England v Sri Lanka Preview: England on the brink

England’s desperate attempt to haul themselves back into this Cricket World Cup campaign begins on Thursday when they face Sri Lanka in Bangalore.

The current World Cup holders are staring down the barrel of a humiliating group stage exit barring an absolute miracle.

We preview the action below.

England v Sri Lanka – Thursday 09:30

Very few would have predicted England to be rock-bottom of the Cricket World Cup table after four games, but that’s the stark reality of the situation Jos Buttler’s side find themselves in. Only Bangladesh’s 149-run defeat to South Africa prevented them from staying 10th in the pile on net run-rate coming into Thursday’s match, but it’s been a chastening experience for the current holders nonetheless.

Their 229-run defeat to South Africa on Saturday was their worst ever in ODIs – not just in terms of the actual scoreline, but the way they performed on the pitch. Their bowling looked tired and ragged, their batting timid, and their body language defeatist. Add a tournament-ending injury to Reece Topley – who has probably one of the few bowlers who has performed acceptably this competition – and you have the ingredients of an all-round nightmare campaign for England.

The good news (or bad, depending how you see it), is that there’s still five games left in the group stage for the current holders. They almost certainly won’t win this World Cup, but what’s perhaps more worrying is their white-ball dynasty built over eight fantastic years threatening to fall apart in the space of eight weeks.

Let’s focus on the short-term though: England must beat Sri Lanka on Thursday. They are 1/3 to pick up two points in Bangalore against a side who have an identical record to them after four games, with Sri Lanka a 23/10 shot – much narrower odds than one would have thought.

Sri Lanka chased down 262 with relative comfort against the Netherlands on Saturday to give them their first win of the tournament, which they’ll be happy with after losing the toss. Sadeera Samarawickrama starred with the bat with an unbeaten 91, with Pathum Nissanka (54) and Charith Asalanka (44) also making meaningful contributions.

Picking out individual players is becoming difficult due to the unpredictable nature of England’s displays. Dawid Malan leads the batting market at 11/4, but it seems to be the middle-order who are having to do most of the work at the moment. Ben Stokes (5/1) was disappointing in Saturday’s game, so it may rest on the shoulders of Jos Buttler (11/2) to provide some resistance. Also don’t rule out Joe Root (10/3), who is a fine player of spin.

England will need to bring in bowling changes after Topley’s injury and many of their seamers failing to impress. Such is the lack of rhythm with England’s fast bowlers that the spinners – in particular Adil Rashid (3/1) – are probably a better shout to take the most wickets.

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