Big Picture
Since the start of 2019, England have won 16 out of eight T20 Internationals they have lost. Sri Lanka have lost 14 in the same period, with just five wins. England is the top-ranked T20I team, while Sri Lanka is ranked eighth. And while England finished runners-up in the most recent T20 World event, Sri Lanka need to qualify for the main draw of the next major tournament. In short, there appears to be a gulf between these teams.
Partly it is down to leadership. Eoin Morgan has been England's most successful white-ball captain, and has served since 2015. Although Sri Lanka won the World T20 in 2014, they have rifled through the leaders in the last five years with Dinesh Chandimal, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews among others. , Upul Tharanga, Thisara Perera (none of whom are in this current squad), and Dasun Shanaka. They are now behind Kusal Perera, the only surviving member of that World T20 champion side.
Though he has not been able to impress himself consistently over the years, he now faces a challenging task. The back-to-back matches in Cardiff will not only be a test of his leadership, but will also give an indication of where Sri Lanka is as a T20 side. A full-strength Sri Lankan team has not played before the pandemic.
England lost their last T20I series 3-2, losing 3-2 to India, but it is unlikely that they will start the series with a serious panic. This is despite the fact that he does not have Jofra Archer (who was their top wicket-taker in India) or Ben Stokes due to injury. Apart from everything else, many of their cricketers have also been included in the T20 Blast, while Sri Lanka only have a few low-key intra-squad games. There is instability in Sri Lanka which cannot be completely ruled out. But if they want to beat this series, they will have to create a series of surprises.
Form guide
(completed matches, most recent first)
England
Sri Lanka LWLL
In the headlines
Jos Buttler was not only England's highest run-scorer in the series in India, he also has a stellar record against Sri Lanka, averaging 158 and 47 in six innings against them. Although his blast form for Lancashire has been somewhat poor, he had a stellar end in the (short) IPL, where he scored 124 off 64 in early May. Sri Lanka's inexperienced attack will be especially wary.
Meanwhile, Kusal Perera has a wonderfully poor T20 record against England at an average of 84 and an average of less than 10. He hasn't played the format in over a year - his last T20 international was in March 2020. Although there are many players. In the race for a place in the top order, Perera has said that he will either open the batting or move to number three. The runs in this series will be a great help to his leadership.
Pitch and conditions
Cardiff is the second lowest-scoring ground in the T20 Blast this season, averaging 7.59 runs in an over, and is one of the few English grounds where spinners are more expensive than fast bowlers in T20Is. The weather is expected to be good, although temperatures are expected to drop by the mid-teens.
Team news
Morgan has said that both Bairstow (who is recovering from an ankle injury) and David Malan (who is coming back from pain) are available. Moeen Ali will be the all-rounder in place of Stokes.
England (possible): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 David Malan, 4 Jonny Bairstow, 5 Eoin Morgan (c), 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Sam Curran, 8 David Willey/Chris Woakes, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood
The return of Avishka Fernando (she was ruled out of the last two series due to poor fitness) will strengthen the top three. There is some competition for the middle-order places, however, with Dhananjaya de Silva, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis and Oshada Fernando all vying for places.
Sri Lanka (Probable): 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Avishka Fernando, 3 Kusal Perera (C/W), 4 Kusal Mendis, 5 Oshada Fernando, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Vanindu Hasaranga, 9 Isuru Udana, 10 Dushmantha Chamira , 11 Nuwan Pradeep
Stats and trivia
- Of the six T20 Internationals played at Sophia Gardens, England have won.
- Sri Lanka have lost their last three T20 Internationals against England. His last win came in 2014 at The Oval.
- David Malan has 1003 T20 International runs to his name. He was the fastest to 1000 runs in 24 innings to beat Babar Azam, who took his score in 26 innings.
Quotes
"I think Moeen was unlucky not to play in India. The pitch we played on didn't change at all in that series so really a second spinner wasn't the best option. We have to look at the balance of the side but You have to be a very, very good side to go with only five bowlers and no all-rounders."
England captain Eoin Morgan has suggested Moeen to replace Stokes in the XI