England finally found some winning momentum in this ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, but a tough test awaits them in Wellington on Sunday with Sri Lanka, fresh from mauling Bangladesh, lying in wait.
This match will probably decide the teams that will finish third and fourth in Pool A – Bangladesh, Scotland and Afghanistan might have some say in that matter – and that could prove to be crucial depending on how Pool B works out.
England will not have the greatest of memories of playing at the Wellington Regional Stadium aka the Cake Tin, having been smashed to bits by New Zealand with ball and bat in their previous game.
That really was as bad as England could have played, with Eoin Morgan's men then notching that first W at this CWC with a positive result over Scotland.
The loss to New Zealand might still be haunting them, though, even if Morgan will do anything but admit it.
"Coming to Wellington for the second time in this tournament, it is an easy place to come and take advantage of good facilities. The one advantage we have had is having one game at the Cake Tin. One lesson we have learnt from there is the ball swung throughout the first innings.
"Preparing for the possibility of that happening again, we did quite a lot of work on scenario practice and the guys got a lot out of it. Again, we are playing in neutral conditions. If the ball swings around, we are more than happy for it to swing around. We are better for it.
"If we were to go back to the MCG [where they were thumped by Australia in the World Cup opener], it wouldn't be any different. We are a better team for it, having played against a very good side and learnt what we did on that day.
"Coming back here and almost getting a second chance, you can sit back and say" 'it has cost us a win but in the long run we are still in the World Cup and we can come back and rectify anything that we got wrong'."
Sri Lanka, however, will come into this match with two things going for them – form and confidence -- having crushed Bangladesh in their previous match and also having beaten England in a seven-match series back in Lanka.
The 2011 finalists were easily the better team in that ODI series, which they won 5-2, and England will have to be at the top of their game to stop them.
"I watched the whole game [against Bangladesh] and Sri Lanka look in a good place at the moment. We have played a lot against them recently and I know they rely on their senior players so it is another test for us against some of the best cricketers, guys who have played 300-400 games.
"It will be a really good test and a good challenge that the guys are looking forward to. It is a really big game for us."
The key to the match will be if the England bowling can knock out the top four of Sri Lanka. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara cracked marvellous centuries against Bangladesh, while Mahela Jaywardene, who did not even get a bat in the previous game, is coming off a brilliant under-pressure hundred against Afghanistan.
Get those three and Lahiru Thirimanne out early, England will be the favourite; otherwise, it could all go pear-shaped pretty quickly.
Where to Watch Live
Get the Match Report HERE
Get the Live Scorecard of the Match HERE
England vs Sri Lanka is scheduled for a 11 am local time (3.30 am IST, 10 pm GMT, 5 pm ET) start with live coverage on the Star Sports network in India and Sri Lanka. Viewers in the two countries can also watch the match via live streaming online on the Starsports website and Starsports Live Pro.
Catch the action live in the UK and Ireland on Sky Sports, with the option to live stream on Sky Go. Viewers in US can watch the game live on ESPN and Watch ESPN. Viewers watching the match in the UAE can do so on OSN Sports or OSN Play.
The match can be watched live in New Zealand on Sky TV while all the action can be live streamed online on Sky Go NZ. Australia viewers will be able to watch the match live on Channel 9 and Fox Sports with the live streaming option on Cricket Australia Live andFoxtel.
Expected lineups: England: Ian Bell, Moeen Ali, Gary Ballance, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (capt), James Taylor, Jos Buttler (wk), Chris Broad, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, James Anderson.
Sri Lanka: Lahiru Thirimanne, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Thisara Perera, Rangana Herath, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal.
