On Wednesday 26th November, England’s elongated build-up to the ICC Cricket World Cup in February begins. A seven match series against Sri Lanka provides the perfect opportunity for a well-rested, fresh-faced England team to find their feet. While conditions in Colombo are hardly comparable with those in which the World Cup is to be played (Australia and New Zealand), a series win would, of-course, be more than welcome.
From England’s perspective, this tour provides players such as Alex Hales, Steven Finn and Chris Woakes with a fantastic opportunity to stake their claim for a World Cup starting spot. If all three of these more inexperienced ODI players can start firing, then that certainly bodes well for Australia. Steven Finn has the ability to bowl over 90mph, Alex Hales has the ability to hit the ball 100 metres and Chris Woakes is a promising, solid all-rounder: all three roles have proven to be crucial in the modern one-day arena.
Friday’s warm-up game against Sri Lanka ‘A’ was promising, with the captain making runs, Finn taking wickets and Moeen Ali doing both. The rain-affected nature of it, however, meant that the value of an eight wicket win was somewhat decreased. With rain washing out the second scheduled warm up match too, England will have to hit the ground running in Colombo on Wednesday.
Steven Finn has the ability to bowl over 90mph, Alex Hales has the ability to hit the ball 100 metres and Chris Woakes is a promising, solid all-rounder: all three roles have proven to be crucial in the modern one-day arena
Having recently been comprehensively whitewashed in a seven match series by the reigning world champions, India, the Sri Lankans will inevitably be more determined than ever to win in their own back yard. While it wasn’t all doom and gloom for Mathews’ men, they were beaten far too comfortably in favourable conditions. It is difficult to conceive that England would match India’s performance, as spin in the sub-continent has always proved to be more than an Achilles heel.
Should England play their cards right though, they could gain some invaluable confidence ahead of the first group game in February. If England have learnt their lessons, that they need to bat positively up top and take wickets early on, then they have every chance of beating a demoralised Sri Lankan outfit. Allow the home side to start strongly, and Cook’s men could be in for a long series. But if they can hit the home side hard from the off, England could manufacture themselves a positive result.
Alex Stockton
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