Time: June 26, 7 PM IST
Venue: The Rose Bowl, Southampton
Pitch report
We are back to the same venue where New Zealand trumped India to win the first-ever World Test Championship. The ball swung and spun on the final day. However, in a T20 game, swing is less likely to threaten the batters.
The toss won’t matter as it did in the first two T20Is. At Southampton, the chasing team has won as many games as the team batting first. There have already been two four-wicket hauls and a T20I hundred registered in 8 games.
Teams
Jos Buttler has been ruled out of the white-ball series against Sri Lanka due to a calf strain.
Probable XI for England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Dawid Malan, Eoin Morgan (c), Sam Billings, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, David Willey, Chris Jordan, Mark Wood/Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid
Probable XI for Sri Lanka: Danushka Gunathilaka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Perera (c), Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Isuru Udana, Akila Dananjaya, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando
Fantasy tips
We have opted for a fantasy cricket team based on the recent performances, overall impact, and credit points.
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Players to watch out for
With 4 wickets at 10.2, Adil Rashid is the highest wicket-taker of the series. He has taken the all-important wicket of Kusal Perera on both occasions. To make his case stronger, he is also the joint-highest wicket-taker at Southampton. His 6 wickets in 4 matches have come at an average of 16.6 and an economy of 6.2.
Dasun Shanaka is the only one of the two half-centurions of the series. His role has been to up the scoring rate towards the end of the innings.
Dawid Malan, the No. 1 batter in ICC T20I Rankings, has incredible figures at the venue. In a mere 3 T20Is, he has blasted 129 runs at a strike rate of 138. Jonny Bairstow has three more runs to his name but in two more matches.
Kusal Perera has got starts in both innings, scoring 30 (26) and 21 (25). The fall of early wickets has prohibited him from playing his natural game.
Kusal Mendis showed glimpses of form, but a strike rate of 94 won’t win many games for his team. In his defence, England have been incredible with the ball.
Wanindu Hasaranga has taken 2 wickets and maintained an economy of 6 RPO. He might as well bag a few more wickets, as the Southampton wicket suits his style of bowling.
Prediction
Sri Lanka have talented players at their disposal: a mystery spinner, leg-spinner, all-rounders, southpaw batters. You name it and they have got it, and despite all this, they haven’t been able to put up a collective performance. They did give England a scare in the last game when they reduced the home team to 36 for 4, but that was that. They could not continue the momentum, when it mattered the most.
England, on the other hand, have been having it easy. Other than the loss of 4 wickets, they have been flawless in the series. Their bowling especially has been spot on. For Sri Lanka to end the series on a high and gain confidence for the ODIs, they will have to play well as a cohesive unit.
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