Desperate Sri Lanka seek their first win in England tour - Fifth ODI Preview

Fifth ODI - England v Sri Lanka in Cardiff
2nd July, 10:30 local | 09:30 GMT

How times have changed. England were set 308 to win from 42 overs at The Oval on Wednesday and won the game as if they were taking a stroll along the Thames. So comfortable were the home side that they reached their target from just 40.1 overs with four wickets down. England never used to reach 300 off 50 overs very often and now they are making chases like this look routine.

Expectation has played a part of course. For the modern one-day team, 300 is barely a minimum score let alone a par one, and 400 does not hold any fear for players who train to reach it consistently. Who would be a bowler these days?

England have won the series which considering their recent improvements is surprisingly only their third bilateral series win out of their last eight played. With the series won, the final game of the series in Cardiff is perhaps an opportunity to give some of the squad players a run out.

It is a difficult balancing act for the England management; they are not yet good enough to take games for granted but increasing the depth of their resources is just as important for challenges ahead. A squad of 17 or 18 will be needed for the ten ODIs, four T20Is plus the ICC Champions Trophy scheduled next summer.

James Vince is due a start to further his international learning, perhaps in order to rest Joe Root or in place of Alex Hales who did not bat at The Oval because of a stiff back. Steven Finn and Chris Jordan also deserve a go after carrying the drinks for most of the series and with James Anderson an injury doubt for the opening Test of the summer against Pakistan, it would be sensible for Chris Woakes to have a rest.

Jason Roy’s 162, the second highest score by an England player in ODIs, just behind Robin Smith’s 168 not out in 1993 against Australia, was a masterful display of butchering an opposition attack. His return to form this series after a poor one-day series in South Africa over the winter, where he scored just 96 runs at 19.20, has been important.

Whilst the batting is clearly England’s strong point, the bowling still has a fragile feel about it, although you could argue that applies to every attack around the world in one-day cricket. The attack has a workmanlike feel to it, lacking mystery or real pace, and may be exposed against better line-ups than Sri Lanka.

The stats from the series are serviceable though: five of the seven bowlers used have economy rates in the four games of under six an over and all the bowlers, except Moeen Ali and Jordan, who has played one game, have picked up at least four wickets.

Whilst England will be thinking of rotation, Sri Lanka will be hoping to regain some pride. Their batting at The Oval was more dynamic and aggressive than had been seen previously in the series but the bowling attack was proven, once again, to be decidedly average.

It is instructive to look at Sri Lanka’s batting this series when compared to England’s and think of what might have been. The visitors have scored eleven half-centuries in the four games so far but have not converted one of them in to a hundred. England on the other hand have three centuries to their credit, all of which were match-winning efforts, and just two half-centuries.

In this new-fangled world of one-day cricket, an old adage holds true: fifties or sixties don’t win games, hundreds do.

Sri Lanka’s bowling attack has been decimated by injury but it is all very samey. There is no left-arm option, no pace, no spin of any note or class. Angelo Matthews had few wicket taking options in the last game or at Edgbaston where England scored 256-0 and that will not miraculously change in Cardiff. His best hope is that canny field changes and some luck can get him wickets.

The conditions may help too. The pitch in Cardiff is usually slow and may offer more help to Sri Lanka’s medium pacers although Glamorgan have been scoring freely at the ground in the domestic Royal London One-Day cup so it is still likely to be a high scoring game.

The forecast is good for the match but there has been plenty of rain around in Cardiff this week which may mean there is some moisture still in the pitch come the start of the game to provide some solace to the bowlers. It might be a bowl first morning for the winner of the toss.

England have played just eight One-Day Internationals in Cardiff, losing only once, with four wins and three washouts. With the forecast set fair, England should make that five wins from nine on Saturday.

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