England vs Sri Lanka 2021,1st ODI- England's Predicted XI

England and Sri Lanka will play a three-match ODI series after the T20I series. The ODI series is a part of the ICC Men???s Cricket World Cup Super League. The first game will be played on Tuesday at Chester-le-Street. The Lankans are placed at the bottom of the points table while England are placed fourth with 4 wins in 9 games. England lost the previous ODI series against India.

Meanwhile, the hosts have a few injury concerns heading into the series. Jos Buttler has been ruled out of the series. Jason Roy is also recovering from a hamstring injury. Joe Root has been added to the squad. Despite the absence of Buttler, England looks a formidable side and looks good to win the series. In this article, we predict England’s playing XI for the first game.

England vs Sri Lanka 2021, 1st ODI-England’s Predicted XI

Jonny Bairstow

Bairstow opens the innings in the first game. He played all three games in the T20Is and scored 64 runs in the series. He is an attacking option at the top and can decimate the opposition bowling attack on his date. With the Sri Lankan bowlers struggling in the series, Bairstow can take advantage of that.

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With Buttler missing and Roy yet to recover from his hamstring injury, Dawid Malan can open the batting in the first game for England. He opened in all the three games in the T20I series and can certainly continue that in the ODIs. It also maintains the left-right combination.

Joe Root

Root has been recalled into the ODI setup for the series. He played his last ODI for England more than a year ago. With his experience, he can seamlessly fit into the playing XI and at his familiar number three position.

Eoin Morgan

England skipper Eoin Morgan slots in at number four. He did get many chances to bat in the three T20Is and would look to make up for it in the ODIs. Morgan at number four can play both aggressive and controlled cricket as per the situation of the game.

Sam Billings

Billings has got his opportunity in a measured way in recent times. Making his debut back in 2015, he has played just 54 games across formats for his team. He has found it difficult to break through the playing XI. He would like to make use of the opportunities he gets in the series.

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Ali slots in at number six. He has been a utility cricketer over the years for his side. He can bat anywhere he is asked to and do a decent job with the ball as well. It is his flexibility within the roles he is assigned that makes him crucial in the current setup.

Sam Curran

Sam Curran slots in at number seven in the line-up. He has risen up the ranks in recent times and has produced some match-winning performances for England. Sam at seven also extends England’s batting line-up.

Tom Curran

His brother Tom can follow him at number eight. He can hit the long ball and is a specialist with the ball with his changeups. He has a deceptive slower delivery and a well-directed bouncer to trouble the batsmen.

Chris Jordan

Jordan is England’s designated death-over specialist. He picked up three wickets in the T20Is bowling the crucial final overs. In the ODIs too, he will b a handful with the Lankan batters struggling to find form and runs.

Mark Wood

Wood with his raw pace and bounce can be a tough proposition for the Lankan batsmen. He played two T20Is and picked up three wickets. He will be itching to play on a pitch that has an average first innings score of just 250. If he bowls well, the Lankans can be wrapped up on an even lesser score.

Adil Rashid

Rashid completes against England XI and is the second spinner in the XI. He took four wickets in the T20Is and will be looking for more in the ODIs. This is the strongest XI, England can field against Sri Lanka in the first game.

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