England kick off a three-match T20I series with Sri Lanka in Cardiff on Wednesday - Richard Mann previews the action.
Cricket betting tips: England v Sri Lanka T20I series, June 23-26
1pt Jos Buttler Man of the Match in first T20I at 7/1 (Sky Bet)
1pt Jason Roy Man of the Match in first T20I at 8/1 (Sky Bet)
1pt Nuwan Pradeep top Sri Lanka bowler in first T20I at 4/1 (General)
First came the New Zealand whirlwind, then rain in Southampton, and now the international cricket summer sees visiting Sri Lanka take on England in a three-match T20I series beginning on Wednesday evening. With England picking their strongest squad available, and the tourists a shadow of their once revered white-ball side, a storm might well be brewing.
Furthermore, if England fans had been wondering where the priorities of Ashley Giles and Chris Silverwood currently lie, in an Ashes year that also features a T20 World Cup, the last few weeks might have given the clearest indication yet that white-ball cricket ball remains the apple of the ECB’s eye. As such, it’s hard not to have sympathy for Test captain Joe Root who was asked to go over the top against an outfit as strong as New Zealand while a number of his chief lieutenants were resting ahead of this upcoming T20 series.
Root really does find himself in no man’s land at present and as pragmatic and diplomatic as he has become, one wonders just how far his patience will stretch before he concludes this is a battle he cannot win and that concentrating on his own game and batting, free from the strains of the impossible job of captaining England’s Test team, will best serve his own interests.
As for now, Root's late recall to England's T20 squad following an injury scare to Yorkshire teammate Dawid Malan has been shelved and the latter is expected to retain his spot at number three.
Ever-dependable and surely nearing a recall to the Test side himself, Malan always enters calculations for bettors in this format, particularly with Jonny Bairstow unlikely to be passed fit for the opener – but with England fancied to dominate this series from start to finish, I think getting the powerhouse opening pair of JOS BUTTLER and JASON ROY onside is the best way to play Wednesday’s clash.
Roy has been in really good touch in the Vitality Blast in recent weeks, scores of 68, 45, 30 and 64 suggesting Sri Lanka’s modest bowling attack could be in for tough work in this series, especially with Buttler averaging 48.46 since moving up to open the batting.
With a decent weather forecast for Wednesday, and the pitch in Cardiff generally good for batting, I want that pair in my book and while taking one over the other at around 3/1 for top England batsmen honours provides a tricky call, I’d instead rather back both in the Man of the Match market – Buttler at 7/1 and Roy at 8/1.
As ever, Sri Lanka will be hoping their spinners can give them a modicum of control in the middle overs, but the likes of Wanindu Hasaranga and Akila Dananjaya might find English conditions something of a culture shock and Buttler, in particular, could make them pay if still going strong after the powerplay.
As made clear already, I do think Sri Lanka are in for a miserable week or so, though the recent wet spell means backing England for a 3-0 series clean sweep at close to evens is hard to get too excited about.
As such, playing match by match is probably the best way to go, and backing overs on England’s runs line, should they bat first, will be worth seriously considering if the weather is set fair on match day.
The 7/4 available with Sky Bet for England to win on Wednesday and hit the most sixes and fours also looks solid enough, but I’ll strike my third bet of the night on NUWAN PRADEEP in the top Sri Lanka bowler market.
With the away spinners not fancied to relish conditions much, sticking with a seamer who bowls at the death makes sense, and Pradeep fits the bill perfectly given he delivers a good yorker at decent pace and is generally used at the death. While injury and the coronavirus pandemic meant we have seen next to nothing of Pradeep since late 2019, he was excellent in that calendar year in claiming eight wickets from five T20I matches with an impressive economy rate 6.79. His strike-rate in that period was a very respectable 13.20.
With Lasith Malinga retired – for now at least – Pradeep’s experience should mean he is entrusted to deliver those crucial death overs that usually yield wickets and the fact he has played plenty of cricket in England before should stand him in good stead. With his recent domestic form suggesting he is fit and well, he looks worth a bet at 4/1.
Posted at 1230 BST on 22/06/21 and updated at 1100 23/06/21 following Dawid Malan fitness news
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