Invariably, the focus is on the touring party this English summer. New Zealand arrived and returned home with possibly the biggest mace cricket has ever seen, then there are subcontinental teams from India and Sri Lanka. (More Cricket News)
India, the losing finalists in the one-off World Test Championship final against the Kiwis, continue to acclimatise while embattled Sri Lankans are picking up remnants of their glorious past even as Pakistan are regrouping after a chaotic PSL in the UAE.
But for the hosts England, after losing a not-so-relevant Test series to the Kiwis, are happy with their limited-overs experiments. So far, it's 4-0 in four outings across formats and they are into the penultimate match of the series before taking on Pakistan. And Eoin Morgan & Co are confident of winning the remaining two matches too.
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For Sri Lanka, outplayed and hit by off-the-field controversy, a strong finish to the tour will do a world of good before they return home to play hosts to India -- yes, another Indian team. And Kusal Perera & Co have only two matches left for course correction, starting today with the second ODI. Hopefully, their batsmen will show some spine. Bowlers have been brilliant so far.
Head-to-head: This will be their 77th meeting in ODIs. And there is very little to separate the two in head-to-head record. Thanks to their five-wicket win in Chester-le-Street, England now lead 37-36. There were one tied match and also two no results.
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Match and telecast details
Match: 2nd ODI cricket match between England and Sri Lanka (ENG vs SL)
Date: July 1 (Thursday), 2021
Time: 5:30 PM IST/ 1:00 PM Local
Venue: The Oval, London, England
TV Channels: Sony Sports Network
Live Streaming: SonyLIV
Playing XIs in the previous match
England: Jonny Bairstow (wk), Liam Livingstone, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (c), Sam Billings, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
Sri Lanka: Kusal Perera (c & wk), Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ramesh Mendis, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Chamika Karunaratne, Binura Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera, Praveen Jayawickrama.
Squads
England: Jonny Bairstow (wk), Liam Livingstone, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (c), Sam Billings, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Jason Roy, Liam Dawson, Dawid Malan, Tom Curran, George Garton.
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera (c & wk), Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Ramesh Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Binura Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera, Praveen Jayawickrama, Lakshan Sandakan, Isuru Udana, Asitha Fernando, Akila Dananjaya, Ishan Jayaratne , Nuwan Pradeep, Dhananjaya de Silva, Oshada Fernando, Shiran Fernando.
