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England
Sri Lanka
England will look to take a 2-0 lead when they face Sri Lanka in the second T20I at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. The hosts will enter the match with 6 straight T20I wins, while Sri Lanka will be looking to respond after a heavy defeat in the opening game.
England will carry strong momentum after scoring 254/4 and winning the first T20I by 119 runs. Harry Brook and Jos Buttler will again be expected to provide stability and scoring power, while Englandβs bowling attack will look to maintain pressure through the innings. Sri Lanka will need a much better performance with both bat and ball to stay alive in the series.
The head-to-head record will also favour England, who have won all of their last 6 T20I meetings against Sri Lanka. 4 of those 6 matches have been won by the team batting first.
Englandβs stronger recent record against Sri Lanka will support this, with England hitting more sixes than Sri Lanka in 4 of their last 6 meetings.
The betting tip is...
Most Sixes in the Match - England
64 %
36 %
EnglandSri LankaEngland had given Aneurin Donald his T20I debut in the first match, with the opener scoring 12 off 5 balls alongside Jos Buttler, who made 80 off 44. Harry Brook had remained unbeaten on 114 off 49, while Will Jacks had added 21 off 12.
Brook had also maintained a strike rate of 200 across his last 10 T20Is for England, scoring 490 runs at an average of 81.67. England batters hit 12 sixes as opposed to SLβs 7 in the match.
With the ball, Sonny Baker had taken 3/12 from 4 overs, while Liam Dawson and Jamie Overton had claimed 2 wickets each. Josh Tongue and Will Jacks had taken 1 wicket apiece. Jofra Archer did not feature in the previous match.
Buttler, Brook and Jacks are the key batters in the team.
Predicted Lineup: Aneurin Donald, Jos Buttler (wk), Harry Brook (c), Tom Banton, Jordan Cox, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Josh Tongue, Sonny Baker and Adil Rashid
Sri Lanka struggled with the bat in the first T20I, being bowled out for 135 in 19 overs while chasing 255. Dunith Wellalage top-scored with 33 off 21 balls at a strike rate of 157.14, including 4 fours and 2 sixes.
Dasun Shanaka scored 24 off 14 at a strike rate of 171.42, while Eshan Malinga made 13 off 5 at a strike rate of 260.00. Nissanka, Asalanka and Shanaka are the batters capable of clearing the fence with ease.
With the ball, Dushmantha Chameera, Dunith Wellalage, Eshan Malinga and Wanindu Hasaranga all took one wicket each, while Maheesh Theekshana went wicketless for 27 runs from his 2 overs.
Nissanka, Asalanka and Shanaka are the key batters in the team.
Predicted Lineup: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara (wk), Lahiru Udara, Charith Asalanka (c), Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera and Eshan Malinga
England will enter the second T20I with strong momentum after their 119-run win in the opening match. Their top order will again look to attack early, with Jos Buttler providing experience at the top and Harry Brook coming off an unbeaten 114 from 49 balls. England also hit the ball more cleanly in the first game, while Sri Lankaβs chase produced only 135 runs.
England will have the recent head-to-head advantage, with the opening partnership being higher in 5 of the last 6 meetings against Sri Lanka. In those matches, they hit more sixes than SL on 4 occasions.
Playing at home, Englandβs batters will look to maintain the same attacking approach and put more pressure on the Sri Lankan bowlers. Their ability to find the boundary regularly will give them an advantage in the overall scoring battle.
