England vs Sri Lanka predictions: In-form Hasaranga could hurt England

Liam Flin
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Wanindu Hasaranga will be looking to cut through England
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- Wanindu Hasaranga has taken 13 wickets in seven appearances at T20 World Cup 
- Spinner was named man of the match in win against Afghanistan 
- Recommended bet: Back Hasaranga to be Sri Lanka’s top bowler

It is set to go down to the wire in Group One in the Twenty20 World Cup Super 12 phase with England knowing a victory over Sri Lanka at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday will likely see them through to the knockout stage.

England will progress with a victory of any kind if one or both of New Zealand or Australia lose on Friday, but if both sides win their matches then the three-way battle will come down to net run rate.

And given that England's is superior to that of Australia's, a victory for Jos Buttler's side will almost certainly confirm a semi-final berth.

Team news

England have no new injuries to report as they prepare for their crunch group contest with Sri Lanka, who are overseen by former England head coach Chris Silverwood.

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Sri Lanka are likely to once again open with Pathum Nissanka and wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Mendis at the top of the order, as has been the case in each of their last three Super 12 fixtures.

Stats

Jos Buttler is England's top scorer at the T20 World Cup

England's four Super 12 matches at this year's Twenty20 World Cup have produced two wins, one defeat and one no result.

No England player has yet reached 100 runs in the tournament with Buttler the team's top runscorer on 91 runs from three innings.

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Sri Lanka have won four of their last six T20 matches with that run including games in the first round of the World Cup.

Wanindu Hasaranga has been particularly prolific with the ball for the Lankans, taking 13 wickets in seven matches in the T20 World Cup.

Predictions

The ball is in England's court heading into their clash with Sri Lanka at the SCG and it is unsurprising to see them rated 1/5 to win this match with LiveScore Bet.

The abandonment of the Australia clash was far from ideal but England at least laid down a marker with their 20-run win over New Zealand last time out.

And they of course came into this year's T20 World Cup in excellent form, having chalked up series wins over Pakistan and Australia in the build-up.

Last time out it was once again England's openers Buttler and Alex Hales who stole the show with knocks of 73 and 52 respectively and with so much riding on this result, England can be expected to burst out of the blocks.

One thing that could play a key role in the outcome of this match is the pitch.

Pakistan took on South Africa at the SCG only on Thursday and a used pitch could aid Sri Lanka's armoury of spinners, most notably Hasaranga, who has been in superb form at the T20 World Cup.

He has been fairly tight with an economy rate of 6.51 and has taken 13 wickets from his seven innings.

Hasaranga was named player of the match in his side's six-wicket win over Afghanistan last time out, taking 3-13 from his four overs, and he is worth backing to be Sri Lanka's top bowler at 2/1 with LiveScore Bet.

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