for Thursday's match is slightly off-centre, with an invitingly short boundary towards neighbouring Cubbon Park, and looks hard and dry despite a patchy covering of live grass.

The city's climate tends to be more temperate, which might prevent England from running completely out of puff if fielding first (but equally might not, since the mercury could still hit 31°C during the afternoon).

Don't forget to submit your predictions for match 25.

Toss prediction before 1:30 PM IST and rest of the predictions before  2:00 PM IST.

All the very best to everyone!

Tag Credit: Sutapasima

In the spotlight: Jos Buttler and Kusal Mendis

So far at this World Cup, England's captain has been let down by his best batter. Luckily, Jos Buttler doesn't mind having a word with himself - famously, he has a two-word phrase written on the top of his bat handle as a reminder of what to do when in doubt - and a quick pep talk might be in order after four innings which have realised just 87 runs. His captaincy was called into question following the decision to bowl first against South Africa but there would be no better way to lift England's faltering campaign than by producing the sort of middle-order devastation few others are capable of.

In the opposite corner, another wicketkeeper-captain who carries his side's hopes with the bat. It is only just over two years since Kusal Mendis was sent home from a tour of England for breaching Covid-19 biosecurity rules but here he is now, leading the side in the wake of Dasun Shanaka's injury. Mendis was the spark in Sri Lanka's opening two games, with 76 off 42 in the doomed chase against South Africa and then a 65-ball hundred against Pakistan. He also knows what it takes to beat England in a World Cup, as one of four survivors from the XI that produced an upset at Headingley in 2019.

Stats and trivia

• These teams have met 11 times at the ODI World Cup, with England 6-5 up on head-to-head… but, Sri Lanka have won each of the last four meetings, including a quarter-final thrashing in 2011 and a shock result four years ago that put England's home World Cup hopes in jeopardy.
• Overall, since being beaten by nine wickets at the 2015 World Cup, England have won eight out of 11 ODIs between the sides, with one tie.
• England have played five ODIs at the Chinnaswamy Stadium - including those two memorable 2011 World Cup games - but last won there on the 1993 tour of India. Sri Lanka's one appearance, meanwhile, came back in 1982.
• Buttler needs 90 runs to become the fifth Englishman to 5000 in ODIs; Joe Root needs 70 for 1000 at World Cups.
• Maheesh Theekshana is four wickets shy of 50.

Only three days ago, England were extremely delighted to have got out of Mumbai. The weather there was unforgiving, their opponents South Africa, devastating. Bengaluru offers a cool respite to anyone arriving from the coastal city but the heat is still on for Jos Buttler's side. They've already lost as many games as they did in the entirety of their title-winning campaign in 2019, and their defence of it is on the brink of disintegration just past the midway point of this edition.

Sri Lanka have reached Bengaluru from Lucknow - another city that tests your endurance levels on even a mildly hot day - but the mood in that camp is perhaps a lot less tense. They too have only one win, but that's their latest result which they'd hope to use as a springboard for the rest of the campaign.

England might not have the time or bandwidth to draw any inference from history, even as it states that Sri Lanka have been unbeatable for them in the last four editions of the men's 50-over World Cup. Within the confines of the Sri Lankan dressing room, that could be the motivating tool for a squad that has done well in patches in this edition.

The two struggling bottom-half sides, separated only by the decimal point variance of their Net Run Rate, meet on the edge of the World Cup cliff with the hope of clinging on by pushing the other towards the abyss.

Team Watch:

England

Another World Cup has cruelly come to an end due to injury for Reece Topley. England have roped in Brydon Carse as his replacement.

England dropped all their allrounders in the previous game, but didn't get the result they desired. Moeen Ali admitted the change of plan didn't work, and that he wouldn't be surprised if England reverted to type. That could mean a spot in the XI again for the vice-captain as well as the likes of Chris Woakes, Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone.

Tactics & Strategy

Another admission from the England camp after the humbling in Wankhede at the hands of South Africa was that they should've batted first after winning the toss. Relying on their strength to post a big score and defend it should be the way to go for the rest of the tournament for Buttler's side. Along with picking up the points on offer, England also desperately need to repair their abysmal NRR.

In that endeavour, they might want to improve their death-overs batting numbers. In the two games they batted first, they scored just 58/3 (vs New Zealand) and 66/6 (vs Bangladesh) in the last 10 overs.

Probable XI: Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook/Liam Livingstone, Jos Buttler (c & wk), David Willey/Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes/Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood

Sri Lanka

Angelo Mathews, who batted and bowled in the lead-up to the game, is officially part of Sri Lanka's 15, coming in as a replacement for the injured Matheesha Pathirana.

Sri Lanka are likely to bring the former captain into the XI straightaway, in place of Chamika Karunaratne. If Dunith Wellalage is fit, he should reclaim his spot from Dushan Hemantha.

Tactics & Strategy

Sri Lanka have played on two pristine batting strips so far and have done well with the bat there - 326 against South Africa in Delhi and 344/9 against Pakistan in Hyderabad. But they picked no points as their depleted bowling attack suffered at both venues. Thursday's game at Chinnaswamy will pose a similar test for Sri Lanka's bowlers, but hand them a chance to right two previous wrongs.

Left-arm pacer Dilshan Madushanka has been immensely impressive so far, and should ruffle a few feathers early against an England side that has made three shaky starts in four outings.

Probable XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews, Dushan Hemantha/Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka

When: England vs Sri Lanka, ODI World Cup 2023, October 26, 2:00 PM Local

Where: Chinnaswamy stadium, Bengaluru

What to expect: As always, a flat wicket and scope for big runs. The only other World Cup 2023 game at this venue produced an opening stand of 259 and a first-innings total of 367/9. As for the weather, a pleasant evening is on the cards in Bengaluru.

Did you know:

- The last time England beat Sri Lanka in a 50-over men's World Cup was in the opener of the 1999 edition at Lord's.

- The returning Angelo Mathews was Sri Lanka's best batter in their win over England in Leeds in the 2019 World Cup

What they said:

"We're obviously disappointed with the [South Africa] result and not just the result but the way we played, but, in the competition, you've got to move on as quick as you can and regroup. Everything is a must-win and we know we've been in this position before, probably not to this degree, but we know everything is a must-win and we have to get our confidence and perform well, and bat and bowl and field better than we have done so far in this tournament." - Moeen Ali