Sri Lanka tour of England 2021 News

The only bright spot in an otherwise dull game for Sri Lanka was the fast bowling by the trio of Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando and Chamika Karunaratne. The three of them got the five wickets among them in the match and presented Sri Lanka with a chance to get themselves into the game. However, it was not enough as Joe Root’s unbeaten 79 from 87 balls and a partnership of 91 along with Moeen Ali was enough to prevent any conversion of that chance by Kusla Perera’s men. England started their chase of 186 in quite a hurry as if both the openers Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone wanted to finish the job as soon as possible and make their way to TV screens, to watch their football team face Germany. But that hurried approach didn’t last long as Bairstow chopped one from left-arm pacer Fernando. This was the second wicket as Karunaratne had already removed Livingstone. Soon the situation got tense as England were 80-4 after being 54-0. It could have been 80-5, had skipper Perera not dropped a regulation catch off Moeen Ali off the bowling of Chameera, who had already dismissed opposition skipper Eoin Morgan and Sam Billings and was spitting fire in Durham. Another chance went begging when Root was dropped on the third-man when he was at 36 and the England total at 110. But those were the last two chances as after them, both Moeen and Root made sure that their team reached home easily. Earlier in the day, after being forced to bat first, Sri Lanka deprived of their first choice batters were hit hard by England bowlers. Apart from skipper Perera’s 81 balls 73 and Wanindu Hasaranga’s 65 balls 54, none of the batters got going and only some late hits from Karunaratne managed to get the team to 185. Their collapse in particular was painful for any Sri Lankan cricket fan as, after recovery from 46-3, the team reached 145-3. But suddenly Hasaranga decided to play a no shot of a bouncer and was caught at square leg. Soon, from 145-3, it was 170-9 and within 25 runs, the Lankan team had lost six wickets. And thus came their downfall. Chris Woakes was the chief wrecker with four wickets and was awarded Man of the Match. The two teams would now move to The Oval in London for the second ODI.

Sri Lanka’s batting woes continued against England in the first ODI of the series after Chris Woakes and David Willey ripped apart the batting unit at Chester-le-Street as the visitors were bundled out for 185. After being put into bat, Sri Lanka had a struggling start after openers Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera only managed to put 23 on the board for the first wicket. Nissanka was the first one to depart for 5 after he was removed by Chris Woakes and his dismissal was followed by a couple of more wickets going down in quick succession. The visiting team was struggling at 46/3 when captain Perera was joined by Wanindu Hasaranga in the middle and the two tried to show some resistance after stitching a stand of 99 runs. But Hasaranga miscued a pull stroke on a short delivery from Woakes and was caught in the deep by Livingstone for 54. The right-handed batsman’s departure broke the shackles and the visitors suffered another collapse where they were reduced to 160/8 with Perera who was also back in the hut. He was undone by David Willey for 73. A lot of credit goes to the English bowlers also, especially Woakes and Willey. The two pacers troubled the Sri Lankan batsmen with the pace and some disciplined line and length. Woakes eventually returned with a four-wicket haul while Willey had three wickets to his name during the course. While the home side was impressive with the bowling, the fielding was on spot as well. Sri Lanka lost their last two wickets, courtesy runout with Sam Billings being involved in both of them. Billings repeated what he did in the last T20I when he sent Dasun Shanaka packing. The right-hander came charging in from the deep to hit the bull’s eye at the non-striker’s end and sent Shanaka back in the pavilion. This time it was Praveen Jayawickrama at the receiving end in a similar manner. But this isn’t the first instance where Sri Lanka have suffered a batting collapse. Something similar was witnessed during the T20I series between the two sides which the Lankan side lost 0-3.

Three Sri Lanka players Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka and Niroshan Dickwella were on Monday suspended by the SLC for a bio-bubble breach in the UK. The cricketers who were in England for the on-going limited-overs tour will now fly back home from Durham. "Sri Lanka Cricket executive committee has suspended Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka & Niroshan Dickwella for breaching the bio- bubble and they will be immediately recalled to Sri Lanka," SLC secretary Mohan De Silva said in a statement. A video of Mendis and Dickwella had gone viral on social media where the two were spotted roaming around on the streets of Durham. “An investigation is underway as they have breached the (code of) conduct,” said SLC chief Shammi Silva said earlier after the video of the players surfaced on social media. Sri Lanka are touring England for a three-match T20I series and as many ODIs. The visitors suffered a thumping 0-3 defeat in the series after losing the third and final encounter by 89 runs. Chasing 181 in 20 overs, Sri Lanka were bundled out for 91. This is not the first time that Mendis has found himself in trouble. He was arrested for being allegedly involved in a car accident with a cyclist who died on the spot last year. He was later produced before the Panadura Magistrate’s Court and was released on two personal bails of Sri Lankan rupees 1 million each after being detailed in the jail overnight. The first ODI between England and Sri Lanka will be played on Tuesday.

England are riding high on the fascinating run not just against Sri Lanka but overall. The turnaround that has been seen in white-ball cricket under Eoin Morgan’s leadership is tremendous. The Morgan-led side is probably the perfect example of turning fortunes, writing your own scripts and delivering a masterpiece. The tweak was so perfect that it gave England their first 50-over World Cup. Morgan’s troops haven’t stopped this dominance and something similar was witnessed during the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka at home after they clinched a thumping 3-0 win against the Asian side. The two teams are now slated to face off against each other in the ODI series beginning on Tuesday (June 29, 2021). The England squad has become a lethal force in the limited-overs cricket as it has a bunch of brilliant bowlers in the armour and the instance of which was evident during the series against Sri Lanka. In the first two encounters, the English bowlers restricted to Sri Lanka batsmen for a low total while the quick bowlers ripped apart the Lankan batting order in the third and final T20I to bundle them out for a total less than 100. While the England side has an equipped bowling unit, the batting line up especially the top order has gone all guns blazing in the series apart from one disappointing outing in the second match. Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan were among some runs in the final clash and would be looking to continue the form in the ODIs as well. The opening slots could see a healthy competition between Malan, Roy and Bairstow when England take Sri Lanka in the first ODI. On the other hand, nothing has gone right for Sri Lanka not on just this tour but for many years now. Probably, 2014 World T20 final was the last time when the Lankan cricket fans would have thoroughly enjoyed the team’s performance when they defeated India in the final. Since then it seems as if Sri Lanka are in a transition mode and haven’t really found a way to fix things up for themselves. Another instance of their gloomy performance unleashed in the T20I series against England. They were disappointing with the bat and had a dismal run with the ball too barring that second T20I where the bowlers showed some mettle. While England are lethal at home, Sri Lanka on the other side haven’t shown any intent in the shorter format of the game and need to rejig a lot of plans before they take the field in the first ODI. Match Details: England vs Sri Lanka, 1st ODI Venue: Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street Date & Time: June 29th, at 3:30 PM IST and 11:00 AM Local Time Live Streaming: Sony Sports Network Pitch Report The pitch has had something on offer for the batsmen in the last few games. In fact, in three of the last five matches played at this venue, the teams batting first have posted 300+ scores. So, the team that wins the toss should look to bat first and put up a total. Team News England: England are looking in some nick especially after they fared in the last T20I. The all-round performance from the team would boost their confidence and the presence of someone like Sam Curran in the ranks would come as an asset. Considering the track and how it has been helpful in the past, the England top-order would be eagerly waiting to take the guard if Eoin Morgan wins the toss. Apart from this, Morgan, Livingstone, Curran, Moeen Ali can take on any bowling attack at any given stage of the game and chip in with some runs at a brisk pace helping the side increase the scoring-rate at the death overs. Overall, the English team looks stable and not much planning is required. Just sticking the basics would do the job for them. Sri Lanka: Sri Lankan team is in some mess right now. They lost the T20I series 0-3 and then suffered a blow after three important members of the side were suspended for bio-bubble breach in the UK. "Sri Lanka Cricket executive committee has suspended Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka & Niroshan Dickwella for breaching the bio- bubble and they will be immediately recalled to Sri Lanka," SLC secretary Mohan De Silva said in a statement. In a video that went viral on social media earlier, Mendis and Dickwella were spotted roaming around on the street of Durham after which an inquiry was initiated by the SLC. Sri Lanka batting woes need to be fixed as early as possible but the suspension of three players has piled up more issues for the team. Probable XI England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Joe Root, Dawid Malan, Eoin Morgan (c), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood Sri Lanka: Avishka Fernando, Kusal Perera (c & wk), Pathum Nissanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Isuru Udana, Lakshan Sandakan, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Nuwan Pradeep Fantasy XI Kusal Perera, Jonny Bairstow (c), Eoin Morgan, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Sam Curran (VC), Dhananjaya de Silva, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Mark Wood, Isuru Udana

The Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) has launched an inquiry against Niroshan Dickwella and Kusal Mendis for reportedly breaching the bio-secure bubble in England. The Sri Lankan team is on a tour to England for a three-match T20I series and as many ODIs. The two cricketers were spotted roaming in Durham after the end of the T20I series on Sunday night. The board will now investigate as to whether they breached the bio-bubble. “An investigation is underway as they have breached the (code of) conduct,” said SLC chief Shammi Silva said after a video of the players went viral on social media. The visiting team was thumped by England 0-3 in the T20I series after David Willey and Sam Curran rattled the Sri Lankan batting line up while chasing a stiff target of 181 in 20 overs. Sri Lanka were bundled out for 91 with Binura Fernando top-scoring with 20 during the course. The Sri Lanka skipper Kusal Perera expressed his disappointment on the batting collapse. “We know it was always going to be tough but the batting has not been upto the mark. We are not used to the pace and bounce and the execution was not great and we need to have good back-up plans facing a team like this. We have to take responsibility and play to our strengths and that's the best way to approach these kinds of situations,” he said after the game. The two teams will now lock horns in the ODI series scheduled to begin on Tuesday in Chester-le-Street.

The England and the Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is looking to seek replacements for the five-match officials in the upcoming three-match ODI series between hosts England and Sri Lanka. The development comes after Phil Whitticase, the match referee for the T20I series tested positive for COVID-19 after a PCR test revealed that he had contracted the virus. He was asymptomatic and didn’t feel unwell as per reports from the ECB. However, he has to undergo a 10 day isolation period. ESPN Cricinfo has reported that as many as seven match officials and anti-corruption personnel at the Ageas Bowl has been considered close contacts of Whitticase and can hence take no part in the upcoming ODI series which also includes the five who were slated to officiate in the three-match ODI series. All of those seven members will have to self isolate for 10 days till 7th July. "No members of the two teams were impacted," the ECB said in a statement. "Alternative arrangements will be put in place to ensure Tuesday's ODI goes ahead as planned. "Seven other members from the match officials and anti-corruption unit teams were deemed close contacts, including five members due to officiate at the first ODI on Tuesday, 29 June at Emirates Riverside, Durham. Those impacted will have to self-isolate for 10-days until July 7. No members of the two teams were impacted," the statement further read. Chris Broad was the designated match referee for the series with Michael Gough and Richard Kettleborough as the onfield umpires. After suffering a humiliating series whitewash at the hands of England, Sri Lanka will look to redeem their lost pride in the ODI series starting at Chester-le-Street from