T20 World Cup 2021: Strongest Sri Lanka Predicted Playing XI against England

Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka, during the post-match conference, said it will be a tough task for his team to bounce after their bitter loss against South Africa in the ongoing T20 World Cup. The match was pretty much under the grasp of the team, but David Miller and Kagiso Rabada’s heroics in the last over punctured Sri Lanka’s hopes of winning the game.

The competition in Group A is cut-throat, and it would get even tougher for the Asian team as they face England in their next game on Monday (November 1). The Lankans need to win this game to harbour any hopes of qualifying for the semis. The task looks herculean considering the form England have shown in their three games thus far.

Nonetheless, all is not lost for Sri Lanka as they have a few positives to take from the loss. For starters, Pathum Nissanka got back to form and carried their batting with a lot of efficiency.

Leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga took a memorable hat-trick in the game and almost got Lanka back into the contest. The batting, though, remains an issue, and the team has not clicked collectively.

Here is Sri Lanka’s predicted playing XI against England

Openers – Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera

Pathum Nissanka, undoubtedly, was a bright spot in Sri Lanka’s four-wicket loss against South Africa. The opener scored 72 and helped the team get to a competitive score of 142. He is in good form and would hope to anchor the innings against England too.

Meanwhile, the left-handed Kusal Perera missed out on scoring runs against South Africa as he got out in the powerplay. The southpaw has got starts in recent times but has failed to convert.

Middle-order – Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando and Bhanuka Rajapaksa

After a good outing against Australia, the trio failed to collectively get going against South Africa. The three batters combined to score only 24 runs, with Asalanka scoring the highest, 21, amongst them. Rajapaksa and Fernando would be eager to contribute more.

Rajapaksa has so far scored 129 runs in five innings and was pivotal in Sri Lanka getting into Super 12. Fernando has shown a slight dip in form after scoring in the initial games.

All-rounders – Wanindu Hasaranga, Dasun Shanaka and Chamika Karunaratne

Wanindu Hasaranga, yet again, was the standout bowler for Sri Lanka. He picked up two vital wickets at the fag end of the innings and almost pulled off a victory for his team. The tweaker ended up picking three wickets and gave away just 20 runs. The leg-spinner has not contributed with the bat.

Skipper Dasun Shanaka and Chamika Karunaratne failed to close the innings and that resulted in Sri Lanka posting only 142. All three players need to deliver collectively for the Lankans to stage a comeback.

Bowlers – Lahiru Kumara, Dushmantha Chameera, and Maheesh Theekshana

Pacer Lahiru Kumara bowled well in his first three overs against the Proteas. But the speedster faltered in the last over as he failed to defend 15 runs. Dushmantha Chameera and Maheesh Theekshana did their part and kept things tight. The former picked up two wickets and gave away just 27 runs. Theekshana didn’t pick any wicket but was not easy to score of either.