England vs Sri Lanka 2021, 1st ODI: Preview – Pitch Report, Playing Combination and Head to Head record

The Riverside Ground at Chester-le-Street in Durham is ready to host the first ODI of the three-match series between England and Sri Lanka, starting on Tuesday (June 29).

Before the ODI leg, both teams featured in the T20I series, where the home side completely dominated and steamrolled the visitors by handing them a clean sweep.

England will be focusing on replicating the T20I performance in the ODI fixtures, while Sri Lanka would be hoping to make a comeback in the shortest format.

Pitch report

Generally, the surface at Durham has always been batting friendly with some assistance for fast bowlers in the initial phase of the game. The last ODI that took place here was the group stage match of the 2019 World Cup between England and New Zealand, where hosts managed to post 305/8 in their innings and bundled out Black Caps for 186.

Head to Head record

Matches played: 75 | England Won: 36 | Sri Lanka Won: 36 | Tied: 1 | No result: 2

Playing Combination

England:

Jos Buttler will miss the ODI series due to a calf injury, so Sam Billings shall most likely take the gloves. Opener Jason Roy will not be available for the first ODI as he missed the final T20I against Sri Lanka with a tight hamstring. This means that Dawid Malan will again open the batting. Chris Woakes, Mark Wood and Sam Curran will hold the seam attack while Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali would take the responsibility of spin department.

ENG XI: Eoin Morgan (c), Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Sam Billings (wk), Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali.

Sri Lanka:

The trio of Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathalika got suspended on Monday after being found guilty of breaching the bio-bubble. No doubt that the absence of three experienced players will weaken the Sri Lankan batting order.

Adding to the troubles is the absence of Avishka Fernando, who was ruled out of the series after tearing a quad muscle in the T20Is. However, luckily for the touring party, they have named a 24-man squad, which means they have players to compensate for the absentees.

Dhananjay Lakshan and Charith Asalanka could make their ODI debut. Both are all-rounders and will fill the gap in the middle-order. Oshada Fernando and Pathum Nissanka are likely to return in the playing XI.

SL XI: Kusal Perera (c)(wk), Oshada Fernando, Pathum Nissanka, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka, Dushmantha Chameera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Isuru Udana, Nuwan Pradeep.