Sri Lanka vs England 2018: Jonny Bairstow Twists his Ankle in Practice Session

Ahead of going into the 4th ODI of the series, England got a significant blow with the Jonny Bairstow injury. He twisted his ankle in the practice session thus being the doubtful starter for the penultimate clash of the five-match ODI series. However, England is already in the driver’s seat by winning the two off three games while the other being washed out. They would like to wrap up the series in the fourth ODI of the series at Pallekele on Saturday.

Bairstow remains a doubtful starter

England’s medical team will assess the opening batsman before a decision is being made on Saturday morning. Most probably, they wouldn’t risk him, as they are already on the verge of sealing the series.

Meanwhile, it opens up the chance for Alex Hales, who is waiting for a long time now to represent England. However, the decision will be out on Saturday morning regarding the opening slot between Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales.

Liam Plunkett and Joe Denly might make it into playing XI:

Liam Dawson, who has been pretty consistent in the series returned home with a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, the respective board gives a call-up to Joe Denly, who represented the nation nine years ago.

On the other hand, Liam Plunkett is also pushing his place in the side. The flamboyant all-rounder delivered the goods on a regular basis for the team in the recent past. However, the injury and the spin conditions in Sri Lanka asked the management to put him away.

All in all, England have quite a few headaches to settle for the upcoming ODI game. Most Probably, Alex Hales will find the opening slot while it will be a toss-up between Liam Plunkett and Joe Denly. The fourth ODI of the series is to be played at Pallekele on October 20th. The series scoreline read 2-0 in favour of the visitors.