England will take on Sri Lanka in the fourth ODI of the five-match series at The Oval in London on Wednesday. England have won one match in this series so far and the two teams have tied another. The third ODI of the series was washed out in Bristol a couple of days ago.
Therefore, if England can secure a victory against Sri Lanka in the fourth ODI at The Oval, they will clinch this series as well. Eoin Morgan & co. ran riot in the second ODI with Alex Hales and Jason Roy put together a record-breaking opening partnership to chase down a target within 35 overs.
If they continue with such kind of form during the fourth ODI as well, then Sri Lanka will have to stare at yet another series defeat.
England have displayed all-round dominance as the series has progressed. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka lacked impetus in all their departments. The Sri Lankan middle order consisting of Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Mendis and the skipper Angelo Mathews himself have done well, but they need more from eight other players in the team to get past this upbeat England side.
England are likely to play with the same playing XI as they did in Bristol. Moeen Ali was rested in Bristol and they brought in Chris Jordan, who is famous for his death-bowling prowess.
For Sri Lanka, they need not worry about their skipper Mathews and wicket-keeper batsman Chandimal. Both are fit and will be available for the crucial fourth ODI of the series. Dasun Shanaka had replaced Suraj Randiv in third ODI and the former is likely to retain his place in the playing XI at The Oval as well. Farveez Maharoof, who took a blow in one of his fingers, will also be featuring in the playing XI against England on Wednesday.
However, even if England have been outstanding in this series, skipper Morgan is not ready to take Sri Lanka lightly. He is expecting a goof fight from the visitors, which can put to test their mettle during the fourth ODI.
"It's very important we work hard, they are a strong side, we don't take them for granted. The series still stands at 1-0, given we've played some really good cricket and not been able to capitalise because of the weather. Tomorrow again it is going to be tough to get it to that point but it's important to emphasise the hard work that needs to be put in," Morgan was quoted as saying by Cricinfo.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan batsman Upul Tharanga urged his teammates to be at their best and try and win this game in order to level the series, which in turn will make the last match of the series a literal final.
"There are still two ODI games left, we still want to win those games. It's 1-0 so if we can do that, we'll win the series. Everyone is looking forward and trying 200% at practice but we need to improve," Tharanga said.
Expected playing XI:
England: Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (C), Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wk), Chris Woakes, David Willey, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid.
Sri Lanka: Kusal Perera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Angelo Mathews (C), Upul Tharanga, Seekkuge Prasanna, Dasun Shanaka, Farveez Maharoof, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal.
Where to Watch Live
England vs Sri Lanka 4th ODI is scheduled for a 12:30 p.m. local time (5:00 p.m. IST, 7:30 a.m. ET) start. Below are the live streaming and TV options.
India and South Asia: TV: Star Sports 1/HD1. Live Streaming: Starsports.com and Hotstar.
UK: TV: Sky Sports 2 and Sky Sports HD 2. Live Streaming: Watch Sky Sports and Sky Go.
USA: TV: ESPN 3. Live Streaming: Watch ESPN.
Australia: TV: Fox Sports 5. Live Streaming: Foxtel.
New Zealand: TV: Sky Sport. Live Streaming: Sky Sport NZ.
South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa: TV: SuperSport 2. Live Streaming: SuperSport Live Video.
