The defending champions England will take on Sri Lanka at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday, October 26 in what is going to be a must-win encounter for both teams. Both Sri Lanka and England have played four matches and won a game each.
Players from both teams will be expected to push really hard on the field of play in order to advance to the semifinals of the competition. England suffered a humiliating defeat in their previous contest. They were routed by South Africa by a colossal margin of 229 runs and will therefore be desperate to get back to the winning ways again.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka won their previous clash against the Netherlands by five wickets and hence have the winning momentum on their side. However, a shoulder injury to pacer Matheesha Pathirana has ruled him out of the tournament and that is a telling blow to the Lankan Lions.
The 1996 world champions have recalled Angelo Mathews who brings a wealth of experience with him into the World Cup squad but Pathirana's injury has certainly reduced Sri Lanka's bowling prowess to a greater extent.
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru Pitch Report
The surface at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru is expected to play in the same way as it did during the clash between Australia and Pakistan and if it turns out to be the case then the bowlers will have to toil hard. Considered one of the best batting tracks in the country, the M Chinnaswamy Stadium could witness the ball flying to all corners on Thursday.
M Chinnaswamy Stadium Records and Stats
Total ODI Matches: 39
Matches won batting first: 15
Matches won bowling first: 20
Average first innings score: 235
Average second innings score: 218
Highest total scored: 383/6 by India vs Australia
Highest score chased: 329/7 by Ireland vs England
Lowest total recorded: 114 all out by IND-W vs SA-W
Lowest total defended: 166/4 by India vs England
