The third and final T20 test between England and Sri Lanka takes place on Saturday. Both nations will have their reasons for wanting to win the final test, as England look to complete a whitewash, while Sri Lanka will be looking to salvage some pride ahead of the start of the ODI series that gets underway next Tuesday.
Series Recap
The series victory has already been assured for England, as they have won both of the previous two T20 tests against Sri Lanka. The only thing that is left to be decided is whether England will record a triumphant 3-0 series victory. England got the series off to a perfect start on Wednesday, as they won by eight wickets with 17 balls remaining. Sri Lanka won the toss in that game and opted to bat. They managed to scored just 129 runs in the 20 overs, and lost seven wickets. Dasun Shanaka was the highest scorer for the tourists in that game, as he scored 50 from 44 balls, while Kusal Perera managed to hit 30 from 26 balls.
Adil Rashid and Sam Curran both two wickets for England in the victory. Jose Buttler was later awarded the Player of the Match award, with that mainly being down to his incredible batting performance. Buttler scored 68 not out from 55 balls to lead England to the score that they needed to take the opening game. Jason Roy also scored 36 in the victory.
The second test of the series took place on Thursday, as Sri Lanka once again won the toss and decided to bat. England were able to keep the tourists to an even lower score in this match, as they scored just 111 runs from the 20 overs. Once again, Sri Lanka lost seven wickets in the defeat, with Mark Wood and Rashid taking two wickets apiece. Curran also continued his excellent form by taking one wicket in the two overs that he bowled.
England eventually won by five wickets with eleven balls left, as the DLS method was used due to weather interruption. The mathematical formulation found that Sri Lanka wouldn’t have been able to hold on to their win, as England had just three more runs to score to win the game when the match was paused after 16.1 overs. Liam Livingston was in steady form for England in the game, as he scored 29 not out. Sam Billings also scored 24 runs, while Jason Roy scored 17 from 17 balls.
England vs Sri Lanka Prediction
England are the clear BetXChange favourites to win the final T20I series and claim a whitewash 3-0 victory. Weather could play a part again in England this weekend, as there are heavy showers expected throughout the day. However, Sri Lanka are priced at 4.99 with BetXChange to get the win, which highlights just how difficult it could be for the tourists to salvage some pride. We find it hard to look past England claiming the whitewash victory this weekend. However, weather delays could play a role in the game, which will be played at the Rose Bowl.
