England have the chance for a rare away Test series win when they take on Sri Lanka in the second Test of three in Kandy this week. They go into the match which begins on Wednesday 1-0 up in the series with two games to play.
Sri Lanka barely turned up in the first game in Galle last week and they will need to do a whole lot better if they are going to keep the series alive. Either that or they need to hope the rain can save them and send them to the final game with a chance of levelling things.
Sri Lanka
In truth the lack of potency in the Sri Lankan bowling in Galle was both a concern for them for the remaining two matches and something of a surprise. We probably shouldn’t really assess their batting just yet because they lost the toss and the wicket was beginning to do plenty by the time they came to bat so all eyes will be on that unit here.
You would think in a bid to get back into the series the wicket here will suit their bowlers much better. While that will help that will also bring some pressure onto their shoulders as well so it will be interesting to see if they will be able to cope with that. It will ensure a tough test for their batsmen too which might not be the best thing.
England
Although their top order never fired in the first innings, England ran out emphatic winners in Galle and will be looking for a repeat of that here. We keep going on about their top order as if it has to deliver the goods for England to win but that hasn’t been the case for a good while. England are actually at the stage where it is a bonus if they get top order runs rather than a necessity.
What England did do well in Galle was bowl very well. One reason for that was the way Joe Root managed his bowling attack. England picked three spinners and they all had good matches and if they are to win the series at this opportunity they will need to go well once again. If they do that you would think they are going to have every chance.
Team News
Sri Lanka always knew they were going to start life without Rangana Herath in this Test match but they are also without their captain Dinesh Chandimal too as he is out injured. Suranga Lakmal will skipper the side with Roshen Silva coming into the side.
England have confirmed they will go into battle with the same starting XI that won the match for them in Galle. The only change that is believed to be made is that Ben Stokes will move up to bat at 3 with Moeen dropping down the order.
Pallekele International Stadium
There have been six previous Test matches on this ground with three of them finishing in draws. In the other three matches Sri Lanka have won one and lost twice so this isn’t necessarily a good ground for them. England will be playing Test cricket here for the first time but they have played limited overs matches at the venue.
In comparison to some pitches in this part of the world this is a fairly low scoring ground so it is probably going to take a good deal of rain for this one to be a draw given the fragile nature of both batting line ups.
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Betting
England tempt me at odds against in this match because I expect them to be head and shoulders above their opponents in this game but the weather always worries me in this part of the world so I can’t take it. I’ll head to the side markets for a bet on the match however.
Moeen Ali totalled up 183pts on his performance in the first Test despite only scoring three runs in two innings. I keep hearing how this wicket is dry already and is going to break up quite quickly so that should suit England’s leading spinner a lot. I expect Moeen to go better with the bat in this match and I see no reason why he won’t go as well with the ball. With that in mind I think he can cover a performance of 130.5pts.
Tips
WON – Back M.Ali’s Performance – Over 130.5pts for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
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