Image: England face Sri Lanka in an exciting ODI clash at The Oval / © Cricinfo
In the England vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI, both teams will begin their preparations for the upcoming 50-over challenges when they meet on 22 September at 5:00 PM IST at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street. England enter the series after a 2-1 ODI series win over India, while Sri Lanka recently won their previous ODI series against West Indies 1-0. The recent head-to-head record has been closely contested, with both sides winning 2 of their last 5 meetings.
Joe Root will be one of England’s main batting options, having scored 7826 runs in 181 innings at an average of 51.15. He has also scored 39 runs off 47 balls against Asitha Fernando, who has dismissed him once. Pathum Nissanka brings strong recent form for Sri Lanka, with 2999 runs in 78 innings at an average of 41.08. He has scored 27 runs off 25 balls against Adil Rashid and has been dismissed once by the spinner.
England’s batting unit also features Harry Brook, who has 1385 runs in 41 innings, while Jos Buttler has accumulated 5578 runs in 174 innings. Jofra Archer has taken 70 wickets in 39 innings at an average of 25.07. Sri Lanka will look towards Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis and Asitha Fernando, who has 39 wickets in 30 innings. At Riverside Ground, 11 of 28 ODIs have been won batting first, while 15 have gone to teams bowling first.
The average first-innings score is 240, compared with 192 in the second innings, making the toss an important factor. Weather forecasts suggest partly sunny conditions, 75% humidity and temperatures between 14°C and 22°C, with a 15% chance of rain. England’s recent ODI record stands at 4 wins and 1 loss in their last 5 games, while Sri Lanka have recorded 1 win and 2 losses in their last 5.