World Cup 2023 | ENG vs SL: Head-to-head record, interesting facts, pitch report, weather forecast

After a disappointing start to the World Cup, defending champions England would look to get back to winning ways to stay alive in the tournament. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, managed to pull out a win against the Netherlands and would look to continue the momentum going into the business end of the tournament.

Bengaluru: The defending champions England would look to get back to winning ways to stay alive in the tournament as they square off with Sri Lanka at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday.

To avoid an early exit, both teams need to play the best cricket. In particular, the batting units of both the teams are in a disarray, as they get on to the field at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium which has short boundaries and a flat pitch aiding runs.

'ENG, SL - the Journey so far'- England had a horrible World Cup start, losing three out of the four matches they have played so far including one where they were trounced by 'minnows' Afghanistan. England is placed in the penultimate position in the table with a mere two points from four matches and Sri Lanka is ranked one position above and placed in the eighth position with similar points but with a fractionally better run rate.

Key players to watch out for - It has been a forgettable tournament for England batters except Dawid Malan and Joe Root to a lesser extent, as they have not been able to find their range. The defeat suffered at the hands of Afghanistan and the mauling by South Africa still play out like the reels of a bad dream. For Sri Lanka, Kusal Mendis and Sadira Samarwickrama have been able to do wonders with the bat so far, while the rest of the batting unit failed to fire.

• A must-win game for both teams!#CWC23 | #ENGvSL pic.twitter.com/ErvRrAxqJO

  — ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) October 26, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  A must-win game for both teams!#CWC23 | #ENGvSL pic.twitter.com/ErvRrAxqJO

  — ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) October 26, 2023

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  A must-win game for both teams!#CWC23 | #ENGvSL pic.twitter.com/ErvRrAxqJO

  — ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) October 26, 2023

Interesting facts

1. The last time England beat Sri Lanka in a 50-over men's World Cup was in the 1999 edition at Lord's.
2. Angelo Mathews, who has been recalled in the squad, was Sri Lanka's best batter in their last meeting with England in the World Cup at Leeds, in 2019.

ENG vs SL head-to-head record in ODIs
Matches played: 78
England won: 38
Sri Lanka won: 36
No Result: 3
Tie: 1

Pitch report- The M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore is known as a batter's paradise because of its shorter boundaries and flat pitch. As a cricket fanatic, you can expect a match with big runs. The only other World Cup 2023 game at this venue produced a total of 672 runs in the match and a first-innings total of 367/9. As for the weather, a pleasant evening is on the cards in Bengaluru.

Weather report- Weather in Bengaluru will be pleasant and will let the spectators watch the entire match, as there is no possibility of rain forecast by the weather department. Cloudy skies are in order, as per the forecast. The maximum temperature expected is around 30 degrees and the mercury can dip to 18 degrees, later in the night. A windspeed of 10-15 km per hour is the expected forecast during the match.

Squads:

Sri Lanka Squad: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis(w/c), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dushan Hemantha, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka, Angelo Mathews, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, Dunith Wellalage

England Squad: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler(w/c), David Willey, Adil Rashid, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood, Brydon Carse, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran