England To Secure Fourth ODI Win Over Sri Lanka

England will look to sign off their one-day international series against Sri Lanka with another victory after securing another triumph in the fourth ODI in Kandy.

The Three Lions won the toss and elected to field first. The home side were in need of a strong performance with the bat, and although Niroshan Dickwella performed well notching a half-century, he did not get the support he needed from the middle order.

However, Dasun Shanaka and Thisera Perera hit out towards the end of the innings. Shanaka struck the ball cleanly to all parts of the ground, bringing up the highest score of his ODI career to carry Sri Lanka to a competitive total of 273 from their 50 overs.

England were without Jonny Bairstow for the contest due to injury. Alex Hales slotted into the line-up, but he failed to capitalise on his opportunity. Jason Roy continued his decent form at the crease with a knock of 45, although it was Joe Root and Eoin Morgan that got the visitors above the required run rate to secure the victory by 18 runs via the Duckworth/Lewis method.

Sri Lanka will be desperate to get on the board to avoid a shutout in Colombo, but the Three Lions will want to take the momentum into the rest of the tour.

Sri Lanka’s Top Batsman

Dickwella proved his worth at the top of the innings once again for the home side. He was not as explosive as the third match of the series where he found the boundary with regularity. This was due to circumstance rather Dickwella’s lack of timing at the crease as Sri Lanka lost early wickets. It forced the 25-year-old into consolidating his position rather than to be on the offensive. He still made his runs, but was unable to make the big score that his team required to engineer a match-winning position. Dickwella lbw to Moeen Ali for 52 after notching the seventh half-century of his career.

It was a good knock, but not enough for the Lions in Kandy. Whereas Dickwella has taken responsibility at the top of the order, newly-appointed skipper Dinesh Chandimal has struggled to fire. Chandimal made 33 runs during his innings, although it was not a rapid pace. If you’re not going to score big runs you have to do it quickly. The Sri Lanka captain has done neither in the series, putting pressure on the players around him. He needs to find touch before the start of the Test series, therefore back him to end his slump at odds of 4/1 with Bet365.

England’s Top Batsman

The tourists displayed their embarrassment of riches in their squad by calling in Hales to replace Bairstow at the top of the innings. Bairstow suffered an injury during England’s training session, paving the way for Hales to return to the fold. The Nottinghamshire batsman did hold down the opener’s spot for a long period of time, but since Bairstow arrived on the scene in 2016, both Hales and Roy have rotated in the other spot alongside the Yorkshireman. Roy looks to be the man in possession to fend off Hales ahead of the World Cup.

The Surrey batsman has been in decent form thus far on the tour, but has not managed to kick on to get over fifty yet. Roy has made a couple of good scores in the forties, dismissing the notion that he is unable to thrive against spin bowling. However, the 27-year-old will want to affirm the point by breaking three figures as well as giving the selectors a nudge that he can adapt his game. Back Roy to lead the way for England at odds of 4.50Bet €100 to win €4507/2Bet £100 to win £450+350Bet $100 to win $4503.50Bet HK$100 to win HK$4503.50Bet Rp100 to win Rp450-0.2857Bet RM100 to win RM450  with Bet365.

Sri Lanka’s Top Bowler

The home side have not offered enough threat with the ball to put pressure on England. Lasith Malinga posed a semblance of a threat late in the Three Lions’ innings in the second match of the series, but since then he has been underwhelming. As a unit the bowlers have been unable to build dot balls to squeeze the tourists’ run rate. There have always been scoring opportunities and not enough wickets to keep the runs off the board. Akila Dananjaya continued to show his promise in the fourth match in Kandy.

He found turn off the pitch to deceive Hales before removing Roy, claiming the only two wickets to fall for Chandimal’s men. Danajaya only conceded two boundaries in his seven overs and moving forward he appears to be a bowler that the Lions can build their attack around. They need more from him in the final game, similar to that of his match-winning six-wicket performance against South Africa. Back him to lead the wicket column at odds of 3.50Bet €100 to win €3505/2Bet £100 to win £350+250Bet $100 to win $3502.50Bet HK$100 to win HK$3502.50Bet Rp100 to win Rp350-0.4000Bet RM100 to win RM350  with Bet365.

England’s Top Bowler

Changes have been mooted for the visitors that could see Mark Wood and Liam Plunkett rotated into the side to replace Chris Woakes and Olly Stone ahead of the Test series. Plunkett missed the opening four matches after getting married, while Wood’s role in the side has been passed over to Stone. Both players have a point to prove and will be desperate to regain their roles permanently. Plunkett has been one of the stars of the team since earning a recall after the 2015 World Cup.

He has taken wickets with regularity in the middle overs, becoming a reliable option for Morgan to turn to in need of inspiration. Conditions are not ideal for the veteran bowler, missing the pace and bounce in the surface, although he does have the experience and guile to lead the wicket column. Take him at odds of 5.00Bet €100 to win €5004/1Bet £100 to win £500+400Bet $100 to win $5004.00Bet HK$100 to win HK$5004.00Bet Rp100 to win Rp500-0.2500Bet RM100 to win RM500  with Bet365 to strike for Morgan’s men, displaying no signs of rust on his return to the team.

Match Verdict

England are on a roll and expect that to continue in Colombo. They’ve not been at their best, although the rain has controlled the outcome of the games in the series. Morgan will want to see his side wrap up another convincing win to send them into the new year in the 50-over format with momentum to take into a huge 2019 for the outfit. Sri Lanka have proven not to have the quality to cope with the Three Lions at all. Back England for the win at odds of 1.29Bet €100 to win €12929/100Bet £100 to win £129-345Bet $100 to win $1290.29Bet HK$100 to win HK$129-3.45Bet Rp100 to win Rp1290.2900Bet RM100 to win RM129  with Betway.

Tips Summary

England To Beat Sri Lanka
Tuesday 23^rd October 2018 10:00 BST
Odds: 1.29Bet €100 to win €12929/100Bet £100 to win £129-345Bet $100 to win $1290.29Bet HK$100 to win HK$129-3.45Bet Rp100 to win Rp1290.2900Bet RM100 to win RM129

Dinesh Chandimal To Be Sri Lanka’s Top Batsman
Tuesday 23^rd October 2018 10:00 BST
Odds: 5.00Bet €100 to win €5004/1Bet £100 to win £500+400Bet $100 to win $5004.00Bet HK$100 to win HK$5004.00Bet Rp100 to win Rp500-0.2500Bet RM100 to win RM500

Akila Dananjaya To Be Sri Lanka’s Top Bowler
Tuesday 23^rd October 2018 10:00 BST
Odds: 3.50Bet €100 to win €3505/2Bet £100 to win £350+250Bet $100 to win $3502.50Bet HK$100 to win HK$3502.50Bet Rp100 to win Rp350-0.4000Bet RM100 to win RM350

Jason Roy To Be England’s Top Batsman
Tuesday 23^rd October 2018 10:00 BST
Odds: 4.50Bet €100 to win €4507/2Bet £100 to win £450+350Bet $100 to win $4503.50Bet HK$100 to win HK$4503.50Bet Rp100 to win Rp450-0.2857Bet RM100 to win RM450

Liam Plunkett To Be England’s Top Bowler
Tuesday 23^rd October 2018 10:00 BST
Odds: 5.00Bet €100 to win €5004/1Bet £100 to win £500+400Bet $100 to win $5004.00Bet HK$100 to win HK$5004.00Bet Rp100 to win Rp500-0.2500Bet RM100 to win RM500