Hosts England take on Sri Lanka in the third and final ODI of the series at the Bristol County Ground on Sunday. It is part of the ICC ODI Super League.

England have been brutal and clinical in this ODI series so far. Bowling first, the bowlers restricted Sri Lanka to 241 runs, with left-arm seamers David Willey and Sam Curran taking all the 9 wickets to fall. The English batters made light work of their target, chasing it down with 8 wickets to spare, as Jason Roy, Joe Root and captain Morgan all scored half centuries. With the series already secure, expect a few changes in the playing XI for England as they look to complete a 3-0 sweep over the tourists. 

Sri Lanka have not won a game throughout this tour and it seems likely that they will go home empty-handed, given the way they have batted so far. However, the batting performance in the second ODI was much better. Dhananjaya de Silva's excellent innings gave the side at least something substantial to defend, albeit in a losing cause. With all six of their bowlers not maintaining consistent lengths and only two managing to pick up a wicket, it was never enough to contain the strong English top-order.

Although there is nothing to suggest that Sri Lanka can avoid a white-wash in this ODI series, they will hope to spring a surprise on England in this final game of the tour. Either way, expect a good game of ODI cricket at the County Ground in Bristol.

Match Details

• Match: England vs. Sri Lanka, 3rd ODI
• Venue: County Ground, Bristol
• Date & Time: July 4, 2021, at 3:30 PM IST/11 AM Local

Probable Playing XI

England

Jonny Bairstow (WK), Jason Roy, Joe Root, Tom Banton, Eoin Morgan (C), Moeen Ali, Sam Billings, Chris Woakes, George Garton, Adil Rashid, David Willey

Sri Lanka

Oshada Fernando, Kusal Perera (C & WK), Avishka Fernando, Dhananjaya de Silva, Pathum Nissanka, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando

Weather and Pitch Report

Bristol is expected to have cloudy weather with a few rain interruptions during the match. The temperature will be around 17 degrees during the game. 

The County Ground in Bristol has traditionally been known to be very good for batting. Although there will be some early help to the seamers, batsmen will enjoy the hardness of the surface and the way the ball comes on nicely to the bat. There will be some turn available for the spinners as the match progresses. The average first-innings score at this venue in the last five ODI matches played here has been 261 runs. 

The team batting second has a good record at this venue, winning 3 out of the last 4 completed games played. Expect the captain winning the toss to opt to field first. A score of around 270 runs should be a competitive one here.

Top Fantasy Picks

England

• Jonny Bairstow got good starts in both the previous ODIs but got out while trying to be aggressive. He scored 43 and 29 in the two games played at a decent strike rate of 126.32. Expect a big inning from him in this final ODI. 
• Jason Roy, who was rested for the first ODI, immediately made an impact in the second game with a blistering 60 off 52 balls, which included 10 boundaries. He set the tone of the chase for England in the early overs. Expect him to continue his good form here.
• Adil Rashid has gone wicketless in the last three matches, after starting the tour very well with 4 wickets at Cardiff. He has a decent record against Sri Lanka, taking 14 wickets in 13 games, with best figures of 4 for 36. He has gone wicketless for three ODIs just once in his career.

Sri Lanka

• Kusal Perera missed out in the last game, departing for a 2-ball duck. He batted well in the first game and scored a brilliant fifty. He has been the most consistent batter in the team while the rest are struggling for runs. Expect him to play a responsible and big knock in this match. 
• Dhananjaya de Silva, playing just his second match on this English tour, batted beautifully in the previous match and ended up being the highest run scorer from either side. He made a run-a-ball 91 runs, with the help of 14 boundaries.  
• Dushmantha Chameera went wicketless for the first time on this tour of England. He took 3 for 50 in the first ODI, taking his tally to 9 wickets in the five matches so far. He will look to do the damage with the new ball for Sri Lanka here.

Howzat Dream Team

• Wicketkeepers: J Bairstow, K Perera
• Batsmen: E Morgan, J Roy, A Fernando
• All-rounders: D de Silva, M Ali, C Woakes
• Bowlers: A Rashid, D Willey, D Chameera

• Captain: J Bairstow/A Rashid
• Vice Captain: A Fernando/D de Silva

NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can make your fantasy 11 and play fantasy cricket matches. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.

Get fantasy cricket tips on your favorite fantasy sports app and select your own team, Howzat!