Sri Lanka, England set for one-off T20I clash

Overview
Sri Lanka v England
Only T20I
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Saturday, 27 October, 07.00pm local, 01.30pm GMT

England were dominant throughout the one-day international series, winning three matches on the bounce after a washout in the first game, until the final game, when Sri Lanka's bowlers – Akila Dananjaya and Dushmantha Chameera in the main – ripped through their batting order to reduce the visitors to 132/9, securing a massive 219-run victory on the DLS method.

England have brilliant personnel for white-ball cricket, but every now and then they have succumbed to quality spin. It is this weakness that Sri Lanka will look to exploit in the only Twenty20 International, which will be played at the same venue as the fifth ODI.

The hosts have even included Kamindu Mendis, the ambidextrous spinner, in the side to add another dimension to their mystery spin reserves. Dananjaya, who was the leading wicket-taker from either side in the ODI series, has been left out because of an injury, and has been replaced with Amila Aponso. It will be interesting to see what Sri Lanka do with the spin department, there's also Lakshan Sandakan to pick from.

But spin won't be the only thing for England to worry about, given that twice in the ODIs they were troubled by quicks. Lasith Malinga took 5/44 in the second match, and Chameera's pace earned him three top-order scalps in Alex Hales, Joe Root and Jos Buttler in Sri Lanka's lone victory.

Captain Eoin Morgan, who sat out the last ODI, will be the key to England reversing the fortunes, and they will want other star performers like Buttler to fire as well. It doesn't help England's cause that Jonny Bairstow sustained an ankle ligament tear while playing football, and is likely to miss out. Ben Stokes, who was the only bright spot for England in the previous game with a valiant 67 will want to further impress, though.

The problem for Sri Lanka is in the batting department. Bar the last game, they looked fragile, and often lost wickets in clumps. It's about time that the likes of Niroshan Dickwella, Kusal Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal – all very solid batsmen – work to find a fix. Dickwella scored a fine 95 in the final ODI, and England will want to find ways to keep him quiet.

England, of course, boast a well-rounded bowling attack. The spin duo of Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali looked good in the ODIs, and they were well complimented by pacers Tom Curran and Chris Woakes. In fact, Curran was the leading wicket-getter for the visitors even though he played just three ODIs. Stokes offers another seam-bowling option, while also being a key cog with the bat.

For Sri Lanka, captain Thisara Perera will also be their X-Factor with both bat and ball. His big-hitting ability could come in handy in the back-end of the innings.

England look like the slightly stronger side, but Sri Lanka too have the players to seize the day, particularly with home support and a bit of renewed confidence behind them.

Key players

**Thisara Perera (Sri Lanka):**He can do it all in T20 cricket, keep an end tight and pick up wickets and then lash out in the second half of his team's innings. An ideal T20 player, which is why he is so in demand around the world. In Dananjaya's absence, he might have a bigger role to play.

Eoin Morgan (England): The English skipper has had his issues with spin bowling in the past, but although he looked a tad tentative at times against the turning ball, he was easily the most consistent batsman from either side in the ODIs. His absence was truly felt in the final ODI when he rested himself, only for England to slump to their only defeat, a massive one at that. He will be keen to give his batting order another demonstration of how it's done.

Conditions

Intermittent rains have been a constant feature in the series so far, and unfortunately, that is likely to remain the case even for the only T20I. As for the pitch, it does tend to favour spinners but can also aid bounce for fast bowlers to cash in on. Batsmen will have to apply themselves here.

Squads

Sri Lanka: Thisara Perera (c), Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Isuru Udana, Lasith Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera, Kasun Rajitha, Lakshan Sandakan, Nuwan Pradeep, Sadeera Samarawickrema, Amila Aponso

England: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow (under injury threat), Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett (last two games only), Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood